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!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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."