Crowd-sourced Digital Citizenship!

Would you like to have your digital citizenship material featured at the Digital Citizenship Summit on October 3rd?! Send it in! It’s that simple.

The Digital Citizenship Summit is a national conference focused on the safe, savvy, and ethical use of technology. It is bringing together educators, parents, administrators, media specialists, students, community leaders, and industry to shape the future of digital citizenship. If you haven’t yet reserved your spot, you can do so HERE.

One of the main objectives for the Digital Citizenship Summit, taking place at the University of Saint Joseph (West Hartford, CT) is to build on best practices from across the country (and beyond). Why constantly reinvent the wheel? For example, if there is amazing work being done by an educator out in North Dakota, how can that knowledge be transferred to an organization in Pennsylvania? As much as the Internet can easily connect groups, it has become apparent that digital citizenship is often operating in multiple silos instead of working together.

I want you to help bust down those silos. 

We are betting big that the physicality of the Digital Citizenship Summit can improve future digital connections between all interested stakeholders. Does your organization have material that you would like to send in? An ideal option would be some of the high quality posters that individuals and groups have been creating.

Send in your items to:

University of Saint Joseph
c/o Marialice B.F.X. Curran / Digital Citizenship Summit
1678 Asylum Ave.
West Hartford, CT 06117

If we work together, we can make a difference. Let’s all PARTICIPATE in shaping the future of digital citizenship. If you know of a group or organization that would like to send in their digital citizenship material, share it forward.

Want to put up a poster for the Digital Citizenship Summit? Print out the Digital Citizenship Summit Poster 

Full Schedule for #DigcitSummit Oct 3rd!

The Digital Citizenship Summit, a first-of-its-kind national conference regarding the safe, savvy, and ethical use of technology, is happening on Saturday, October 3rd at the University of Saint Joseph (West Hartford, CT). This groundbreaking event is bringing together educators, parents, administrators, students, community leaders, and industry to help shape digital citizenship moving forward.

Are you going to lend your voice and influence the conversation? Reserve your spot HERE. 

Schedule (Detailed scheduled found below)

7:30 am           Registration, Continental Breakfast & Networking
9:00 am           Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:15 am           Panel Discussion
10:30 am         Session I Break Out Sessions
11:30 am         Poster Sessions & Lunch in McGovern
1:00 pm           Session II Break Out Sessions
2:00 pm           Session III Break Out Sessions
3:00 pm           Session IV Break Out Sessions
4:00 pm           Closing Remarks
4:30 pm            After Party

Registration, Continental Breakfast, & Networking (7:30-8:50 AM)

Welcome & Opening Remarks (9:00 AM-9:10 AM)

Cheryl A. Barnard, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students at the University of Saint Joseph
Marialice B.F.X. Curran and David Ryan Polgar, Digital Citizenship Summit Co-Founders and Organizers
US Senator Richard Blumenthal 

Panel Discussion (9:15 AM-10:15 AM)

Moderator: Susan M. Bearden, Director of Information Technology, Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy

Panelists:

• Denise Lisi DeRosa, Tech Parenting Consultant and Blogger

• Reuben Loewy, Founder and Director, Living Online Lab Teaching the Digital Revolution

• Dr. Mike Ribble, Author of Digital Citizenship in Schools, 3rd Edition

• Dr. Shelley Prevost, Co-founder and CEO at Torch

Session I Break Out Sessions (10:30-11:20)

• Speaker: Janell Burley Hofmann, Author of iRules: What Every Tech Healthy Family Needs to Know About Selfies, Sexting, Gaming and Growing Up, Speaker, Consultant, Founder of the The Slow Tech Movement and iRules Academy
  Session Title: The Slow Tech Lifestyle: Integrating Digital Mindfulness Into Your Personal & Professional Lives
  Location: Crystal Room

• Speaker: Matthew Soeth, Co-Founder #iCANHELP and Co-Creator of iCanHelpLine
  Session Title: Tweeting a Smoke Signal: The 411 and 911 of educating and empowering teens to take action in social media and take ownership over their digital profiles.
  Location: McDonough 213

