Hello Digital Ethics and cybercitizenship land.

It's 2020 spring and the Corona Virus has gripped our nation.

In my social distancing boredom, i've gone back through a lot of my accounts and content containers from my teaching career. This page was an important part of those efforts back then.
To update anyone who may stumble across this page after the apocalypse, I'm still involved in digital ethics, albeit on a smaller scale and lower priority involvement.
You can find me on Facebook if you really want to find me.
Joe Showker
Retired
and helping make America Great... Again.

Fall 2014 Frontline

"From the Frontline" - Back to School Edition Digital Ethics and Internet Safety - 

News briefs for students, parents and professionals living, learning and teaching in the digital world

  The fall leaves are beginning to turn color here in the Shenandoah Valley and we're all reminded of how blessed we are to live, teach and serve the public good in this community.  This issue of the FRONTLINE brings us back to school and for October - National CyberSecurity Month.  We live in a world full of risks. Digital risks are a part of our national and personal lives. I'll link some interesting videos on the topic of cyber security for starters.   

We've got links on social media for teachers including Pinterest pages.  Enjoy several "visual guide" graphics, teens and tweens information and finishing up with some "drama" thoughts and a special feature about 24/7 digital devices.

  1.  National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2014 - "As a nation, we face constant cyber threats against our critical infrastructure and economy. As individuals, cybersecurity risks can threaten our finances, identity, and privacy. " http://www.dhs.gov/national-cyber-security-awareness-month-2014

• Stay Safe Online's page for Security Awareness month http://www.staysafeonline.org/ncsam/
• Microsoft's page  http://www.microsoft.com/security/resources/cybersecurity.aspx
• Even in Europe... it's Cyber Security Month http://cybersecuritymonth.eu/
• and the most recent data breach bank's page...  http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/10/03/jpmorgan-chase-hack-breach-computer-security/16648943/

 2. A Cybersecurity Threat That Could Be Lurking On Your Phone - "Security company  announces a privacy breach posed by smartphone flashlight apps. It's a specific call-in, but the concept of privacy and apps is VITAL.” This is important not just for this app, but all apps you install. Think twice about giving them access to all your info. on your phone. http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/special-report-bret-baier/blog/2014/10/01/cybersecurity-threat-could-be-lurking-your-phone
  Snopes report: http://www.snopes.com/computer/internet/flashlight.asp  

While we're talking about cybersecurity... Passwords! Your best security is a strong password!  "Your online password is 123456? Good luck with that" - Going the extra mile? This article is for you. http://www.omaha.com/money/your-online-password-is-good-luck-with-that/article_ff07d163-8248-58e5-86d9-d7370c12d560.html  

3.  A Great Guide on Teaching Students About Digital Footprint  -  "I deemed it imperative that I share with my fellow teachers and educators  a guide I have worked on for the last couple of weeks. " http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/04/a-great-guide-on-teaching-students.html  

4.  A Design Your Digital Tattoo: Helping Students Build Their Digital Image -  From the ISTE National Conference a seminar on "Digital Tattoo" ... a new term for describing digital footprints. http://youtu.be/Y1OKLLzuZso  

Mega site for digital ethics...

I found this gem via commonsense.org's top 10 digital ethics bloggers list...
"Connecting with other educators online is an integral part of being a 21st century educator. Sharing tips, tools, and ideas can help you organize your thoughts as well as your classroom! Here are 10 of our favorite digital citizenship bloggers to follow in 2014."

This is my favorite on the list above... Cybrary Man's Educational Web Sites The internet catalogue for students, teachers, administrators & parents. Over 20,000 relevant links personally selected by an educator/author with over 30 years of experience.

New York DOE rolls out social media guidelines

Catching up with Virginia and moving beyond. NY state is getting it right.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014

NYC DOE paves the way to embrace social media for learning

"While places like New Jersey, who the New York Daily News recently reported, have passed a bill requiring schools to teach acceptable use of social media, cyber safety, cyber security, ethics, and cyberbullying, the NYC Department of Education goes even further. As evidenced in their newly released student social media guidelines, they recognize the importance of social media beyond just using social media responsibly. They understand that students can embrace social media for social good, as a way to celebrate our stories, as a tool to create a positive online identity leading to college and career success, and as a way to build powerful learning networks. "

Educational Apps and Help Lists for Teachers/Parents

Amplify Guide to K-12 Android Apps

Amplify has partnered with Common Sense Media to curate a set of the best educational apps available for Android. We continuously update this list to ensure it includes the latest and greatest apps for students.

Also the following links are good for "mobile" apps and Google

Google on your IOS devices
Google on your Droid devices
Google “on the go” mobile and moving from different computers

New ITRT Page is Rich in Content

Visit us at: http://blogs.rockingham.k12.va.us/jshowker/

Visit my new Rockingham County Public Schools ITRT page.  It's rich in content for instructional use, student and parent use. 

