Meridian Middle School Computer Technologies Journal
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Learning Cyber Citizenship in Middle Grades
Linda Bennett
Summer 2005 IssueView Online
http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/sum2005/cyber_citizenship/
Abstract
Learning cyber citizenship can occur in technology classrooms and in the discipline courses. While a technology course addresses use of technology, classroom subject area courses such as social studies or literacy need to incorporate acceptable technology practices. The framework for cyber citizenship includes the National Education Technology Standards for teachers and students (NETS-T; NETS-S) and the discipline-specific technology guidelines. Sample methods and resources for middle level teachers and middle level classrooms provide educators with tools to use technology responsibly in the middle level classroom.
Learning Cyber Citizenship in Middle School
Middle level education around the country usually requires students to be proficient in using technology but does not provide guidelines for being a “good cyber citizen.” Along with the inclusion of technology in the classroom, it is ethically imperative for students to learn how to become a citizen of cyberspace (ASINFO, 1999). Courses incorporate technology tools appropriate to the disciplines but there may not be a concerted effort to incorporate ethical, legal, or Social Studies issues related to using technology.
As new technologies are rapidly added to schools, issues are emerging that confront education. Issues such as plagiarism, safety, copyright laws, fair use, security, and privacy are plaguing education everyday (Burbules & Callister, 1996; Willard, 2002; Swain & Gilmore, 2001; Ribble & Bailey, 2004). Guidelines, rules and laws to govern the use of technology in schools are being developed to address these issues.
Responsible, respectful, and acceptable behavior while using technology are concerns in a Mathematics, Science, English or Social Studies classroom. Whether it is using an online primary source document on a current political campaign or an online submission of a research paper on the pros and cons of a current health care issue, middle level students are learning behaviors related to the use of technology in each discipline. In addition, every teacher in a school shares the responsibility of teaching “good cyber citizenship” so the use of technology in learning is part of each teachers' responsibility.
The framework for learning cyber citizenship in middle level courses begins with an understanding of cyber citizenship and the content and technology standards for teachers. A cyber citizen is a member of a global-connected community, which includes the social behaviors of people online. Just like citizens in the community, cyber citizens have duties, rights, and privileges to make informed decisions, to promote the welfare of the online community, and to take action for the good of the online community. Technology is used everyday in the classroom so the inclusion of the online world in citizenship is necessary.
A missing yet vital component in middle school education is the fact that teachers in subject area courses need to incorporate acceptable technology practices into their instruction, but to also be able to handle emerging technologies in a proficient manner. Middle level teachers need the knowledge and skills to address the issues related to using technology within disciplines and to infuse appropriate netiquette into instructional practices in middle level education.
Teachers need guidelines for understanding the use of technology in specific disciplines. Teachers can incorporate the technology guidelines developed by the professional organizations for mathematics, science, literacy, social studies, and the middle level association. In addition, the National Education Technology Standards (NETS-T, 2002) for first year teachers need to be technologically literate about the issues concerning the use of technology and NET-S technology standards for 6-8 grade students. While it is valuable to have a framework, it is as critical that middle level teachers incorporate cyber citizenship, as it is to teach middle level students how to be a “good” citizen of the school or community. Therefore, the hardest part is to find discipline specific instructional strategies for middle level students. Cyber citizenship creates a unique challenge for teachers to integrate netiquette into the pedagogical practices of subject area courses. Some issues include privacy of student information, online identification of minors, abuses of online communication tools, responsible use of online research tools, and using socially acceptable manners while communicating online. As new technology become everyday tools for middle level students, teachers need to be informed citizens on appropriate technology uses in the classroom.
The framework includes the National Education Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T, 2002) and the discipline specific technology guidelines. NETS-T provides three relevant resources for promoting cyber citizenship in middle level education. The general position of NETS-T states, “Teachers understand the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in PK-12 schools and apply those principles in practice.” Within the first year of teaching teachers, there are six performances.
NETS-T for First Year Teachers
- Arrange equitable access to appropriate technology resources that enable students to engage successfully in learning activities across subject/content areas and grade levels.
- Facilitate students' use of technology that addresses their social needs and cultural identity and promotes their interaction with the global community.
- Demonstrate and advocate for legal and ethical behaviors among students, colleagues, and community members regarding the use of technology and information.
- Enforce classroom procedures that guide students' safe and healthy use of technology and that comply with legal and professional responsibilities for students needing assistive technologies.
- Advocate for equal access to technology for all students in their schools, communities, and homes.