• Speaker: Tracy Mercier, University of Saint Joseph alumna, Manchester Public Schools Grade 4 Teacher, Responsive Classroom Consultant
  Session Title: Social Media Leverages Learning
  Location: Reception Room

Poster Sessions in McGovern Lounge (11:30 AM-12:50 PM)

• Richard Abraham, USJ graduate student, 1st Grade Teacher, Farmington Public Schools
  Poster Session: Bucket Filling: A Pathway to Digital Citizenship

• Jessica Bedford, USJ graduate student, 1st Grade Teacher, West Hartford Public Schools
  Poster Session: Learning Outloud Through Digital Portfolios

• Jessie Renaud, USJ graduate student, 1st grade student teacher, Bloomfield Public Schools
  Poster Session: Blogging Begins With Books: Integrating Literacy and Technology

• Hayley Brown, USJ alumna, Kindergarten Teacher, Simsbury Public Schools
  Poster Session: Teach the Tech: It’s as Essential as ABC, 123

• Marie DiPinto, Special Education Teacher, Achievement First Summit Middle School, Hartford
  Poster Session: Technology Toolbox for Teaching and Learning

• Luz Holmes, USJ Junior, Public Health Major, President of USJ chapter of Brave Leadership Club
  Poster Session: To Be Brave

• Tom Manley, USJ graduate student, Middle School Media and Technology Teacher, Grace Academy, Hartford
  Poster Session: Designing Your Digital Tattoo #everybodysgotink

• Victoria Maringola, USJ Freshman, Biology Major, Chemistry Minor
  Poster Session: H.O.P.E. – Helping Others through Personal Experience – The Fight Against Bullying

• Angela Minto, USJ graduate student, 11th & 12h Grade Encore Science Teacher, CREC Two Rivers Magnet High School, Hartford
  Poster Session: Social Identity

• Lauren Perrault, USJ graduate student, 3rd grade teacher, Glastonbury Public Schools
  Poster Title: Empathy: Leaving Your Mark

Lunch in McGovern (11:30 AM – 12:50 PM)

Luncheon Spotlight (12:00 PM – 12:30 PM)
Jenny Lussier, K-4 library media specialist, Regional School District 13 Durham & Middlefield, CT
Session Title:”Spotlight on Library Media”

Session II Break Out Sessions (1:00 PM-1:50 PM)

• Speaker: Alan Katzman, Founder/CEO Social Assurity LLC
  Session Title: Social Media: Finding Your Digital Voice
  Location: Crystal Room

• Speaker: Kerry Gallagher, Digital Learning Specialist at St. John’s Prep in Danvers, MA, and EdTech Blogger
  Session Title: Bring Digital Citizenship to Every Classroom
  Location: McDonough 213

• Speaker: Dr. Kortney Peagram, Owner and President of Bulldog Solution Inc.
  Session Title:Building Empathy and Kindness Virtually: A Bully Free Virtual World
  Location: McDonough 200

Session III Break Out Sessions (2:00 PM-2:50 PM)

• Speaker: Diana Graber, Co-Founder, Cyberwise; Founder, Cyber Civics
  Session Title: Tales from the Digital Citizenship Classroom
  Location: Crystal Room

• Speaker: Janel Patterson, Co-Founder and CEO of Frienedy and Founder of Electronicparenting.com
  Session Title: Restoring “Social Security” Doesn’t Take an Act of Congress
  Location: McDonough 213

• Speaker: Sarah Thomas, Technology Teacher and Founder, EduMatch
  Session Title: Protect Yourself Fool! (2015 Edition)
  Location: McDonough 200

Session IV Break Out Sessions (3:00 PM-3:50 PM)

• Speakers: Jennifer L. Scheffer, Mobile Learning Coach and Timmy Sullivan, High School Senior, Burlington Public Schools, MA
  Session Title: Let’s Get Real: Preparing High School Students for College and Careers through Digital Citizenship Education
  Location: Crystal Room

• Speaker: Dr. David Greenfield, Founder and CEO, The Center and Institute for Internet and Technology Addiction, LLC, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine
  Session Title: Virtual Addiction: Living in the Age of Digital Distraction
  Location: McDonough 213

• Speaker: Devorah Heitner, PhD, Founder of Raising Digital Natives
  Session Title: 6 Factors for Assessing your culture of Digital Mentorship
  Location: McDonough 200

Closing Remarks (4:00 PM-4:15 PM)

Reception & Networking (4:30 PM – ?)

• Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan located at 36 LaSalle Road, West Hartford, CT

Live Tweeters during the Panel

Judy Arzt
Hayley Brown
Tracy Mercier
Jennifer L. Scheffer

#FYS15 Live Tweeters during Break Out Sessions

Khemberly Cabonita
Ivonne Encarnacao
Taylor French
Nana Kyem
Victoria Maringola
LeeAnn Waye
Sherickia Hull

Reserve your spot HERE. 

#DigcitSummit Panel Announced!

The Digital Citizenship Summit is proud to have assembled an all-star cast from across the country for our panel discussion, happening on Saturday, October 3rd at the University of Saint Joseph (West Hartford, CT). The all-day event will include not only this panel, but also four sessions of speakers, networking opportunities, a light breakfast, lunch, and more. Tickets can be reserved here, schedule can be seen here, and the current speaking list can be found here.

The lively discussion will focus on the future of digital citizenship. While the Digital Citizenship Summit does not condone violence, you will surely kick yourself (hard) if you miss this groundbreaking event.

MODERATOR

Susan M. Bearden (Florida)

Susan is a passionate advocate for teaching digital citizenship and is dedicated to facilitating best practices in education technology to support teaching and learning. A former teacher, she currently serves as the Director of Information Technology at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy in Melbourne, FL.

A popular speaker, she has presented about social media and digital citizenship at a number of national conferences, including ISTE, the International Society for Technology in Education; FETC, Florida Education Technology Conference; CoSN, Consortium for School Networking; Miami Device; and numerous regional and state conferences. Awards include the 2014 Bammy Award for School Technologist of the Year and the 2015 “Making IT Happen” Award from the Florida Society for Technology in Education.

Bearden co-founded and moderates the #edtechchat and #digcit (Digital Citizenship) Twitter chats and participates regularly in the weekly EdTechChat Radio podcast for the BAM Radio Network. Inspired by her experiences with Twitter, she developed Tweechme, a mobile app specifically designed to teach educators how to build Personal Learning Networks on Twitter. She is writing a book about Digital Citizenship for Corwin press as part of their Connected Educator series, scheduled for release early next year.

PANELISTS

Dr. Mike Ribble (Kansas)

Known as the godfather of digital citizenship, Dr. Ribble is an international speaker, researcher and author of the books Digital Citizenship in Schools (soon to be in its 3^rd edition) and Raising a Digital Child.  He has worked within the education field his entire career. He has been a science educator and an assistant principal at the high school level.

Dr. Ribble has taught as an adjunct faculty member at the community college and the university level. Currently, he works as the director of technology for a school district in Kansas. Dr. Ribble has spoken on the topic of digital citizenship to parents, teachers and students in the United States and internationally and also co-moderates the Digital Citizenship Twitter chats. For more information on the nine elements of digital citizenship, please visit Dr. Ribble’s website.

Denise Lisi DeRosa (DC)

DeRosa is the former Program Manager for the Family Online Safety Institute. She is dedicated to empowering families with the tools needed to embrace the current social and digital technologies in meaningful, creative and positive ways. Denise was responsible for developing and promoting FOSI’s Good Digital Parenting Initiative as a valuable resource for parents.

Prior to joining FOSI Denise worked as a Program Manager for AOL’s Kids Only Channel, devoted to providing a fun and safe place online for kids to enjoy. Denise has a Master’s of Arts Degree in Communication, Culture and Technology from Georgetown University. Her thesis, entitled “Creating Gateways for Girls in the New Technologies” focused on how developing video games for girls could help to interest them in computer sciences and careers in technology.

