For my final project, I tapped the shoulders of two of my favorite online colleagues: Uzay and Michelle. Uzay is a brilliant DP teacher in Singapore, and Michelle is an incredibly gifted DP teacher in New Jersey. Between the three of us, we span three continents. We’ve been connecting through Twitter for the past three years, and I am a better teacher for it. I recently posted about the influence they have had on my teaching as a reflective ‘Teacher Appreciation’ e-nod to the many educators out there kind enough to share.
Through Google Docs, Twitter, and Facebook, we discussed the direct implications our IBDP subject Language and Literature has for unpacking digital citizenship. While many schools have policies in place, the reality is, unless classroom teachers make direct connections for their subjects and their students, the policy will remain unread. Students aren’t interested in policy. Our job is to make the right values come to life through our planning, presentation, and modeling.
This is something Michelle, Uzay, and many risk-taking teachers do on the daily. We do everything we can to offer our students creative ways to engage in collaborative activities. We see developing a community of writers and readers as an opportunity. Ultimately, if we see our students as ‘makers,’ and we enable them to build and show their ideas, we also must teach them to do it ethically. How did my grade 9 class remix Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” this week? Take a look at their unique approach to building their own resource.
The best way to learn about digital citizenship is by experimenting as a creative learner out there online. Learning about the ways ideas build on one another means you must engage in the process of creating.
Thank you again to Michelle and Uzay for their insight and their encouragement.
Without further ado, I present: Five things the #langNlit teacher can do to level up on digital citizenship:
Photo by Tricia Friedman