Journal 8 Navigate the Digital Rapids (NETS IV and V)

Lindsay, J., & Davis, V. (2010). Navigate the digital rapids. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(6), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/LLIssues/Volume3720092010/MarchAprilNo6/Navigate_the_Digital_Rapids.htm

Navigate the Digital Rapids
The article is about digital citizenship. It states that digital citizenship is about transforming yourself into a professional who can effectively research technology trends, monitor the uses of technology in your school or district, avoid the fear factor that can easily paralyze you, and empower student-centered learning to create vibrant, exciting learning projects. The article gives advice to consider on the path to becoming a digital teacher. It starts with customize, students thrive on customized tools, such as mobile technology, and customized learning environments. They reject one-size-fits-all curricula that go unchanged year after year. The second idea is monitor and be engaged. All students and teachers should conduct themselves in a professional and culturally sensitive manner. This includes the types of avatars they choose, the styles of language they use, and the quality of material they upload. The third suggestion is to have a plan. Teachers need to understand the process of how to deal with situations when a student is not using digital citizenship. The fourth suggestion is to overcome the fear factor. When you start out, realize that you are not alone. Others have navigated the waters of connecting their classrooms and immersing their students in authentic digital citizenship experiences. Learn from them. They can show you the way to go and alert you to the pitfalls. The fifth is deal with objections. Privacy levels and the information that students are allowed to disclose should be age appropriate. But resist the urge to be overly cautious. If all content is created on school servers and is deleted at the end of each year without the option to export to external sites, students are having their digital academic legacy taken from them by the very institution that should help them build that legacy. The sixth and seventh are to allow students to stray off topic and to put the learning in the hands of the students.


What projects exist for schools that want “digital learning”? There is Flat Classroom Projects, Next Generation Education, Digiteen, Digiparent and Erasism.


What are the seven suggestions for digital citizenship? Customize, monitor and be engaged, have a plan, overcome the fear factor, deal with objections, allow students to stray off topic and put the learning in the hands of the students.