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Ted Talk: Ban The Average (Education and how we focus on the Average when it can't be our only focus during online learning.)

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The Myth of Average: Todd Rose at TEDxSonomaCounty

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This TED video explores "The Myth of Average". High school dropout turned Harvard faculty member,Todd Rose, takes the metaphor of "adjustable seats" and applies it to the UDL principles of education.

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The pilot ConnectHome program launched in 2015 under the Obama administration. This pilot took place in 27 cities and one tribal nation, in collaboration with public housing agencies, local government, internet service providers, and nonprofit organizations. Since then, 37 percent of HUD-assisted households with children in these communities have gained internet access through ConnectHome efforts.

Currently, the program serves 87 communities across the country. Visit connecthomeusa.org for more information.

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The pilot ConnectHome program launched in 2015 under the Obama administration. This pilot took place in 27 cities and one tribal nation, in collaboration with public housing agencies, local government, internet service providers, and nonprofit organizations. Since then, 37 percent of HUD-assisted households with children in these communities have gained internet access through ConnectHome efforts.

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Offers for Parents/Families who may need discounted internet or devices. 

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Offers for Parents/Families who may need discounted internet or devices. 

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At this link Parents can find what is available in  their area for discounted internet service and device service https://www.everyoneon.org/find-offers

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Find low-cost internet and device offers in your area

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Expand access to the outside of school - essentially make school a hot spot where students and parents could sit outside to complete work if needed.

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Put hotspot on busses/vans and leave busses in high need places so student can work from around those.

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"As an independent 501(c)(3) public charity, our mission is to help 1 million  students who do not have reliable Internet access at home."

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As an independent 501(c)(3) public charity, our mission is to help 1 million high school students who do not have reliable Internet access at home reach their full potential by giving them mobile devices and free high-speed Internet access.

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Use for Scheduling Online "Zooms" or "Meets"

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Use for Scheduling Online "Zooms" or "Meets"

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Free Online Appointment Scheduling Software | Calendly

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Calendly is the modern scheduling platform that makes "finding time" a breeze. When connecting is easy, your teams can get more done.

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Helping Teachers to Start Creating their own Videos

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Helping Teachers to Start Creating their own Videos

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Replacing your lectures with self-made videos can boost students' engagement and free you up to work with them directly.

Imagine lecturing to a class in which some of your students are grade levels behind, some are grade levels ahead, some have special needs, and some are absent. It's pretty hard to do that effectively, isn't it?

As teachers in a Title I high school, we developed an instructional model built around self-made videos that empowered students at all levels to learn at their own pace and build mastery skill-by-skill. We used these screencast-style videos:

To replace traditional lecture-style direct instruction, freeing us up to work directly with individual students;

To give directions for projects and other complex tasks; and

To provide remediation on skills that students might need to practice.

Now, as founders of The Modern Classrooms Project, we train teachers to create blended learning classrooms of their own. The key is empowering educators to build their own high-quality instructional videos. Unlike externally created videos, these allow teachers to multiply themselves in the classroom without losing their authenticity-they can provide direct instruction via the videos while also circulating around the room, answering questions and guiding students to deeper learning.

Step 1: Chunk Instruction

Great teachers have a lot to say about their subjects. When it comes to video creation, however, time is of the essence. Research on instructional videos shows that learner engagement with videos begins to drop after the 6-minute mark-and it falls dramatically after 9. So it's essential to chunk instruction such that each video covers a single learning objective or task, and nothing more. Multiple short videos are better than one long video.

For example, this video on inference by middle school English teacher Toni Rose Deanon introduces an important concept, provides several examples, and gives the students a task-all in just over 4 minutes. Her colleague Emily Culp's video on four-box notes is equally concise, walking students through an example and teaching a note-taking strategy in 3:25. In a world of short attention spans, videos like these make their points clearly and quickly.

Step 2: Build Video-Ready Slides

Studies also show that the best instructional videos are highly focused, use visual cues to highlight key information, and minimize the use of on-screen text. The slides that a teacher would use in a lecture may not work in a video-it's critical to build a slide deck that is clear, simple, and visually compelling. (We have templates for math/science and English/history.)

In her video on the big bang theory, high school science teacher Moira Mazzi uses compelling visuals and clear annotations to explain a complex idea to her students. This keeps student attention on what Mazzi is saying and gives students an idea of the key terms and ideas they need to record in their notes.

Step 3: Record

There are many tools you can use to create a strong instructional video. Here are a few that can really simplify the process and enhance the quality of the video.

Recording device: Ideally, you have a touch-screen tablet or laptop with a high-quality stylus. This ensures that you can easily annotate visuals and show work. Handwriting also adds a nice personal touch. But if you have a non-touch-screen laptop, or a tablet but no stylus, you can still make your own videos.

