Tool 11 Digital Citizenship

In fourth grade we do try and complete several major research projects. We are very fortunate to have a super librarian that has helped us instruct the students on appropriate search engines for them to conduct their research. As a teacher, I have found that it is very helpful to talk out and model the research process. How did we acquire the information?? How do we know whether or not it is accreditable information or site??What did we do to locate occur information?? By showing the process and that it is important to make sure you are researching the truth, students hopefully will begin to cat ch on to the actual process. After reading about Digital Citizenship, I also was thinking that at the beginning of a research project, involve the parents in the process. Maybe have a digital citizenship parent information night, which would include discussing carrying the appropriate process over to home access of the computer. Students also need to understand that the internet is a large, powerful device that can unintentionally or accidentally missused. Therefore I also find it very important to discuss safety and ediquette as well as literacy issues. I agree that we all have to work together on this issue. Technology isn't stopping or slowing down, so we need to work together and better equip or students earlier than later by modeling , discussing, and covering digital citizenship in all school and home areas.