Here is one quote from the article

“In Denmark, the government has taken the bold step of allowing pupils full access to the internet during their final school year exams.
A total of 14 colleges in Denmark are piloting the new system of exams and all schools in the country have been invited to join the scheme by 2011.”

Doesn’t this make sense? Isn’t this reflective of what we expect our graduate to do? Isn’t this preparing them for the future?

Many, many schools have invest huge amounts of time, effort and money in integrating the use of technology in the classroom. It is clear that this investment is as valuable as teaching students to write was in the pen and papers days of the mid 20th century. Technology should be ubiquitous. Do we say to students you must learn how write with a pen and then give them a crayon in an examination?

Now the technology they are discussing here is so much more than a pen and paper, a mere means of communication. We all know the power of the internet, the facilities inherent in a spreadsheet or a word processor, the tools for communication in an instant, synchronously anywhere anytime.

Here is another quote…

“One of the teachers stands in front of the class and explains the rules. She tells the candidates they can use the internet to answer any of the four questions.
They can access any site they like, even Facebook, but they cannot message each other or email anyone outside the classroom”

In the “real” world beyond the gates of the classroom memorization of all knowledge is not a per-requiste and  what is valued is Information fluency, the ability to:

• identify
• access
• process
• present
• and suitably cite and reference

pertinent and appropriate information. To do this you MUST have a good depth of knowledge. The Danish in this trial have realised that the ability to research and process is key. You can guarantee that the questions asked in the examination will be one requiring higher order thinking skills (See Blooms Digital taxonomy). These questions will not require memorization, definitions or simple regurgitation of facts. Rather these lower order thinking skills will be inherent in the Analysis, Evaluation and Creativity expected in the probing and challenging questions set.

There is also an element of trust, ownership and responsibility too in their approach. “The main precaution is that we trust them. I think the cheat rate is very low because the consequences of cheating are very big.”

In trusting them, our students, it implies you have developed a relationship with them. They are not just number in a class, they are not just contributors to your workload. In trusting them and placing the onus of responsibility on them the students are owners of their learning. (see the digital citizen)

I will watch this process with interest, as for me this approach ticks many of the boxes of 21st century learning and assessment.

The Digital Citizen Acceptable use agreement details six facets of behaviour that a digital citizen should follow to be an appropriate and respectful digital citizen. The statements are kept deliberately broad and generalised and provide outlines for suitable behaviour.

As we are working to implement this, I have been asked to expand on the different aspects or facets and give the students some more concrete ideas about what they need to do to be respectful and protect themselves. So the list below represents some starting points for taking the Six facets of digital citizenship into the real world we operate in.

Respecting and Protecting yourself by:

1. looking after your hardware appropriately, carrying your laptop/mobile device in a bag, securing it in a safe place and keeping it charged

2. saving your work regularly

3. backing up important data regularly (recommended minimum is weekly)

4. scanning your computer for viruses regularly, update the virus definitions regularly.

5. applying patches and updates to your operating systems and software

6. selecting suitable online names, that you can use in professional communications

7. selecting strong passwords and changing these regularly. Recommendations are:

• 8 characters or more

• Number and letters

• Special characters

• Upper and lower case

8. protecting your passwords, don’t share these with anyone. Locking your computer.

9. managing your files

10. using descriptive file names

11. creating and organising into folders

12. considering what personal information is made public. This can be on your social networking site, when you sign up to services or register software.

13. only put required information in online profiles.

14. considering who you allow to be your friends online.

15. building positive relationships online, keeping these open and transparent. Being cautious in who we share information with and who we meet.

16. posting only material that portrays you in a positive light.

17. consider which images of yourself you publish

18. keep email addresses and personal details private

19. considering carefully when and where I use my credit card details etc

20. remembering anything you say online is public and usually permanent

21. reporting any attacks or inappropriate behaviour directed at you

22. acting with integrity and respect.

Respecting and Protecting others by:

1. reporting abuse to appropriate authorities when I see it.

