Gail Desler is the Technology Integration Specialist for the Elk Grove Unified School District. It is her job to find ways to integrate cyber citizenship into the core lessons, and the challenge is to keep them current and relevant. Her lesson plan of choice is a program about digital citizenship produced by Common Sense Media working in partnership with the Sacramento County Office of Education.
John Fleischman is the Assistant Superintendent of Technology Services for the SCOE.
“SCOE is collaborating with Common Sense Media and the California Writing Project to promote digital citizenship month,” he said. “The more we can encourage students to make positive, responsible use of the Internet and mobile devices, the more cyber safe they will be.”
California Digital Citizenship Month is this May.
Desler is a fan of the curriculum products Common Sense Media offers. “It is instructive and easy to work into core curriculum,” Desler said.
According to Desler, Internet safety really has become more about teaching youth what it means to be a good citizen in the network. So the training covers four areas that address the ethics and responsibility affiliated with privileges of cyber-powered communications. They include:
- Cyberbullying
- Digital foot prints
- On-line privacy
- Intellectual property
“The intellectual property is an important concept to get across to the ‘remix’ generation,” Desler said. “It is easy to become confused about ‘fair use’ rights.” According to Desler the lessons for copyright ethics are very helpful for administrators and teachers who may be struggling with students not understanding that the technical ability to “cut and paste” does not give you permission to use it as your own.
For more about imparting wisdom and bonding with your children about setting healthy boundaries in the network, go to A Parents’ Guide to Cyber Citizenship and review the House Rules Fundamentals, and see The Authority In Me, Chapters 7 and 8.
Parenting Resources
- Banana Moments: Help for Parenting in the Network Culture
- The Authority In Me
- Elk Grove Unified School District
- The California Writing Project
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