There are many drop down menus with digital ethics content including the CURRENT editions of my published "From the Frontline" newsletter.

Cellphones and Texting Data

So much is in the news these days about cellphone use.  Texting while driving or DWIt is a huge issue now for all of us that have cellphones. Click here to visit this new and informative site Texting and Driving

Privacy, GPS tracking, snapchat, bullying, sexting are other topics that concern users. Here are several great links to spend a little time on if you want to use your phone safely.

Click here to see the full infographic on DWIt

For Parents:

• http://www.netsmartz.org/cellphones
• http://info.uknowkids.com/blog/bid/312302/3-Ways-Your-Teenager-s-Smartphone-Puts-Them-at-Risk
• http://vimeo.com/39709895#

For Students:

• http://www.netsmartz.org/Teens
• http://www.netsmartz.org/RealLifeStories/6DegreesOfInformation

How productive are you with social media tools?

Great reads on social media and effective teacher tools.  Lot's of carry over into BYOD and use of digital devices in the classroom.

Trending Reasons to Teach Social Media in Schools

"Users of this media have to be savvy. Being literate in social media is an essential skill for the future workforce.

“We don’t have a choice on whether we DO social media. The question is how well we do it.”  –Erick Qualman

These stats aren’t new, but they are still impressive.

50% of the world’s population is under 30. These are high-end social media users.

96% of the Millennials belong to a social network.

Facebook tops Google in weekly traffic.

1 in 8 couples married in the U.S. met through social media."

The 10 Most Popular Teacher Tools Being Used This Year

"....these teacher tools are useful for a variety of reasons. Most save students and teachers time while some simply make it easier to connect with others. Whatever you’re looking for, make sure you know about these apps and web tools before stepping foot into the classroom. These tools can be used as part of your ‘teacher toolkit’ or ‘arsenal’ depending on how aggressive you view your teaching style."

Ethical co-existance on social media and blog threads

This is a great article from The Guardian on how to be a good citizen in a social media or blog thread.  Kudos to our local school board member for posting this himself after a question and answer post got a little testy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/community-standards

"There are 10 simple guidelines which we expect all participants in the community areas of the Guardian website to abide by, all of which directly inform our approach to community moderation (detailed below). These apply across the site, while moderation decisions are also informed by the context in which comments are made."

From the Frontline Summer Edition 2013

Here is the "From the Frontline" newsletter I publish quarterly during the school year.

"From the Frontline" - Summer Vacation 2013 Internet Safety and Digital Ethics

eNews briefs for students, parents and professionals living, learning and teaching in the digital world.

It's the "end of the school year" issue of the Frontline. We'll talk trends and new choices for your social media needs. Trending nation wide is the revelation of instrusion into our personal privacy by both government and private sectors. Digital Ethics have vaulted to the forefront in mainstream media. We've got some summer activities for you and your kids.
It's also a good time to take stock of just what you are doing on social media, how is your privacy being compromised and the big IF it's all worth it in the long run. And for you purists... MySpace is on a comeback!

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1.  The Interactive History of Social Media- "Infographics are a hot item across the web. Enjoy this visual tour with a little history.
http://visual.ly/complete-history-social-media?view=true

2.  9 Social Media Trends You Need to Know About for 2013 - A+++ article for keeping up with what's trending in social media.
http://ustandout.com/social-media/9-social-media-trends-you-need-to-know-about-for-2013

3.  Kids' Apps and Games to Make Summer Days Fun - Kids have fun this summer
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/guide/digital-fun-for-creative-kids?utm_source=2013_06_Newsletter_1&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly

May is Digital Ethics Month in California

Common Sense Media continues to shine in the ethics field. Their main link

Their media is top drawer.  Here are new media resources

From the Principals Office: BYOD

From the Principal's Office: Ideas for Establishing & Revising Your School or District's BYOD Policies

Principal J. Robinson says: "A Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy is a necessity in a 21st century school. I am not sure deciding whether or not to provide wireless Internet access to students is even optional anymore. With more and more of our students getting technological devices with WiFi capabilities, they come to our schools with the expectation that they are going to be connected. Add the fact that municipalities like our own hometown of Newton, North Carolina are working to set up city-wide WiFi, and lower costs of cellular hotspots, educational leaders are quickly finding it difficult keeping schools a "WiFi dead-zone."

BYOT Network-"One Teacher's Journey"

The BYOT Network is a blog complete with a Twitter feed that posts information about Bring Your Own Technology.  A good "regular" visit for stakeholders in the digital device movement.

Included is a current article by a teacher "in the trenches"... "I was petrified.  A year ago I didn’t know how to use any of these devices.  But, my students did. That’s all that mattered. My students couldn’t wait for the opportunity to use their device in class. "
http://byotnetwork.com/

New Pew Internet study looks at use of digital devices at home and at school.