2. not flaming or abusing people

3. not forwarding junk mail, spam or inappropriate materials

4. not visiting sites that are degrading or inappropriate

5. not entering private spaces or change other people pages

6. informing people appropriately when they have left open their profile etc

7. not using anyone else accounts, log ons etc.

8. asking permission before I publish images ot content that may contain details about other people.

9. respecting other people’s rights to privacy and anonymity

10. respecting the trust others have in me by protecting other people email, IM and skype addresses and contact details.

11. protecting other on my network by having a protected, updated and antivirus checked computer.

12. always acting with integrity and respect.

Respecting and Protecting Intellectual Property by:

1. having an understanding of the rules and laws applying to:

• copyright
• intellectual property
• Fair use
• creative commons

2. asking permission before I use materials and respect the owners decision regarding this material.

3. only using software and media that I have permission to use. This can be material made available under creative commons or the public domain, material I have purchased etc.

4. not sharing my media or software with others unless the license allows me to do this.

5. using free and open source alternative software and medias instead of pirating licensed or copy written ones.

6. registering my software and alway considering what information I need to provide the company. I will read the options and make sure that I understand that my information and details may be distributed and sold.

7. validating all information sources

8. citing my information sources using a suitable bibliography method.

9. giving credit to and acknowledge people and sources that have influenced my thinking or products.

10. Acting with integrity and respect

This is not meant to replace the six facets rather is an expansion and some detail on what each means. I would as always appreciate any feedback regarding this.

This material is available as a PDF or in an expanded form on the Edorigami wiki

]]> http://edorigami.edublogs.org/2009/10/29/digital-citizenship-aup-expanded/feed/ 3 http://edorigami.edublogs.org/2009/10/20/the-digital-citizen-%e2%80%93-what-time-is-it/ http://edorigami.edublogs.org/2009/10/20/the-digital-citizen-%e2%80%93-what-time-is-it/#comments Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:33:46 +0000 andrewch http://edorigami.edublogs.org/?p=1057

Accessing recreational sites during classes and while at work is an issue facing employers [3] and schools alike. The cost, in dollar terms, can be huge and in lost productivity, is significant. Various strategies are employed to manage this but these are often ineffective, draconian or dictatorial. How can we manage this issue better?

The digital world we live in provides us with ample opportunities to work any where and conversely play anywhere. We often see our students sitting in the corridors, on the edge of wireless connectivity, web surfing during their break times, lunch hours and before and after school. The ubiquitous connectivity that modern devices presents us means that essentially we are online anytime. This is both a blessing and a curse.

Recent articles in ITNEWS[2] and the New Zealand Herald [1] have highlighted the cost that universal connectivity can bring to industry. IT News reported that as much as 40% of the companies bandwidth is used for non business related web activity.[2] The New Zealand Herald reported that this level of activity cost the New Zealand economy 2.7 million dollars a day.[1] At work, unlike school such activities can have huge repercussions for the work including dismissal [4].

As teachers, we must prepare our students for the world they live in now, but also for the world beyond the walls and boundaries of our institutions. This includes when it is appropriate to surf and when it is not.

The Digital Citizen [5] has an understanding of when and where it is appropriate to use the internet and online resources for recreational purposes. They know what time it is!

As teachers and administrators, we can help to develop and scaffold the self management skills and attitudes of our digital citizens. These will stand them well in the wider world beyond our gates. We do this, not by having restrictions, rather by gradually removing them; by encouraging an ethical approach to the use of technologies rather than applying draconian measures.

So how can we educate our students? Is it appropriate to unleash unfettered internet access on Middle School students? The answer is no. Students, particularly those in the middle years live in the now. They are in a period of great change, growth and are often experimenting and pushing boundaries. Here we need to provide guidelines and restrictions as they are often morally and ethically immature.

But as the students enter into the Senior School, it is appropriate to shift the focus of control from the teachers to the students. This is not to say “its all open, of you go” rather it is appropriate to gradually release the controls and shift the onus of responsibility on to the students.