After graduating with a Bachelor’s in Marketing from Providence College, Denise worked for several years at MTV Networks in New York City, at both Comedy Central and VH1.

Denise is a married mother to three enthusiastic users of media and technology and understands first-hand the opportunities and challenges parents face in navigating the online world with their children. In her role at FOSI, she hopes to impart the importance of media literacy, cyber safety and cybercivility for kids, teens and parents.

Reuben Loewy (New Jersey)

Loewy is the Founder and Director of Living Online Lab, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing students to be informed, critical and active participants in our digital society. The curriculum that Reuben has developed to teach about the Digital Revolution has been described as “the liberal arts of virtual living” in a feature article in The Atlantic (“Digital Natives, Yet Strangers to the Web”, April 2015).

Reuben’s work highlights a significant anomaly in our schools today; students are increasingly being given tablets and notebooks, but they are not being taught about the Digital Revolution, its affect upon us as individuals and how it is transforming our world. The Living Online curriculum that Reuben has developed covers topics such as Bytes and Bots: How the Internet Works, Cyberpsychology, The Economy of the Internet, Cyberethics, Cyberskeptiks vs. Digital Utopianism, and Digital Activism.

Reuben teaches Journalism and Media Studies at an independent school in Princeton. In his previous career as a foreign correspondent, Reuben reported from the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Balkans, for The Globe & Mail, The New Statesman, and other media. Born in London, Reuben is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science (M.Phil., International Relations). He is trilingual and has lived and worked in England, Scandinavia, Africa, and the Middle East before settling in Princeton, New Jersey.

Dr. Shelley Prevost (Tennessee)

Prevost is co-founder and CEO at Torch whose mission it is to make the internet a wonderful place for kids to grow up. She is a partner at venture capital firm Lamp Post Group and the JumpFund, an angel fund investing in female-led startups with high growth potential.

Shelley writes and speaks about her work on parenting, purpose, relationships, and leadership, most recently at TedxBarcelonaWomen with a talk entitled “Lead Like a Girl.” She has columns for Inc. and The Huffington Post and her work has also appeared in Time, Yahoo Business, Fast Company, LifeHacker, and Business Insider.

CONNECT WITH THE #DIGCITSUMMIT PANEL

Susan M. Bearden: @s_bearden

Dr. Mike Ribble: @digcitizen

Denise Lisi DeRosa: @DeniseLDeRosa

Reuben Loewry: @LivingOnlineLab

Dr. Shelley Prevost: @ShelleyPrevost

CONNECT WITH THE #DIGCITSUMMIT PANEL IN PERSON

You can do that by attending the first annual Digital Citizenship Summit! Reserve your spot today.

Be the digital change on October 3rd. 

Kerry Gallagher to Speak at #DigcitSummit

The Digital Citizenship Summit, happening on Sat, October 3rd at the University of Saint Joseph (West Hartford, CT), is excited to announce that Kerry Gallagher will join the roster as a speaker. Kerry, a noted and influential educator who recently co-authored the Educators Guide to Social Media with Larry Magid (published by ConnectSafely), will be presenting: Building Digital Citizenship Beyond an Event.

Kerry is the 2014 recipient of the Yale-Lynn Hall Teacher Action Research Prize for her submission “Mobile Devices and Student Innovators: BYOD and the Paperless Classroom Model.”

A frequent and sought-after speaker, Kerry has appeared at ISTE, MassCUE, Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence National Conferences, and symposiums hosted by Harvard Law School, Stanford University, and Yale School of Management. She was named in the Edtech and Elearning: Top 100 Influencers and Brands by Onalytica in August 2015, and recognized as a 2015 PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator (view here video here).

Kerry is a regular contributor to outlets such as EdSurge, Smarter Schools Project, ConnectSafely, and Corwin-Connect. Connect with her now, and see her in person on Sat, October 3rd at the Digital Citizenship Summit!