• 73% of AP and NWP teachers say that they and/or their students use their mobile phones in the classroom or to complete assignments
• 45% report they or their students use e-readers and 43% use tablet computers in the classroom or to complete assignments

Some more interesting numbers:

• 92% "say the internet has a 'major impact' on their ability to access content, resources, and materials for their teaching," but 41% say that "major impact" means it requires more work for them to be an effective teacher, 69% say the “major impact” is on their ability to share ideas with other teachers, 67% say that impact is on their ability to interact with parents, and 57% say it the impact is on enabling their interaction with students. 
• 79% have their students access assignments online and 76% have students submit assignments online. 
• 62% of the teachers surveyed "feel their school does a 'good job' supporting teachers’ efforts to bring digital tools into the learning process, and 68% say their school provides formal training in this area." 
• 85% of teachers "seek out their own opportunities to learn new ways to effectively incorporate these tools into their teaching."

"From the Frontline" - Holiday 2012 Edition (highlights)

Internet Safety and Digital Ethics
News briefs for students, parents and professionals living, learning and teaching in the digital world.

Happy Holidays to all and a shout out to my VSTE/Edmodo friends @ http://www.vsteconference.org/.

This edition starts with an important opportunity to give input on the new Virginia Computer Technology Standards of Learning.  At the November 2012 Virginia Board of Education meeting, VDOE was authorized to proceed with the K-12 Computer Technology Standards of Learning review process. The new 2012 standards are available for public comment from November 29th to December 2nd.

Twitter, new research, FBI tools, new digital ethics page links and more in this edition of The Frontline.

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1.  Virginia Dept. of Education released "Computer Technology SOLs" DRAFT 
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/computer_technology/2012/index.shtml

3.  Smishing Scams: Sorry, You Did Not Win a $1,000 Target Gift Card - "Smishing is similar to "phishing," in which you receive an email that seems to be from a reputable source, asking for your credit card data, password, or other private information. Only instead of an email, smishing takes place through the SMS text messages you receive on your cell phone."
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/05/30/smishing-scams-sorry-you-did-not-win-a-1-000-target-gift-card/

VSTE & BYOD Luncheon

VSTE Conference links and musings....
http://www.vsteconference.org/

Educational Technology Luncheon on BYOD...

Va Beach's BYOD policy link
http://www.vbschools.com/curriculum/byod/guidelines.asp

VA Beach's BYOD FAQ
http://www.vbschools.com/curriculum/byod/index.asp

VA Beach Cellphone Policy
Virginia Beach School Board amends cell phone policy

Rockingham County Cellphone/Digital Device Policy
http://www.rockingham.k12.va.us/PolicyManual/JZK.htm

VA Beach session back channel at VSTE
http://todaysmeet.com/BYOD2012

York County Public Schools BYOD Story/FAQ/video
http://www.edline.net/pages/YCSD/General_Info/BYOT/default

Quote from Steve Dembo...keynote... "cellphone is NOT a distraction if it's required to be on the desk."

New Directions on Digital Citizenship

Anne Collier from Netfamilynews.org is a leader in the field of internet safety and digital citizenship.  Her work is both on the mark and up to the moment.  This slideshare presentation "Digital Citizenship, briefly" gives stakeholders in the industry new insights.

RePost: 11 Reasons Teachers Aren't Using Technology

11 Reasons Teachers Aren't Using Technology

Posted by John Spencer http://www.educationrethink.com/2012/07/11-reasons-teachers-arent-using.html

I know that all tools are technically technology. However, for the purpose of this post, I'm thinking computers, tablets and mobile devices. This is not a comprehensive list and I admit that it's limited entirely to my own experiences and my own local context:

1. Fear: Implementing new technology can be frightening on so many levels. Whether it's a fear of letting go of control or a sense that one doesn't have the right skills or a concern about digital footprint, privacy or cyber-bullying, many teachers are simply scared. 

Get Everyone in the Box!

In our introductory faculty meetings, we're demonstrating the BYOT concept and our new cellphone policy.  Our mindset is to not think outside the box... rather, make the box so large EVERYONE can be in it!
We're doing some introductory activities in the 30 minute meeting using QR code readers, Socrative quiz app, and even ChaCha for those with flip phones and non-smartphones.

Links on the topic of BYOT...

• Info graphic on Personalized Learning in 2012
  - "Today’s K-12 students tap into a wide range of tech tools for personalized learning— both in and out of school. Parents support digital learning to prepare their children for the future. See how technology enables new and customized learning that is socially- based, un-tethered and digitally-rich."

Get Ready for Some Great Video Content

We're into the school year and are promoting and educating our new digital devices in the classroom policy (otherwise known as "the cellphone policy")...

Here's a great start with these youtube clips.

• Cell Phones in the Classroom : Learning Tools for the 21st Century
• Cellphones as Learning Tools
• Using Cell Phones To Engage Students in the Classroom
• Social Media in the Classroom
• Teacher welcomes texting in class
• 5 Myths about Mobile Learning(with video)