We need to have clearly established guidelines for what is and is not acceptable, and we also need to be able to justify why these are not acceptable. For some aspects this is easy. For example surfing pornography is unacceptable for a number of reasons ranging from the legal to the ethical and moral aspects of it being an industry founded on abuse, portraying an unrealistic and inappropriate view of relationships and sex.

But what about facebook, myspace and other social networking sites? These are not fundamentally unethical. Often schools will block these sites as they are potentially opportunities for cyberbullying. But this strategy will not stop them being used for this rather it drives the practice underground and after school.

A better and more constructive approach to social networking sites (and other recreational sites) is to set clear guidelines for their use and make them available. Informing the students that the use of computers in class is strictly for educational purposes and other activities are detracting from their learning, sets the foundations for this. Informing them, Senior Students, that they can in their own time (before and after school, interval and lunch) access social networking/recreational sites, as long as their behaviour is appropriate and acceptable, brings the use of these sites from the realm of proxy tunnels and hidden activity and into the open. Student surfing and accessing social networking sites during learning time are suitably dealt with, while appropriate use in their own time is rewarded by continued access.

This style of approach prepares students for a world where the consequences of inappropriate activity are far more severe and potentially far reaching. We, as educators facilitate appropriate behaviours and chastise those that fail to reach these. The students who use technologies that bypass our restrictions are obviously accessing sites that are deemed unacceptable and inappropriate, rather than just trying to access their social networks or email.

The traditional approach of blocking just drives the behaviours underground and away from school environments. These approaches, blocking and banning do reduce the incidents at school but are hardly a holistic approach. Where as a partnership, based on trust and understanding, supported by the six facets of digital citizenship [5] makes the use of these site open, manageable and transparent. Students develop the skills and attitudes that will stand them in good stead beyond our gates, in the world of employment and further education.

References:

1. Hart. Steve, Saturday Jul 19, 2008 Slackers hurting net result http://www.nzherald.co.nz/employment/news/article.cfm?c_id=11&objectid=10522283
2. Williams Ian, Feb 11, 2009 IT Managers losing control of the network http://www.itnews.com.au/News/136844,it-managers-losing-control-of-the-network.aspx

3. staff writer 11 September 2007 facebooks costs businesses dear http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6989100.stm

4. staff writer Saturday, 25 April 2009 ‘Ill’ worker fired over Facebook http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8018329.stm

5. Churches, Andrew. The Digital Citizen. http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/The+Digital+Citizen

Facebook and other social networking sites are for many, many administrators a bone of contention. Many look at it with a degree of fear and trepidation because of “potential” for inappropriate activity. This can be cyberbullying, bad publicity or just good old fashion time and resource wasting.  There is a large element of lack of control too. So as a direct result Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and a host of other sites are banned/blocked etc.

This school, like many is actively encouraging the senior students to bring their own digital devices and connect them to the wireless network – a facility called Senior WiFi has been made available. But with this proliferation of machines comes concerns and the conversation turned to “Should we block facebook”.

The answer was a resounding no – they could block it and other sites through the proxy server – but why. Instead the approach taken was this:

• Your laptops are your own property, you can bring them to school for educational use. This is a privilege
• Your use of them in class is for education.
• If you use them for other purposes in class you may have the privilege revoked
• at lunch, breaks or before and after school you use social networking sites that is fine as long as your use is appropriate
• If your use of technology is inappropriate there will be consequences.

This as a solution has transparency. It solves not only the social networking issues but actually address a wider range of issues to. Surfing hate/sex/porn/racist etc sites is inappropriate… Cyberbullying/flaming/outing etc are inappropriate. Students have to take ownership for their actions.

This is an excellent outcome. The students are free to make informed choices and therefore accept consequences of their actions. It is preparing them for a world beyond the school gates, where such actions – use of facebook etc  – can have severe consequence. It brings out into the open student actions, rather than using proxy anonymising sites to connect, students can connect directly(and this can be traced). Student have to manage and take ownership for their internet usage, behaviours and quota.

