Good morning! I’m Derry CityEvans, the Senior Director of Education Content. Today, I’m thrilled to introduce you to our student interactives designed to teach digital citizenship. If you have any questions, feel free to ask after the presentation.
About five and a half years ago, we collaborated with the Good Play Project, led by Howard Gardner from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Gardner’s research focused on ethical issues in the digital realm. Together, we created the first digital citizenship curriculum, initially targeting middle school students and later expanding to include elementary and high school levels. Now, we offer a comprehensive K-12 curriculum online for free, covering eight key areas: relationships and communication, privacy and security, internet safety, cyberbullying, digital drama, digital footprint and reputation, self-image and identity, and information literacy. Additionally, we emphasize the importance of creative credit and copyright, teaching students about proper citations and recognizing their own artistic contributions.
Our curriculum is currently implemented in over 2,000 schools nationwide. It is structured into 13 units, each containing five lessons of approximately 45 minutes, complete with interactive assessments. The curriculum aligns with ELA Common Core Standards, state standards, and the American Association of School Librarians standards, ensuring it is a collaborative effort among educators.
The curriculum is available online as PDFs, which we recommend printing annually due to frequent updates. It’s also accessible for free on iBooks, featuring a teacher edition and a student digital workbook. This fall, we will launch it on Nearpod, a platform that works across various devices.
Two years ago, we began exploring educational trends like blended learning and student-directed learning. Our goal was to engage students with digital citizenship in a way that encourages exploration, even without classroom devices. We currently offer three interactive programs for students:
Launched about two and a half years ago, Digital Passport is designed for grades 3-5. It includes five games that teach digital literacy and citizenship, with each game taking about 15 minutes to complete. These games present real-world scenarios to help students grasp the concepts effectively. Over 4 million games have been played, and a quarter of a million students have earned their digital passports.
Released in April, Digital Compass targets middle school students, allowing them to make decisions in various real-world scenarios. It features eight stories aligned with our curriculum areas, offering multiple endings based on the choices students make. This interactive approach helps students understand the impact of their decisions in the digital world.
Developed in response to after-school programs seeking more student-directed learning, Digital Bytes is a media-rich, project-based program. It encourages students to engage in collaborative activities while exploring digital citizenship topics, fostering a deeper understanding through hands-on experiences.
Thank you for your attention! If you have any questions or need further information, please feel free to ask.
Engage with the “Digital Compass” by exploring its various stories and scenarios. Reflect on the decisions you make and their outcomes. Discuss with peers how different choices could lead to different consequences in the digital world.
Participate in a session using the “Digital Passport” games. Focus on understanding digital literacy and citizenship through gameplay. After completing the games, share your insights on how these scenarios relate to real-world digital interactions.
Work in groups to create a project using “Digital Bytes.” Choose a topic related to digital citizenship and develop a media-rich presentation. This project should encourage collaboration and deepen your understanding of the chosen topic.
Explore the comprehensive K-12 digital citizenship curriculum. Identify key areas that interest you and propose ways to integrate these lessons into your current studies or future professional practice.
Engage in a discussion about the importance of creative credit and copyright. Analyze case studies where proper citation and recognition of artistic contributions were either upheld or violated. Reflect on how this knowledge applies to your own work.
**Sanitized Transcript:**
Good morning! My name is Derry CityEvans, and I’m the Senior Director of Education Content. I’m excited to give you a brief overview of our student interactives for digital citizenship. Feel free to stop me afterward if you have any questions.
To give you some background, about five and a half years ago, we partnered with the Good Play Project, led by Howard Gardner from Harvard Graduate School of Education. He conducted seminal research on ethical issues in the digital world. Together, we developed the first digital citizenship curriculum, starting with middle school and expanding to elementary and high school. Now, we have a comprehensive K-12 curriculum available online for free, organized into eight categories: relationships and communication, privacy and security, internet safety, cyberbullying, digital drama, digital footprint and reputation, self-image and identity, and information literacy. We also emphasize creative credit and copyright, as it’s important for students to understand proper citations and to be recognized as artists themselves.
Our curriculum is currently used in over 2,000 schools across the country. The lessons spiral through the eight categories, grade by grade, broken down into 13 units. Each unit consists of five lessons, lasting about 45 minutes each, and includes an interactive assessment. The curriculum aligns with ELA Common Core Standards, state standards, and the American Association of School Librarians standards, making it a shared responsibility among educators.
We offer the curriculum online as PDFs, which we recommend printing annually due to constant updates. It’s also available for free on iBooks, with a teacher edition and a complimentary student digital workbook. Additionally, we will be launching it on Nearpod this fall, which is device agnostic.
About two years ago, we began exploring trends in education, such as blended learning and student-directed learning. We wanted to help students engage with digital citizenship in a way that supports their exploration, even if they don’t have devices in the classroom. We currently have three offerings for students.
The first is Digital Passport, launched about two and a half years ago. It has seen over 4 million games played, with a quarter of a million students earning their digital passports. This program is designed for grades 3-5 and includes five games that teach digital literacy and citizenship. Each game takes about 15 minutes to complete and features real-world scenarios to help students understand the concepts.
The second offering is Digital Compass, which we released in April. This program is aimed at middle schoolers and allows them to make real-world decisions in various scenarios. It includes eight stories, each aligned with our curriculum areas, and offers multiple endings based on the choices students make.
Lastly, we developed Digital Bytes in response to after-school programs seeking more student-directed learning. This program is media-rich and project-based, allowing students to engage in collaborative activities while exploring digital citizenship topics.
Thank you for your attention! If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to ask.
Digital Citizenship – The responsible and appropriate use of technology by individuals to engage in society, politics, and government. – In today’s classrooms, teaching digital citizenship is essential to ensure students understand how to interact safely and respectfully online.
Curriculum – A structured set of educational experiences provided by a school or educational institution. – The new curriculum includes modules on digital literacy to prepare students for the technological demands of the modern workplace.
Students – Individuals who are enrolled in an educational program to gain knowledge and skills. – Students are encouraged to participate in online forums to enhance their learning experience and digital communication skills.
Privacy – The right of individuals to control access to their personal information and to protect it from unauthorized use. – Educators must teach students about privacy settings on social media to help them safeguard their personal information.
Security – Measures taken to protect digital information and systems from unauthorized access, attacks, or damage. – Implementing strong security protocols is crucial in schools to protect students’ data from cyber threats.
Internet – A global network of interconnected computers that enables users to access and share information. – The internet is a valuable resource for students, providing access to a vast array of educational materials and collaborative tools.
Literacy – The ability to read, write, and understand information, particularly in a digital context. – Digital literacy is a critical skill for students, enabling them to navigate and evaluate online content effectively.
Engagement – The level of interest, enthusiasm, and involvement that students show towards their learning activities. – Interactive digital tools can significantly increase student engagement by making learning more dynamic and interactive.
Learning – The process of acquiring knowledge or skills through study, experience, or teaching. – Online platforms have transformed learning by providing students with access to diverse educational resources and self-paced study options.
Collaboration – The act of working together with others to achieve a common goal, often facilitated by digital tools in an educational setting. – Collaboration among students is enhanced through the use of shared digital workspaces and communication platforms.
