Theme+4+-+Promoting+and+Modeling+Digital+Citizenship+and+Christian+Discipleship

Goal 4

As a teacher in a Lutheran School, this is very important to me. I am expected to promote and model Christian Discipleship in all that I do, including the digital realm. This includes showing students how to act responsibly when working with digital age materials. Some examples would be how to properly cite works in research, how conduct good research, how to act responsibly on social media, and how to collaborate with others in a respectful manner.

I feel that this goal is one of my strongest assets and is met daily in my classroom. My school has transitioned to one-to-one Chromebooks for all students in grades 3-8 this year. It has been a learning experience for everyone involved. It has allowed numerous opportunities for sharing how to properly conduct research, cite sources, and act in the digital world.

Artifact 1: Digital Culture Effect (Level 1) This paper is my reflection on research that shows how easily our youth can be swayed by popular culture, specifically that of the digital culture. While most kids would not steal or say something mean to another face-to-face, they do not have a problem with doing it online (piracy or online bullying). There is a need for positive influence within the digital culture.

Artifact 2: Journal on "Alone Together" by Sherry Turkle (Level 1) In this journal, I reflected on eight different quotes from this text and discussed their implications on myself and my students. The major focus was on how technology is such a large part of our lives and how it can distract us in a way that allows us to be with someone, perhaps even right next to them, but feel alone since we are not interacting with one another. This has deep implications on the social skills of young people, as they grow up in a generation that has technology embedded into it. We all need to know how to live in a world full of technology and not ignore one another all the time. Personal contact is necessary for a beneficial and coherent society.

Artifact 3: BYOD Policy (Capstone Project) (Level 3) In this project, I explored the literature in order to explore the differences between BYOD and one-to-one systems in schools. In the end, I discovered that it often comes down to money. Some schools cannot afford to purchase a device for each student (even with parent help). This leaves BYOD as the alternative. The major drawback is that not all students can afford their own device, which means that students are on an uneven playing field. This can lead to further challenges within the classroom and the school. Either way, the school also has a responsibility to teach their students how to properly use their technology, since it is most likely not going to be taught or learned anywhere else. This is a huge responsibility, but also a huge opportunity. These thoughts and ideas were shared with the teachers and administration at St. Peter, and the policy is currently in place.

Artifact 4: Wiki on The Global Achievement Gap (Level 2) http://teammidwest.wikispaces.com/ In this wiki, my team and I discussed the 21st century skills necessary for students to useful citizens within our society. One of the topics that we discussed was how important it is for students to be involved in the learning process and be an active part of the digital world. They need to know how act in the digital world and what is expected of them. In the workplace, there are certain requirements that most students are lacking at this time. The skills that they are taught must allow them to be better prepared for the transition from child to adult in this fast-paced, digital world. This information has been applied in my room as I try to incorporate as many real world examples as I can (see http://edt889portfolio-calebabraham.wikispaces.com/Lesson+Plans for some examples)

Artifact 5: Reflective Paper on How Digital Culture shapes Christians (Level 1) This topic is one that often comes up in my room. A Christian should be known by his actions. When we discuss topics such as copying and pasting, I ask students if they are being good examples by giving credit where it is due. Most students have no problem stealing music online, but wouldn't dream of doing it in person. Getting students to think along these lines is the first step to getting them equipped for the decisions that they will make for the rest of their lives. Technology allows so much anonymity that you can feel invisible and untraceable. Students have been reminded that their actions are traceable and that they need to act online how they would act in a face-to-face meeting.

Artifact 6: Reflective Paper on How to approach the digital world from a Christian perspective (Level 1) Be in the world, but not of the world. In this paper, I reflect on ways to approach the digital world. I cannot just ignore it, as it is here to stay and my students are certainly a part of it. I can use illustrations from the digital world to teach concepts about faith, such as how to be forgiving online (in gaming). Just as Jesus came to this world to be with us, it is often a good idea for a teacher to meet their students somewhere int eh digital world. This does not mean that you need to be Facebook friends, but a teacher should show students by example how to act on social media or within the digital culture.

Artifact 7: Writing Sample with works cited (Level 2) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mluxpiN2iYy-hws8Ada1nKhMndbCEq96HS5TOeSat0k/edit?usp=sharing This is a student essay written on Type 2 Diabetes that has works cited at the end of the essay. I spent time working with students and discussing the importance of writing content in their own words. We also discussed how they would feel if someone copied their work, but didn't give them any credit. As a result, students decided that they should cite some sources to show that some of their ideas came from someone else, but they summarized and put it in their own words. This also shows digital citizenship, as they are working to preserve the integrity of their own work while also giving credit to those who have done work before them.

Artifact 8: Teaching Digital Citizenship during the first few weeks of school (Level 3) Using the materials at Commonsensemedia.org, I taught my homeroom students the importance of standing up to cyberbullying, why it is important to give credit to others for their work, and the impact digital media has on our lives. This is one the assessments taken by one of my students, Jake Watson. He is an average students and I was very happy with how he did. As the same "common sense" implies, the students often commented how these materials were self-explanatory. While I think that some of my students have this common sense, not all do. I have not had any problems with plagiarism or cyberbullying this year. I do not know if it is a direct correlation to these lessons or not, but they certainly did help get the students started on the right path at the beginning of the year.