All in all very positive.

Chris left this comment:

I like what you said about respect your students’ privacy. My seventh grade math teacher confiscated a note I was writing in class and read it aloud to a class of 28 boys and 2 other girls. I still feel the pain and mortification some 40 years later. How can we expect our students to show respect for us and each other when we can’t model the same.

I can remember both positive and negative teacher actions that are still vivid and sharp 25 years on.
I would hate to be remembered as the teacher who did……. It certainly has happened, and its not a comfortable feeling. I hope I have more positives than negatives.

As teachers we have a huge, often unimaginably huge influence on our students. We are sometimes/occassionally/often a single point of stability in a sea of chaos and turbulence that surrounds our students.

IF we walk in to our classes with bias, pre-conceptions, assumptions, attitudes  or poor practices, what are we teaching our students?

So much of teaching is now not “here is X lumps of knowledge“, it is:

• teaching thinking processes
• teaching and supporting critical thinking
• developing attitudes to learning and relationships
• teaching attitudes & values through positive role modelling
• and more

Yes, we teach our core subject areas (particularly in senior secondary) but more importantly we also teach the unquantifiable but hugely important attitudes and processes; creativity and critical reflection, and hopefully a love of learning & curiosity.

Teachers are important….

The background to the facebook post is a romantic liaison between two people. A matter that should be kept from the public domain. A matter only between the 2 people involved.

But a lack of fundamental understanding has led to this embarrassing point. Tracey has posted inadvertently her exploits to a wide and very public audience and concequently she is the subject of much humour and ridicule.

The privacy setting on facebook are weak at the best of times and even if she had set her Facebook as private, she would still have revealed far more than she intended to her circle of friends. Instead, with a click of a button she potentially shared this with everyone.

Some things are best said in person or using a media that is not easily recorded and replayed. This, I suspect, is one of them. As we have seen from email messages in a similar vein these two have an embarassing habit of becoming public discussion points.

The best point raised in this sorry incident is from here friend Donna “Seriously, did you think Facebook was private?“. If you consider anything you put in an email, webpage, tweet, post, comment or update to be in the public domain from the moment you send or post, you are probably correct.

Remember the adage – “Send in haste, repent at leisure“.

There is a thread rolling around that Tracey has been Hacked. Either way, whether this was accidental disclosure or deliberate act, there is a vital lesson to be learnt. A lesson that applies to each and everyone of us, digital natives, digital immigrants and digital emigrants too:

• Think before you post
• Does what I am saying have ramifications and repercussions
• Is it libellous, confidential, private or sensitive
• Who is my target audience? Who should see it and who could see it?
• What is the purpose of what I am sharing?
• Should I say it?
• Is this a considered & reasoned action or one in the heat of the moment?

Students are asked to engage in discussion and debate about the social and ethical issues arrising from these technologies and  there impact on society. Here are two great articles for starting this debate.

1. Autonomous tech ‘requires debate’
By Jason Palmer
Science and technology reporter, BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8210477.stm

2. Call for debate on killer robots
By Jason Palmer
Science and technology reporter, BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8182003.stm

The increased development of robotics, autonomous systems and artificial intelligence is continuing and proceeding unchecked. We already have the use of robots in warfare, the home, hospitals, pharmacies, warehouses, industry, space, security and so more. Robotics and Ai have increased well beyond the realms of Azimov’s “I, robot” but his three laws of robotics

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Laws_of_Robotics

Source: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/photos/steel_2.jpg

Resources:

http://www.govexec.com/pdfs/072309kp1.pdf

I am sitting here prep’ing for what promises to be a busy and very interesting week. Other than the long flights to get to and back from Arkansas, the week is full of new opportunities, learning experiences and possibilities. It is exciting to get to work with new teachers and with the talented people from infosavvy who are flying in.