- Implement procedures consistent with district and school policies that protect the privacy and security of student data and information.
(NETS-T, 2002)
NETS-S for Sixth through Eighth Grade Students
- Use content-specific tools, software, and simulations (e.g., environmental probes, graphing calculators, exploratory environments, Web tools) to support learning and research.
- Apply productivity/multimedia tools and peripherals to support personal productivity, group collaboration, and learning throughout the curriculum.
(NETS-S, 2002)
Middle level teachers can use technology standards as references for developing knowledge about issues in technology use for middle level teachers.
The professional organizations guidelines for using technology in K-12 education are part of the framework for learning cyber citizenship in middle level schools. In the integrating literacy and technology in the curriculum summary by The International Reading Association (2001) there is one item on appropriate use of technology: “Opportunities to learn safe and responsible use of information and communication technologies.” The National Science Teachers Association (1999) developed a position statement on the use of computers in science and within it, there are two statements concerning issues related to the use of technology: 1) “Exemplify the ethical use of computers and software,” and 2) “Seek to provide equitable computer access for all students.” Two recommendations within the technology guidelines by National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2003) are 1) “to strive to instill dispositions of openness to experimentation with ever-evolving technological tools and their pervasive impact on mathematics education, and 2) to make informed decisions about the appropriate implementation of technologies in a coherent instructional program.” The National Council for the Social Studies is adopting guidelines at this time and the focus is on curriculum and instruction in middle level school. In addition, Bennett (2005) developed technology guidelines in the Social Studies classroom based on students' rights, responsibilities, and respect.
The guidelines are available for review by educators, but until a team of middle level teachers analyze the guidelines and develop a school or team plan that is consistent with the school's handbook on behavior, then middle level teachers are not prepared to infuse cyber citizenship into instruction. So, compare and contrast the guidelines provided to write the specific ethical, legal, or social expectations of students and strategies to infuse cyber citizenship into the subject area instruction.
Cyber Citizenship for Middle Level Teachers
The integration of the ethical, legal and social issues related to technology is a significant challenge because middle level teachers may not have participated in professional development related to the topic. A focus on what teachers can incorporate within the area of curriculum and instruction will be the driving focus for this section. The first three NETS-T indicators listed above which relate to engaging students in learning activities, facilitating students' needs when using technology, and advocating for legal and ethical behaviors. Any or all courses can include all the indicators but this is an opportunity to link three indicators to discipline courses.
Within a course the teacher can select to infuse technology issues through the methods or materials related to the curriculum of the specific discipline and the spiraling of the technology within the program. One way to infuse the technology standards into the course is by requiring students to use the technology standards within lessons. The Cyber Smart curriculum includes numerous lessons for middle level students on responsible use of technology and each lesson aligns to the National Education Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S, 2000) standards (CyberSmart, 2005). Cyber Smart lessons integrate literacy, social studies, and science through units on manners, advertising, safety, research, and technology (CyberSmart, 2005 ). A valuable activity for a middle level class is to participate in blogs, chat room, or instant messaging on a topic.
Beyond the middle level Literacy, Mathematics, Social Studies or Science curriculum in middle level school, cyber citizenship in courses can focus on promoting the welfare of the online community or using technology to take action for the common good within the online community. For the welfare of the online community within a course, teachers need written guidelines for consequences when a student's social, moral or ethical behavior is not acceptable. For active online citizenship, teachers can write letters to political or civic leaders, solicit support for a local or global environmental concern, or discuss current or controversial issues in middle level classrooms with an international community. Infusing these ideas into the courses will promote cyber citizenship in the preparation of middle level educators.
Another method is for teachers to model whom to contact when issues arise outside of the teacher's experiences, abilities, or typical responsibilities. A few cyber “crimes” include piracy, hacking, copyright laws, pornography, fair use, security, and privacy. When issues arise, teach more about the topic, contact an expert, problem solve and then develop a plan for the future. Along with curriculum and instruction, these are legitimate issues to incorporate into courses.
Listed below are sample educator resources for safe, responsible use of technology. There are numerous online resources with some laws related to technology use by middle level students. Teachers should have a basic understanding of the laws and availability of online access to the information. National organizations provide parents, teachers, and schools with resources to help middle level students learn to use technology responsibly. One lesson for a course is for teachers to design classroom rules that incorporate cyber citizenship rules. Another lesson could be a discussion or debate on copying a poem, song, photo, or music for a multimedia presentation.
