At our school we have a strong Digital Citizenship (DC) program in place. We mostly follow the @CommonSenseEd curriculum for all students 3-8 and will be extending that to our 1st and 2nd graders next year #ETCoaches
We are also developing an family outreach arm to our DC program. We bring experts to the school to talk with families and we have formed a group that come together and support each other as we all muddle through the best way to support our kids digital lives #ETCoaches
What are some questions or concerns that your parenting community come to you with about helping their children stay safe online? How do you respond? #ETCoaches
#ETCoaches - Welcome all! I am Melissa from PA. I am an online ETCoach, also the educational content manager for Source for Learning. Happy to join you all. Where is everyone else from and what do you do?
#ETCoaches A1 They want to know how to monitor what their children are doing online. Ps are less tech savvy than Ss and have no idea how to monitor tech devices.
Hi #ETCoaches! I am the awesomeness known as Leslie Fagin, an instructional tech coach in Griffin, GA. I work with secondary school teachers on effective tech integration.
A1. Agree with others, main concern is keeping kids SAFE online and knowing what their kiddos (tweens and teens especially) are searching and using. #ETCoaches
Same kinds of things and also to check all apps because just because the icon is a calculator, that doesn't necessarily mean that the app is really calculating. It could be a hidden storage space. #ETCoaches
.@kimbrittonedu#ETCoaches What tips do you give parents to stay ahead? Our school takes more of a 'work with your child where they are' approach than trying to stay a step ahead, just because that so hard to do.
A1. Sadly SOME parents don't seem to recognize or to be aware of the dangers of social media or what the words digital citizenship even mean. #ETCoaches.
A2 #ETCoaches They need to model good #digcit. That's a start. Kids emulate what they see at home. They also need to have all passwords to all apps their Ss have.
A2. One tip that I give is to keep a password on the device, so YOU have to download the app. Read the reviews, learn about it. Use places like Common Sense Media to read the good and bad. Follow age guidelines, they are there for your child's protection! #ETCoaches
A1: We have had parents approach us about apps they can use to see exactly what their child is doing on their phones. We haven't quite answered the question... would love some help with this! #etcoaches
#ETCoaches - even my high schooler has to bring back her devices to our docking station at 9pm on school nights. And they sit there until 7am the next day! We do limit time with our middle schooler kids even more. But you need to ease up a bit each year and give more freedom ;)
A2: I would advise parents to be involved with their kid's online use, so it doesn't become the babysitter. Make it collaborate & fun, something that can be done together, & lastly, inform your student's of the benefits and dangers of the internet. #ETCoaches#digitalcitizenship
#ETCoaches - Yes, I have even shown some how to review history on Safari, Chrome, and YouTube.. And sent articles about how to "see" cleared history. Google it - directions are there!
A2: Also that Social Media is good and should be used for good! Kids need to see it as a resume/brand and need parents to help understand that responsibility. It can help with scholarship, applications, and jobs. #etcoaches
We recently had a talking/listening session with parents and Middle school students which was facilitated by myself and an adolescent psychiatrist. It was really powerful #ETCoaches
I agree. I think many parents are scared of social media and just see it as a Snapchat place for students to take "dog" images or get into trouble ;) #ETCoaches
A3: We held 3 parent technology nights to launch our #digitalcitizenship implementation plan for our district. Parents felt more comfortable knowing that our schools were making an effort to keep their students safe online. #ETCoaches
#ETCoaches A3. Yes we have offered them at all levels. Honestly, most parents that do attend are the ones that are already informed. The ones who are clueless, barely show up. It is a frustration. We try to train the kids and make the info available on the district website.
A3 - When we made the talk about keeping students safe on Snapchat, Insta, etc.. vs. using the term 'digital citizenship" more parents attended. #ETCoaches
Student privacy is a hot button issue with families at our school right now. How do you go about ensuring privacy while still encouraging teachers and students to explore new apps and technologies? #ETCoaches
One thing that we are starting to do is vet all of the apps that our school uses through CSM updated their reviews that include privacy - https://t.co/DXiAa3FHqi via @CommonSenseEd#ETCoaches
A4. #ETCoaches - keeping parents informed. Get permission, if needed - but share the tools on your class site or blog. Have an open house night for parents to come in a "tech out" the new tools and have Q/A.
A4Cont. #ETCoaches - IMHO, if they want to complain... they really can't if they are given a night to learn about it and links to explore and choose to do nada..
I completely agree @mrsmhenning, what we're finding though is that teachers will just give up on trying out new tech... which is bad for the kids #ETCoaches
Q6: As EdTech Coaches, what are the questions that teachers are coming to you with in regards to Digital Citizenship? Are they the same as families, or different? #ETCoaches
A6. #ETCoaches - Naturally, I think Ts have to worry about protecting themselves in addition to their students. Parents don't often have that similar concern. But in a classroom, we must be vigilant.