Screencasting program: The best programs, like Explain Everything, allow educators to pause and re-record specific segments of their video easily, which removes the pressure of getting a perfect take. Look for a program that has a robust video editor and an embedded annotation tool.

Microphone: This is often forgotten, but it's really helpful to have a pair of headphones with an external mic-these headphones help you improve the sound quality and ensure that your videos don't contain background noise.

In this video on digital sound production (note: video is in Spanish), music teacher Zach Diamond uses highlighting, annotating, and a computer screencast to show students how to create their own songs using a program called Soundtrap. The clarity of Diamond's voice and the video helps students follow along, even with a complex task.

Step 4: Enhance Engagement

Simply sitting and watching videos can lead students to lose focus-the best instructional videos keep them actively engaged. Research shows that when students take notes or answer guided questions while watching, they retain material better than students who watch passively. Embedding questions in your instructional video using programs like Edpuzzle can improve student interaction and provide you with invaluable formative assessment data. Students should think of video-watching as a task they perform actively in order to learn.

In this video on the Pythagorean theorem, math teacher Michael Krell embeds frequent checks for understanding and provides feedback for students who get those checks wrong. Students are free to jump ahead to key points in the video to test their mastery of the material, if they so choose. Krell makes paper copies of the video slides for his students so that they can take notes as they watch.

Step 5: Be Yourself

Perhaps the most important element of a strong video is authenticity. The most effective blended instruction isn't pretty-it's personal. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, and make sure your authentic personality shines through. Research shows that videos in which the instructor speaks in a natural, conversational manner, with an enthusiastic tone, are the most engaging. In our experience, students really appreciate knowing that it's their actual teacher behind the video.

In this video on states of matter, for instance, middle school science teacher Demi Lager lets her personality shine through. No matter how interested students may be in solids, liquids, and gases, her warm tone and sense of humor are likely to keep them engaged.

Learning to create a high-quality instructional video doesn't happen overnight-it requires continual trial, error, and innovation. We've been recording videos for years, and we still often struggle to be compelling and concise. Yet we keep trying, because we believe that teacher-driven blended instruction is what's best for our students. So start planning, grab some recording software, be yourself, and have fun!

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A 5-Step Guide to Making Your Own Instructional Videos

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Replacing your lectures with self-made videos can boost students' engagement and free you up to work with them directly. Imagine lecturing to a class in which some of your students are grade levels behind, some are grade levels ahead, some have special needs, and some are absent.

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Digital Citizenship - Safe, Savvy and Social

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Digital Citizenship - Safe, Savvy and Social

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Common Sense Education provides educators and students with the resources they need to harness the power of technology for learning and life. Find a free K-12 Digital Citizenship curriculum, reviews of popular EdTech apps, and resources for protecting student privacy.

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Digital citizenship shouldn't be a long list of don'ts. It should be about the do's that help create thoughtful, empathetic digital citizens who can wrestle with the important ethical questions at the intersection of technology and humanity. Those do's include:

Using technology to make your community better.

Engaging respectfully online with people who have different beliefs than you.

Using technology to make your voice heard by public leaders and shape public policy.

Determining the validity of online sources of information.

Digital citizenship goes beyond conversations about personal responsibility. It's about being active citizens who see possibilities instead of problems, and opportunities instead of risks as they curate a positive and effective digital footprint.

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Digital citizenship shouldn't be a long list of don'ts. It should be about the do's that help create thoughtful, empathetic digital citizens who can wrestle with the important ethical questions at the intersection of technology and humanity. Those do's include: Using technology to make your community better.

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Welcome to the updated Digital Citizenship Website

Digital Citizenship is a concept which helps teachers, technology leaders and parents to understand what students/children/technology users should know to use technology appropriately. Digital Citizenship is more than just a teaching tool; it is a way to prepare students/technology users for a society full of technology. Digital citizenship is the continuously developing norms of appropriate, responsible, and empowered technology use. Too often we are seeing students as well as adults misusing and abusing technology but not sure what to do. The issue is more than what the users do not know but what is considered appropriate technology usage.

The Knights of 17th Street ​is a fiction book for Young Adults that connects with the ideas of digital citizenship in an action filled format. Check out more information here.

Order the paperback or Kindle version from Amazon.