Sample Educator Resources
Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use
The Children's Internet Protection Act
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
Children's Online Privacy Act: The first year-A survey of sites
Curriculum Example (NETS-S)Cyber Ethics Lessons
CyberSafe Schools
The CyberSmart!
CyberSmart Curriculum/Standards
http://www.cybersmartcurriculum.org/
act_sheets/tech_standards_alignment.pdfEthics and the Internet
http://www1.chapman.edu/soe/faculty/
piper/teachtech/ethics.htm
Ethics in Computing
Federal Trade Commission
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
The First Amendment and the electronic media
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/
speech/internet/overview.aspx?id=
566&SearchString=use
Netizens: On the history and impact of Usenet and the Internet
Play it cyber safe
Safe Surfing
Social, ethical, and power issues in 21 st century teacher education
U.S. Copyright Office
Wired Kids
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 book (2002) or the resources below as experiences for teachers.
Sample Middle Level Resources
CyberSmart Lessons
http://www.cybersmartcurriculum.org/lesson_plans/
Cybercitizenship for Kids
http://www.cybercitizenship.org/4kids/4kids.html
Cyberethics for Kids
www.cybercrime.gov/rules/kidinternet.htm
CyberSpacers
www.cyberspacers.com/home.html
Disney's Cyber
Netiquette Comix
http://www.disney.go.com/cybersafety
GetNetWise
Girls Only: Internet
Safety Pledge
http://www.gogirlsonly.org/internet_safety_pledge.asp
Internet Safety Game
http://www.kidscom.com/games/isg/isg.html
KidsKonnect: Safe
Gateway for Kids
Netsmartz
http://netsmartz.yahoo.com/index.html
McGruff Safe Kids Site
http://www.mcgruff-safe-kids.com
Safety Tips for Kids
on the Internet
Warner Brothers Kids
www.warnerbros.com/ltti/index.html
Police Notebook: What can I
do to be net safe?
http://www.ou.edu/oupd/kidsafe/inet.htm
Safe Kids PowerPoint
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/safekids/
Conclusions
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.
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.eduReferences
Bennett, L. (2005). Guidelines for using technology in the social studies classroom. The Social Studies , 96(1), 38-40.
Burbules, N., & Callister, T. (1996). Knowledge at the crossroads: Some alternative futures of hypertext learning environments. Educational Theory , 46(1), 23-50.
CyberSmart Education Company. (2005). The cybersmart!
Retrieved April 1, 2005 , from http://www.cybersmart.org/home/
CyberSmart Education Company. (2005). CyberSmart curriculum/standards . Retrieved April 1, 2005 , from http://www.cybersmartcurriculum.org/act_sheets/tech_standards_alignment.pdf
The International Reading Association. (2001). Integrating literacy and technology in the curriculum . Retrieved April 1, 2005 , from http://www.reading.org/resources/issues/positions_technology.html
International Society for Technology in Education. (2000). National education technology standards for students (NETS-S). Retrieved April 1, 2005 , from
http://cnets.iste.org/students/s_profile-68.html
International Society for Technology in Education. (2002). National education technology standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved April 1, 2005 , from http://cnets.iste.org/teachers/t_profile-first.html
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2003). The use of technology in the learning and teaching of mathematics. Retrieved April 1, 2005 , from http://www.nctm.org/about/position_statements/position_statement_13.htm
National Science Teachers Association. (1999). The use of computers in science education. Retrieved April 1, 2005 , from http://www.nsta.org/159&psid=4
The Regional Network for the Exchange of Information and Experience in Science and Technology (ASTINFO) (1999). Learning to be a citizen of cyberspace. ASINFO Newsletter. Retrieved July 1, 2005, from http://static.stii.dost.gov.ph/astinfo2/index.htm
Ribble, M. & Bailey, G. (2004). Digital citizenship. Learning and Leading with Technology 3(2), 12-15.
Swain, C., & Gilmore, E. (2001). Repackaging for the 21st century: Teaching copyright and computer ethics in teacher education courses. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education [Online serial] , 1 (4) . Retrieved July 1, 2005 , from http://www.citejournal.org/vol1/iss4/currentpractice/article1.htm
Willard, N. (2002). Ethics, etiquette & safety for the 21 st century student. Eugene, Oregon : International Society for Technology in Education.
Meridian:
A Middle School Computer Technologies Journal
a service of NC State University, Raleigh, NC
www.ncsu.edu/meridian/
Volume 8, Issue 2, Summer 2005
ISSN 1097 9778
Email Meridian at meridian_mail@ncsu.edu