Website/blog

Twitter: @KerryHawk02

If you haven’t yet reserved your spot, you can do so here.  The Digital Citizenship Summit was tailored for the public, and will include educators, parents, administrators, students, organizations, and industry. Be the digital change on October 3rd.

#DigcitSummit Partners with Living Online Lab

            

The Digital Citizenship Summit is proud to announce our partnership with Living Online Lab. As the 501c3 organization states, they are “Bringing Internet Studies to the Internet Generation.”

A major focus for the Digital Citizenship Summit is increasing quality education that students receive concerning tech use and their life online. To that end, Living Online Lab is an innovative program that seeks to increase the overall understanding of the Internet, how it works, and how it can be used. You may have read the widely-discussed article about digital citizenship in The Atlantic (“Digital Natives, But Strangers to the Web” April 2015), which spotlighted Living Online Lab and its founder, Reuben Loewy.

Loewy is also a speaker at this year’s Digital Citizenship Summit. Read his piece, Who’s Teaching the Digital Revolution?, and don’t forget to register for the Digital Citizenship Summit, happening October 3rd at the University of Saint Joseph (West Hartford, CT).

Who’s Teaching the Digital Revolution_ by Reuben Loewy

Living Online Lab considers Internet literacy to be an essential skill to thrive in today’s increasingly complex and online world. Our mission is to develop this literacy through promoting Internet Studies in schools worldwide. Internet Studies is an interdisciplinary field examining the social, psychological, economic, political, technical, cultural, artistic, and other dimensions of the Internet and digital society. Knowledgeable and sophisticated users of the Internet will be better equipped to navigate and help shape the digital world.  

Living Online Lab aims to achieve this by:

Developing, distributing and promoting (via a dedicated website) an interdisciplinary K-12+ curriculum with accompanying lesson plans and supporting multimedia material.

Promoting Internet Studies in schools, school districts and educational communities in the U.S.A. and internationally (via workshops, webinars, social and conventional media, pilot programs, conferences etc.)

Creating a worldwide network of educators and researchers to provide professional development and pedagogical support, and secure ongoing public and private support for Internet Studies.

Stimulating youth to take an informed and active interest in shaping the Internet ecosystem and digital world.

The idea for Living Online lab was conceived by Reuben Loewy, a former foreign correspondent who now teaches at independent schools in Princeton, NJ. Reuben’s experience in the classroom, and at home raising two children, proved to him that – contrary to common perception – today’s youth (the so-called “digital natives”), only have a superficial knowledge of the Internet and the digital world. This is also borne out by leading Internet researchers (Pew, dana boyd et al.)

Schools, meanwhile,  are eagerly introducing technology in the classroom. Last year, the market for desktop, laptop, tablets and two-in-one computers shipped to kindergarten-through-12th-grade schools and institutions of higher education in the United States amounted to $7 billion, according to estimates from IDC. When it comes to teaching students about the Internet, however, schools continue to primarily teach conventional computer science. Some schools are now sporadically adding lessons to warn their students of the dangers of the Internet, and social media in particular (identity theft, digital footprints, cyberbullying, sexting, doxxing etc.) 

Living Online Lab acknowledges the dangers and potential downsides of students’ online activities, but takes a different approach. We believe that a more holistic and sophisticated knowledge of the Internet and our digital world not only minimizes these dangers, but is also crucial to success for youth in the 21st century. A growing number of leading voices in the educational world support this approach. However, the introduction of Internet Studies in our schools is primarily being held back by the absence of curricular material, a lack of professional development and support for faculty, and a disproportionate emphasis on the perils of the Internet.

To address this, Living Online has developed an interdisciplinary curriculum that has been successfully piloted in grades 7-12 since 2012. This curriculum is a living document, constantly evolving not only to reflect the changing digital world,  but also the generous input Living Online Lab continues to receive from a sizable community of teachers, students, academics and others with interest in supporting our drive to promote Internet Studies.

Feedback from the educational community, along with our own research, confirms two key facts:

a) There is a substantial demand in the teaching community for a curriculum to “teach the Internet,” and

b) There is no competition to what Living Online Lab is doing/proposing.

