Tim Berners-Lee on the future of the web: 'The system is failing' Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s optimism about the future of the web is starting to wane in the face of a “nasty storm” of issues including the rollback of net neutrality protections, the proliferation of fake news, propaganda and the web’s increasing polarisation. The inventor of the world wide web always maintained his creation was a reflection of humanity – the good, the bad and the ugly. But Berners-Lee’s vision for an “open platform that allows anyone to share information, access opportunities and collaborate across geographical boundaries” has been challenged by increasingly powerful digital gatekeepers whose algorithms can be weaponised by master manipulators. “I’m still an optimist, but an optimist standing at the top of the hill with a nasty storm blowing in my face, hanging on to a fence,” said the British computer scientist. “We have to grit our teeth and hang on to the fence and not take it for granted that the web will lead us to wonderful things,” he said. “The system is failing.
Episode 9 - The Strange Story of the Singing Clownfish In this special cybersafety episode, I begin by sharing with you “The Strange Story of the Singing Clownfish,” one of the four short stories included in my recently published children’s book, “The Tweeting Galah.” Following on from this story, I discuss how cybersafety fits into the Australian curriculum, as well as tips and resources to help you teach this content as effectively as possible (and with the least impact on your time!) Learn More To find out more about the resources outlined in the episode please select from the following list: Cybersafety Lesson Ideas A few ideas & inspiration! Create licenses for using school devices Create Cybersafety super heroes! Create anti-cyber bullying posters and display around classroom Create your own digital footprints! Complete a digital device contract (for home OR school). Join the ICT Teaching & Learning Community Australia Facebook Group Learn more about integrating technology into the classroom: If you’re an Australian teacher, click here to join.
Online Safety & Digital Citizenship from K to 6 | (Up)Front and Centre As a tech teacher, I consider the most vital part of my job is to teach students how to use technology safely and responsibly. Last year, in my new role as an Instructional Technology Teacher, I have discussed online safety and digital citizenship with most of my classes and assigned activities related to it sporadically throughout the year. This summer I have vowed to find and organize appropriate resources for teaching online safety and digital citizenship for every grade level I teach so that I can deliver them in a more purposeful and meaningful manner. Now the summer is almost over and I’m not nearly done. Kindergarten Guiding questions and discussion points: What is private information (full name? Online activities: ABCya Cyber Five: simple tutorial with 5 easy to understand rules, complete the quiz at the end as a whole class activity Grade 1 BrainPOPjr: video tutorial with a easy/hard quiz at the end that can be completed online (can print results)or on paper Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4
The 6 Online Research Skills Your Students Need 1. Check Your Sources The Skill: Evaluating information found in your sources on the basis of accuracy, validity, appropriateness for needs, importance, and social and cultural context The Challenge: While most kids know not to believe everything they read online, the majority also don’t take the time to fully evaluate their sources, according to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The same study showed that, on average, kids as young as 11 rate themselves as quite proficient Internet users, which may inflate their confidence. The Solution: As a class, discuss the benchmarks for evaluating a website: currency (Is the information up to date?) 2. The Skills: Developing and refining search queries to get better research results The Challenge: Students will enter a search term, say, “Abraham Lincoln,” and comb through pages of results that aren’t related to their research (think Lincoln beards, Lincoln Logs), rather than narrowing their original query (“Lincoln assassination”).
8 digital skills we must teach our children The social and economic impact of technology is widespread and accelerating. The speed and volume of information have increased exponentially. Experts are predicting that 90% of the entire population will be connected to the internet within 10 years. With the internet of things, the digital and physical worlds will soon be merged. These changes herald exciting possibilities. But they also create uncertainty. Children are using digital technologies and media at increasingly younger ages and for longer periods of time. The digital world is a vast expanse of learning and entertainment. Moreover, there is the digital age gap. So how can we, as parents, educators and leaders, prepare our children for the digital age? Digital intelligence or “DQ” is the set of social, emotional and cognitive abilities that enable individuals to face the challenges and adapt to the demands of digital life. Digital identity: The ability to create and manage one’s online identity and reputation. Share Written by
The 11 Most Crucial Primary School Digital Citizenship Guidelines to Know The following is adapted from the book Growing Global Digital Citizens (Crockett & Churches, 2017). It features a discussion of Primary School digital citizenship guidelines, along with notes on why each one is important to consider. Since the Global Digital Citizen Foundation published the digital citizenship agreements under the Creative Commons license, thousands of schools have used them as foundations for their own programs. In this article, we’ll look at the digital citizenship agreements for primary (elementary) schools. In addition, we’ll also discuss why each of these Primary School digital citizenship guidelines is important. The guidelines in these agreements rely on having an understanding of Information Fluency. The GDCF’s Primary School Digital Citizenship Guidelines The Primary School digital citizenship guidelines are worded as I will and I will not statements that the students can understand. Looking After Myself 1. Why is this important? 2. Why is this important? 3. 4.
11 Ways to use Symbaloo in the Classroom – The Edublogger NOTE: This is a guest post by Mimi Chau from the Symbaloo team. Edublogs just rolled out a free Symbaloo plugin available to all users that we think you’ll enjoy! What is Symbaloo? Symbaloo is a free social bookmarking tool. Why Should You Symbaloo? Symbaloo helps teachers curate content and share the best of the web with their students. “Help, I’m drowning!” As schools start to implement 1:1 or BOYD methods in the classroom, teachers are required to keep up with the latest technology and teaching methods. And what about the “non tech-savvy” teachers that are struggling with technology? Symbaloo allows teachers to share valuable resources with their students and with each other. How do you Symbaloo in your classroom? 11 Ways to use Symbaloo in the Classroom 1. How do you share links with your students and parents? You can share your collection of links with Symbaloo. 2. Social Studies Webmix: Language Arts Webmix: 3. 4.
Digital Literacy and Research Skills Jump to navigation 1 Hook - The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus Ask students what a source is Somewhere you get information from (ex. books, online, news)Ask students how they know a source is reliable Website ends in .org, .edu, .govAuthors are visible, etc.Tell students that they are going to have 30 minutes to research about the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus Student InstructionsStudents create a Google Slides presentation about the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus What is it? 2 Core Learning - Identifying Reliable Sources Activity: Conversing Some students may have discovered that this is a hoax, some may not haveIf they discover it is a hoax tell them to keep it a secret until everyone has presentedAfter all students have presented - explain that this is a hoax Ask: What strategies did you use to find information? Student InstructionsStudents present their information about the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus 3 Research in Action - Google Search Challenges