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What do you think is Digital Citizenship? How do you uphold Digital Citizenship? Why is it important in the classroom?

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What do you think is Digital Citizenship? How do you uphold Digital Citizenship? Why is it important in the classroom?

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Please "comment" on this post with your response. Each "comment" should be responding to the last post along with answering the question.

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How can we use digital citizenship to build classroom community?

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How can we use digital citizenship to build classroom community?

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Please "comment" on this post with your response. Each "comment" should be responding to the last post along with answering the question.

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How can you educate students/ teachers/ parents in your community about Digital Citizenship? 

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How can you educate students/ teachers/ parents in your community about Digital Citizenship? 

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Please "comment" on this post with your response. Each "comment" should be responding to the last post along with answering the question.

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How do the ISTE Standards for Teachers directly relate to digital citizenship? 

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How do the ISTE Standards for Teachers directly relate to digital citizenship? 

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Please "comment" on this post with your response. Each "comment" should be responding to the last post along with answering the question.

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Scenario: Through your own classroom Twitter, you have seen one of your students being cyber bullied. What is your responsibility as an educator to do from here? What can you do for your students to make sure this doesn't happen again?

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Scenario: Through your own classroom Twitter, you have seen one of your students being cyber bullied. What is your responsibility as an educator to do from here? What can you do for your students to make sure this doesn't happen again?

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Please "comment" on this post with your response. Each "comment" should be responding to the last post along with responding to the scenario.

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Scenario: A parent complains to your school's administration about an old inappropriate picture they found of you online. Your principal now has to decide how to handle this situation. What do you think is the best way to prevent this from happening to you in the future? What actions can be taken now to prepare for and prevent this scenario? 

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Scenario: A parent complains to your school's administration about an old inappropriate picture they found of you online. Your principal now has to decide how to handle this situation. What do you think is the best way to prevent this from happening to you in the future? What actions can be taken now to prepare for and prevent this scenario? 

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Please "comment" on this post with your response. Each "comment" should be responding to the last post along with answering the question.

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Read this news story. What can you do to prevent this from happening in your classroom? Layout a mini lesson plan for an example.

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Read this news story. What can you do to prevent this from happening in your classroom? Layout a mini lesson plan for an example.

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Please "comment" on this post with your response. Each "comment" should be responding to the last post. Give feedback to your classmate's lesson plans.

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Following a scandal involving more than 100 students plagiarizing and cheating at Alamo Heights High School in November, the school district's administration has revamped guidelines that will reduce the consequences for first and second offenses.

Dana Bashara, the assistant superintendent for elementary education, said the changes in guidelines put the power back in teachers' hands. She said teachers didn't want to report cheating or plagiarism incidents because it had "double jeopardy" consequences: in the classroom and outside of their control.

"It was really important for us to place the consequence decision back to the discretion of the teacher, who works to build and maintain strong teaching relationships with kids," she said.

Under the high school's current guidelines, when students violate the academic integrity rules, they also violate the 24 Hour Code of Conduct, which establishes punishment for actions that students take even when they're not in a school setting. Plagiarizing or cheating results in consequences given by teachers as well as a suspension from extra-curricular games or public performances for 15 days.

Under the new guidelines, which will go into effect in the fall, students caught cheating or plagiarizing one time and two times will suffer consequences in the classroom only - and teachers will be able to choose from a select list. For a first offense, teachers are authorized to have the student redo an assignment for partial credit, lose all credit for the assignment and/or receive a reduced grade. For a second offense, those three options are available, plus the teacher could notify campus honor societies and/or give a reduced conduct grade.

RELATED: Angered Alamo Heights parents seek changes amid plagiarism scandal

The Alamo Heights District Education Advisory Council formed a subcommittee that had discussions with teachers, coaches, students and administrators to craft the revamped guidelines. Bashara then presented them to the school board in February.

"It's probably not the way I would've written it, but that's not the point," Superintendent Kevin Brown said, adding that the idea was to draft guidelines that reflect the community.

But not all Alamo Heights parents believe their views were reflected. Aimee Voorhies said the changes don't go far enough.

"The extracurricular code of conduct should only apply when a student is in uniform, representing the school, or participating in a school activity," Voorhies said.

She said the changes are "a step in the right direction," but that what a student does after hours is the responsibility of the parent and should not involve the school. Voorhies also took issue with the transparency of the process and questioned whether the parents in the subcommittee were truly representative of the district's parents.

The revamped Extracurricular Code of Conduct - currently called the 24 Hour Code of Conduct - expand on the range of consequences depending on the type of the infraction and whether it is a repeat offense. The current code has a blanket 15-day suspension for all violations, Bashara said.

"The intent of the code is to help kids make good decisions while they are representing the school not during school hours," she said. "And so we heard from the kids that they needed the specificity that this new extracurricular code provides to understand the expectations and the consequences for what happens if they make a mistake."

In the revamped guidelines, extracurricular penalties arise only when a student is caught violating academic integrity policies for the third time. Then, for 30 school days, the student won't be allowed to participate in games or public performances. The student will also receive in-school suspension.

The changes also address complaints by parents who say a 15-day suspension from games and public performances disproportionately affects athletes whose sport is in season versus those that aren't. In the new guidelines, athletes who commit an academic infraction for the third time and aren't in season must miss practice for 30 days, and those who are in season can attend practice but can't perform.

Tryouts and auditions are exempt from this rule, as clarified in the new document.

RELATED: More than 100 students plagiarized homework at Alamo Heights HS

"Now it sounds better and fair for everyone across the board," said Nicole Love, an Alamo Heights parent whose son plays basketball and was caught plagiarizing in November along with 127 other students.

Bashara said it's not that the consequences are lessened - they're just more nuanced. And they offer a "teachable moment" for students.

Julie Hill, a parent who was on the subcommittee and has been involved with the district for years, agrees.

"When I was a kid if someone had the answer key it was because they stole it out of the desk of the teacher - you weren't able to access it with three keystrokes," she said. "That mentality is what the administration tried to take hold of in addressing the changes ... in the policy."

Voorhies said she hopes the administration continues to seek community input.

"I'm cautiously optimistic," Voorhies said, referring to the administration's revisions. "Their actions will speak louder than their words."
sfosterfrau@express-news.net

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Alamo Heights changes plagiarism consequences following scandal

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Following a scandal involving more than 100 students plagiarizing and cheating at Alamo Heights High School in November, the school district's administration has revamped guidelines that will reduce the consequences for first and second offenses. Dana Bashara, the assistant superintendent for elementary education, said the changes in guidelines put the power back in teachers' hands.