Where do we go from here?

The next step for Living Online Lab is to develop lesson plans to accompany the Living Online curriculum, and build an online platform via which these lesson plans and supporting material can be delivered. Possible models for this step include Common Sense Media (www.commonsensemedia.org) and iCivics (www.iCivics.org).

In parallel, Living Online will continue to build its global support network and campaign to promote the introduction of Internet Studies in our schools.

#DigCitSummit Announces Partnership with Digital Drivers License (DDL)

The Digital Citizenship Summit is excited to announce a new partner,  Digital Drivers License (DDL) out of the Kentucky Department of Education.  The DDL believes that the idea of being a good digital citizen becomes more important as schools start to adopt 1:1 initiatives, get more comfortable with students bringing in their own technology and use various technology as a part of the learning process.

Where does this get taught? Who teaches it? How do we keep track of all of this? How do we know what areas need addressing and/or follow up? The DDL project allows learners (whether they be students or teachers) to get exposure to concepts through cases. citizens. Learners can take the practice and evaluative exercises to both facilitate and certify their knowledge. Teachers, Principals and Central Office folks can access student “Case Data” for certification needs. If a student moves schools they can take their license with them.

By providing schools with this mechanism to manage the data we hope to be a catalyst in helping schools move to NxGL environments by lowering the “activation energy” of a transition process and giving students (and teacher, principals, board members, parents, etc.) exposure to some fundamental concepts. Much like a drivers license, we don’t expect this to turn students into “good drivers” but at least give them a base coat of knowledge to get them moving (Of course we’ll never make any headlines using measured statements like that). I meant to say, AFTER ONE HOUR ON THE DDL, YOUR SCHOOL WILL BE TRANSFORMED!!

Unbridled hyperbole is fun, but of course this is just one component in a larger plan. Remember catalysts speed up a reaction, but don’t change the products (i.e. garbage in = garbage out, just at an accelerated pace). While we are pretty stoked about this initial implementation, the potential power of this comes when we people in the DDL community start adding additional content, so contribute. Make it better. See a sample case.

For more information on the DDL:
THE Journal feature on the DDL
ISTE Learning and Leading DDL Article
Awesome teachers use it
Huffington Post:
Kentucky Teacher:
Mountain Plains Business Education Newsletter
Case Study: Anderson County

Follow DDL on Twitter: @iDriveDigital

#DigcitSummit Presentations!

The Digital Citizenship Summit is proud to put on twelve captivating presentations by a wide variety of thought leaders from every corner of the country. We are grateful for their commitment in schlepping to West Hartford, Connecticut on Saturday, October 3rd to take part in what we hope will be a historic event.

We are also grateful for the countless talented leaders who have inquired about being future speakers. What is exciting about the Digital Citizenship Summit is that whether on the stage or in the audience, the University of Saint Joseph (where the event is being held) will be overflowing with ideas about pushing digital citizenship forward. It is time to bring together educators, industry, organizations, students, and parents: every stakeholder has an important voice to add.

Attendees will have their choice in what talks they attend. The schedule includes FOUR breakout sessions. Each session has THREE options for speakers. Each session will be incorporate a good amount of discussion and be interactive in nature. Formal schedule arriving soon.

We want everyone to leave INSPIRED, and to capitalize on the high level of talent in attendance. We are shaping the future of digital citizenship. Outside of the four sessions, and the panel discussion, we are trying to incorporate a some quality time for people to network and talk about ways to collaborate.

Please join us by reserving your spot for Oct 3rd HERE.