I have the 2nd presentation of the opening day for about 2 hours + on the digital citizen and our digital world. I am planning to make it as interactive as possible. one of my specific goals for this session (I have a couple a day for the week) is to engage and challenge them. I also want to see what they know. It promises to be fun. After that its time to delve into the Digital diet and hopefully put into educational context some of the tools I use in the classroom.

The Glory of the fattest nation on earth Goes to…. USA, in silver is Mexico and taking the bronze in third place is NZ.

Its sad as we should not have any excuses, its sad because how many of us will be struck down with diabetes and other illnesses exaserpated by obesity. Dare I mention swine flu and the deaths we have seen that have underlying health issues including obesity?

Some people will argue and debate the definition of obesity, query whether this is correct or incorrect, but the fact is on a snapshot NZ is the third fattest of the 30 countries surveyed.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10584289&pnum=0

http://www.oecd.org/document/24/0,3343,en_2649_34637_2671576_1_1_1_1,00.html

http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/28/2/42672411.pdf

I am a supporter of holistic education. I believe our that there are three aspects to holistic education linked and tied together by values and ethics. These are Academic, Cultural and Sport. Sport is not just formal sporting codes but also includes fitness, outdoor education etc

There is a place, and I suspect a need, for daily fitness within our schools. However, we have seen in the past knee jerk responces to current issues and reports that have seen schemes put in place with out due consideration, process and dilligence.

There is a need, but as a teacher, there must be consideration of how we could fit such a thing into what is already a hectic and crowded curriculum. Some would say well Physical education could should cover this. However, PE is a prescriptive course and has its own encompassing curriculum. It full and busy and rightly so! This is not a solution, its a band aid.

If daily fitness was to become a part of the day in day out routine of students across the spectrum, what will be removed from our full to bursting schedule to make way for this? Would syllabi be cut? Would assessment and reporting be reduced? Would administrivia be slashed? probably not.

Would the school day be increased to start early to include exercise? But wait research has shown that many teenagers do not function to their peak with early starts.

Is there another way? I believe 21st Century teachers are role models, leaders and visionary. We as teachers are hugely influencial on our students. As role models, we must not only profess, but actively model suitable behaviours. This could and should include healthy lifestyle and fitness..

There is much to ponder and consider, this is a bronze medal that we did not want to achieve.

But with such easy access also comes responcibility. From my perspective the students need to be safe. By safe I do not mean wrapped in cotton wool and shielded, rather I mean they act in a manner that is both ethical and moral, they know what to do should they encounter unacceptable actions or material and know how they should act/publish/behave.

I believe that, like many things, schools are an appropriate place for young people to learn to use technologies like these. For us, as teachers, to overlook, avoid or ignore these opportunities does little to prepare our students for the world outside our campus. In a school environment, mistakes, misadventures and inappropriate activities can be dealt with in a manner that is supportive, controlled and appropriate. This can be lacking in the wider world we live in.

So here are my thoughts in the form of student website agreement:

These principles covers the use of web publishing through homepages, calendars, blogs and blog comments, wikis, podcasting & vodcasting, chatrooms and sharing files.

It is expected that you will always act in an ethical and moral manner.

Basis principles

• I will use the facilities for the purpose they were intended, my posts, comments and content will have an educational focus.

• I will respect and protect myself and others by ensuring that the content I add to my website shows me, my peers, the school and the wider community in the best light and perspective.

• I will not endanger myself or my peers by posting material that could put me or them at risk.

• I will moderate all comments posted on my blog. I will remove comments that are inappropriate or could cause offense to other people

• I will ensure that the material I upload does not violate anyones intellectual property and I will acknowledge the source of my materials.

• I will, in all matters, conduct myself as a young adult acting in a moral and ethical manner.

• I will always report abuse or inappropriate behaviour to safe guard my safety and the safety of my peers and community.

• I understand that all material published is not private and is subject to view by a wide range of people including members of the school as well as the wider community.

I leave you again with Dean Shareski’s quote

Source: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3557/3352272716_a42d75c0f5.jpg?v=0