Module 1.5 EDU 776 Trends in Educational Technology

I spent some time reading The Hottest Topics in Edtech in 2021 compiled by the International Society of Technology in Education commonly referred to as ISTE. There first trend they discussed was digital citizenship which refers to how people use digital tools and the internet and whether they use they safely and appropriately. In addition to that, digital citizenship lessons should also encourage students to feel that they can contribute positively to the world using technology. In other words, being a good digital citizen doesn't mean young people should live in fear of the internet, but rather feel empowered to use it appropriately and in a positive way for themselves and their communities. As a social science teacher for Chicago Public Schools, this is a topic that is close to my heart because teaching good citizenship is imperative in my department.

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Having an abundance of resources in a teacher's toolkit is important when attempting to engage students in the 21st century. I investigated Google's digital citizenship platform Be Internet Awesome. It's designed to help families and educators help kids explore their online world safely and to view the internet as a positive space. According to the curriculum, good digital citizens displayed the five fundamental principals of being smart, alert, strong, kind, and brave--- all positive attributes.

Google has partnered with experts in digital safety to create a program and tools to assist in increasing students' digital citizenship skills. When you visit the site, you can download materials and a complete curriculum in multiple grade bands to use in your classroom. There are also resources for parents and guardians in both English and Spanish to help reinforce internet safety at home. It's also been awarded the Seal of Alignment by ISTE.

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If you'd like to learn more, please check out my presentation on Be Internet Awesome. Due to time constraints on the free version of Screencastify, my videos are in two parts. I hope you learn all about "Be Internet Awesome" in Part ONE and Part TWO of the videos. If you'd like to check out the Trends in Education: Digital Citizenship and Be Internet Awesome slides on their own, feel free.