Diana Graber, Co-Founder, Cyberwise; Founder, Cyber Civics 

Session Title: Tales from the Digital Citizenship Classroom

Janell Burley Hofmann, Author of iRules: What Every Tech Healthy Family Needs to Know About Selfies, Sexting, Gaming and Growing Up, Speaker, Consultant, Founder of the The Slow Tech Movement and iRules Academy

Session Title: The Slow Tech Lifestyle: Integrating Digital Mindfulness Into Your Personal & Professional Lives

Alan Katzman, Founder/CEO Social Assurity LLC

Session Title: Social Media: Finding Your Digital Voice

Jennifer L Scheffer, Mobile Learning Coach, Burlington Public Schools, MA

Session Title: Let’s Get Real: Preparing High School Students for College and Careers through Digital Citizenship Education

Janel Patterson, Co-Founder and CEO of Frienedy and Founder of Electronicparenting.com

Session Title: Restoring “Social Security” Doesn’t Take an Act of Congress

Sarah Thomas, Technology Teacher and Founder, EduMatch

Session Title: Protect Yourself Fool! (2015 Edition)

Tracy Mercier, Responsive Classroom Consultant, Teach for America Content Specialist

Session Title: Social Media Leverages Learning

Dr. Kortney Peagram, Owner and President of Bulldog Solution Inc.

Session Title: Building Empathy and Kindness Virtually: A Bully Free Virtual World

Matthew Soeth, Co-Founder #iCANHELP and Co-Creator of iCanHelpLine

Session Title: Dueling Tweets: The 411 and 911 of educating and empowering teens to take action in social media and take ownership of their digital profiles.

Dr. David Greenfield, Founder and CEO, The Center and Institute for Internet and Technology Addiction, LLC, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine

Session Title: TBA

Devorah Heitner, PhD, Founder of Raising Digital Natives

Session Title: 6 Factors for Assessing your culture of Digital Mentorship

Timmy Sullivan, High School Senior, Burlington Public Schools, MA

Session Title: Student Voice in Digital Citizenship: A Student’s Perspective

Shelley Prevost to join #DigcitSummit Panel!

The Digital Citizenship Summit is proud of being able to assemble a diverse range of talented thought leaders on the subject of digital citizenship. Our panel discussion on Sat, October 3rd will include four top-notch speakers and a moderator. Full details arriving shortly.

We are excited to announce that we have added Dr. Shelley Prevost to our group.

Dr. Shelley Prevost (Tennessee) is co-founder and CEO at Torch whose mission it is to make the internet a wonderful place for kids to grow up. She is a partner at venture capital firm Lamp Post Group and the JumpFund, an angel fund investing in female-led startups with high growth potential.

Shelley writes and speaks about her work on parenting, purpose, relationships, and leadership, most recently at TedxBarcelonaWomen with a talk entitled “Lead Like a Girl.” She has columns for Inc. and The Huffington Post and her work has also appeared in Time, Yahoo Business, Fast Company, LifeHacker, and Business Insider.

Find her on Twitter: @ShelleyPrevost

Building Digital Citizenship Beyond an Event

By Kerry Gallagher [Guest post]

Although the realist in me knows that our society at large is not quite ready for this shift, I eagerly await the day when “digital citizenship” is not a special term. Instead, we will talk about citizenship in general. There will be a common understanding that our communications and contributions online should be measured and judged the same way our communications and contributions are in person.

Similarly, just as educators talk about how teaching the whole child is more important than teaching content, my hope is that educators will see that teaching good digital citizenship is an integral part of that whole child. Our children do not see their online lives and their face-to-face lives as separate. All of their interactions — digital or in person — are part of one whole life.

We are all learning together

This does not mean students know how to properly express themselves in the digital world. Adolescents are developing their social and individual identities. Just as they struggle with how to communicate effectively in person at this stage of life, online communication must also be a part of their growth.

The reason digital citizenship is an especially hot topic is that adults are also struggling with digital communication and self-expression. Adults are asking themselves: What should I share? What shouldn’t I share? Is it best to engage at a minimal level in the interest of staying safe? Should I mix my personal and professional online connections or keep them separate?

Rasmussen’s study on digital literacy reveals that people of all ages want to embrace the power that digital tools have, but are worried about the risks. So how do we teach our children the right way to participate in this online world if we adults are sometimes unsure or overwhelmed?

