Cyber Citizenship in the Middle Level Classroom
According to the National Education Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S, 2000), students in the sixth through eighth grade should be able to “use content-specific tools, software, and simulations (e.g., environmental probes, graphing calculators, exploratory environments, Web tools) to support learning and research and apply productivity/multimedia tools and peripherals to support personal productivity, group collaboration, and learning throughout the curriculum.” Middle level students use technology to communicate and research so this is an ideal time to include instruction on proper use of technology.
One factor in understanding how to include cyber citizenship in the middle level classroom is to recognize the developmental needs and interests of the eleven to thirteen year olds. Middle level students are looking for social interactions with peers and more independence in selecting activities. Teachers need skills to guide students on what is responsible and respectful behavior in the online global community. A few basic guidelines are to develop cybercitizen rules for the classroom, to be observant and monitor what students do on the computer, and to keep track of who uses the computer.
Teachers can incorporate
cyber citizenship in online or class discussions or include simulations
in the courses. Use resources below such as Disney's
Cyber Netiquette Comix as a classroom simulation. Willard's book
(2002) on ethics, etiquette and safety includes lessons and guidelines
for technology use in middle level classrooms and could serve as a reference
book for discussion, debate, or simulations. Another option is for the
teachers to develop cyber citizen rules for a classroom, share them
with a teacher and receive feedback. The teachers could develop multimedia
projects that describe cyber citizenship for their future middle level
classrooms. Any of these projects can use Willard's (2002) book or the
resources below as experiences for teachers.
Sample Middle Level Resources
Conclusion
Middle level students are growing up in a globally connected world and their online behavior needs to be included in their education. By making educated decisions while using technology, students learn to be responsible cyber citizens. Every day, middle level students use technology so educators must stay abreast of the social, legal, and ethical issues surrounding technology and to infuse cyber citizenship into instruction.
Learning cyber citizenship in middle school is a new aspect of citizenship education that needs to be infused throughout a school. A starting point for instruction is the professional development of teachers on the national standards and guidelines for technology use in core-content disciplines. Just as teachers are responsible for promoting “good citizenship,” so must they include “good cyber citizenship” in the curriculum and classroom. The prior examples are a starting point for addressing this growing problem in education.
Learning cyber citizenship in middle level classrooms can occur in a school-wide plan and discipline-specific courses. Whether an individual teacher or a team of teachers within a school teach about citizenship for online communities, the infusion of cyber citizenship is vital to the education of middle level students. Middle teaching teams need to develop cyber citizen rules and to work toward infusing the appropriate use of technology into the discipline specific instruction and learning. Middle level students bring diverse experiences with the use and abuse of technology to school, so middle level education needs to be informed in promoting responsible technology use. In addition, teachers in middle level classrooms need to spiral cyber citizenship within the program so students participate in consistent and appropriate use of technology. Keep in mind that classroom instruction focused on positive behavior in the online community can promote “good” cyber citizenship.
About the Author
Dr. Linda Bennett is an
associate professor in the College of
Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She coordinates social
studies education at the university, and her research focus is the
integration of technology in social studies education.
Email: lb@missouri.edu
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