The new Digital Citizenship Handbook for School Leaders: Fostering Positive Interactions Online by Mike Ribble and Marty Park, is now available at ISTE.org or Amazon.com

Digital Citizenship Today

I want to thank everyone working so diligently during these difficult times. With so many students now working from home - many using digital devices it makes this topic of Digital Citizenship so critical! I want to thank Ms. Amanda Brace from Regina, SK to have a conversation about COVID-19 and its relationship to Digital Citizenship. If you would like to listen to this podcast it is available in multiple options: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and voicEd.ca. She also wrote a short blog post about this conversation, which also includes some of the resource links on her website - EdTechEndeavours. With the leadership of educators like Amanda and so many of you we will get through this time. Please stay safe!

The concept of Digital Citizenship is being viewed as an important area of educational knowledge not only in the United States but around the world. Whether it is called digital citizenship, digital wellness or digital ethics the issues are the same; how should we act when we are using digital tools, interacting with others online, and what should be taught to help the next generation be better stewards of this technology.

After 15 years working on this topic there has been some updating to the nine elements of Digital Citizenship. In addition to the updates to the the Digital Citizenship definition, as well as the Nine Elements a new Framework has been created to help users to understand and organize these themes. It is the S3 Framework (Safe, Savvy and Social). Go to the Nine Elements page to learn more about these changes.

Some great materials and discussions for our 2019 Digital Citizenship week! Here are a couple of conversations on the topic: Facebook Live with Tito de Morais (Portugal) - Facebook: facebook.com/cyberbullying.pt/videos/464966610778236/

YouTube: https://youtu.be/_HbNRzyoNBc and a Podcast with LaKisha Hudson (Dr. Hudson's Counseling Corner) Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dr-hudsons-counseling-corner/id1433902401#episodeGuid=Buzzsprout-1813330
YouTube: https://youtu.be/lF71q5x5Dn8 Buzzsprout: http://www.buzzsprout.com/152176

Working with Dr. Marty Park we have released a a new, updated book on Digital Citizenship titled - The Digital Citizenship Handbook for School Leaders: Fostering Positive Interactions Online. Once again we will be partnering with ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education). Don't let the title scare you off, if you are looking for information on Digital Citizenship, you are a school leader. If you have questions or comments about the material found on this website please click on the Contact Us link to send us your information. If you are interested in reading more about Digital Citizenship please go to the Resources page then scroll down to Publications and click on the link for information you are interested in. See the latest article in Tech & Learning (Spring 2019) - Digital Citizenship Framework Updated

For those who are a member of ISTE please join the Digital Citizenship PLN (Professional Learning Network) to see how you can get involved. There is also a new initiative for everyone interested in the Digital Citizenship discussion - #digcitcommit. Go to the website - https://digcitcommit.org/ to join in. We need everyone to lend their voice to this topic.

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Digital Citizenship Consulting - Education, Technology Support

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Welcome to the updated Digital Citizenship Website Digital Citizenship is a concept which helps teachers, technology leaders and parents to understand what students/children/technology users should know to use technology appropriately. Digital Citizenship is more than just a teaching tool; it is a way to prepare students/technology users for a society full of technology.

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DigCitCommit coalition is made up of organizations committed to giving all educators the tools to teach a new definition of digital citizenship.

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Teaching digital citizenship has never been more important. Prepare students to stay safe, solve problems, and become a force for good.

The DigCit Coalition, ISTE, and the Los Angeles Unified School District are hosting DigCit Connect - a virtual event on October 22. This free event will provide parents, educators and students with the tools they need to be creative, innovative and responsible members of the digital world. Join us to learn how you can kick-start the movement in your homes, classrooms, and beyond.

Explore the DigCitCommit Competencies

Digital citizenship is a critical skill for students of today and our leaders of tomorrow. These five competencies will shift the conversation from don'ts to do's.

Inclusive

I am open to hearing and respectfully recognizing multiple viewpoints and I engage with others online with respect and empathy.

Informed

I evaluate the accuracy, perspective, and validity of digital media and social posts.

Engaged

I use technology and digital channels for civic engagement, to solve problems and be a force for good in both physical and virtual communities.

Balanced

I make informed decisions about how to prioritize my time and activities online and off.

Alert

I am aware of my online actions, and know how to be safe and create safe spaces for others online.

Parents, educators and others with an interest in equipping students to thrive in digital environments can find an array of resources from our partners.

Do you lead a Digcit initiative within your state, district or organization? We'd love to learn more about the innovative work you're doing!

Contact Us

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The DigCit Coalition, ISTE, and the Los Angeles Unified School District are hosting DigCit Connect - a virtual event on October 22. This free event will provide parents, educators and students with the tools they need to be creative, innovative and responsible members of the digital world.

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A Collaboration of Great Resources from DigCitCommit  

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A Collaboration of Great Resources from DigCitCommit  

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To submit a resource, please complete the DigCitCommit resource application below. Resources will be curated based on their alignment to the five competencies, as well as additional simple criteria.