Actions schools can take

As a writer and coach in the edtech arena, this is a question I tackle often in conversations with parents, teachers, administrators, and even policy-makers. The premise that all of these discussions must start from is that digital citizenship education should not be a special unit or event. It is all of our responsibility.

Step 1: Start With Teachers

Classroom teachers have a lot to balance. Rather than tossing digital citizenship on their already-full plates, schools need to provide time for reading, discussing, and learning so that educators can clearly form their own understanding of digital citizenship. Some teachers are already quite active on social media, participating in Twitter chats regularly and posting updates of their classes on Instagram or blogs. Others might not be engaging online at all. There is no right or wrong way, as long as teachers are being safe, thoughtful, and know why they have chosen to engage or not.

Step 2: Work With Parents

The next step is to open the dialogue between the school and parents. As students are using technology more and more in their education and personal lives, educators and parents need to be on the same page about which uses are helpful and which are hurtful or distracting. The technology is not inherently bad or good, it is a tool that can be used well or used poorly, just like any other tool. Once parents and educators have a better grasp on these uses, they can work together to teach and monitor children’s use of technology.

Step 3: Talk With Students

There should, of course, be an ongoing conversation with students. Ask them which social media platforms they are using and why. Ask them how they find information online. Adolescents and teens are often eager to share if we really take the time to listen. Educators and parents will never be able to keep up with all of the information and tools our children are using unless we keep them as an equal voice with all others in the digital citizenship discussion.

Step 4: Make a Plan, an Integrated Plan

Finally, schools need to commit to integrating digital citizenship in all classes. When “teachable moments” present themselves, teachers should use common terminology like digital tattoo, digital footprint, etiquette, data, privacy, and more. What’s more, waiting for these “teachable moments” is insufficient. There are plenty of articles and resources on how to effectively integrate digital citizenship in content-area classes at all levels. This one, this one, and this one are great examples.

Digital citizenship is a process, not an event

It is notable that organizations like Common Sense Media and iKeepSafe have incredible stand-alone complete digital citizenship curricula to offer. Some forward thinking schools, such as the Providence Day School, have published their curricula as well. However, I urge schools that are just getting started to avoid adopting them as special classes or separate programs during the school year. Full integration is a best practice. So, use the excellent resources these groups publish, but be sure they are a part of an integrated long term school-wide plan, and not a one time event.

—

Twitter: @KerryHawk02

Kerry Gallagher’s varied background in education, technology, and law give her a unique and realistic perspective of what truly works to maximize learning experiences for children and adults. Currently, Kerry is a Technology Integration Specialist at a 1:1 iPad school serving 1500 students grades 6-12.  She taught middle and high school history in Bring Your Own Device schools for 13 years.

Connecticut Innovations to Support #DigcitSummit

        

The Digital Citizenship Summit is happy to announce that Connecticut Innovations has joined on as a Silver Sponsor. The Digital Citizenship Summit is a national conference aimed at improving the way we use technology. The inaugural event will be happening Saturday, October 3rd at the University of Saint Joseph. The Digital Citizenship Summit will have a wide range of top speakers from every corner of the country, and is aimed towards educators, administrators, parents, organizational leaders, industry, and students.

The generous support of sponsors like Connecticut Innovations are allowing us to put on an insanely affordable conference with a lot of whistles and bells.

Connecticut Innovations (CI) is the leading source of financing and ongoing support for Connecticut’s innovative, growing companies. To maximize the growth potential of each business, CI tailors its solutions and often combines its funds with resources from other financial leaders to provide venture capital and strategic support for early-stage technology companies; flexible loans for established companies with new innovations; grants that support innovation and collaboration; and connections to its well-established network of partners and professionals.

Through all these initiatives, CI has helped bring $4 billion in financing to Connecticut companies. The state’s most active early-stage investor, CI has created more than 26,000 jobs. For more information on CI, please visit www.ctinnovations.com.

Twitter: CT_Innovate

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THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT. The Digital Citizenship Summit aims to improve online culture and tech use by increasing education of digital citizenship and spreading best practices.