I explored PBS’ Digital Citizenship Technological Literacy curriculum geared towards middle school and high school students. It is a collection of 43 videos as part of a larger technology curriculum also exploring Knowledge of Technology, Use of Devices and Technology Systems and Critical Thinking. The engaging videos range on average from 5-10 minutes and cover a variety of questions and topics on the area of digital citizenship that are of interest to middle schoolers and high schoolers. Some examples of video titles are: Should Schools Monitor Students Online? and Is the Internet Making You Meaner?
I like that these videos are geared towards secondary kids with relevant topics very applicable to their everyday digital centered lives. The video clips cover a range of ideas and are engaging, but also informative. I also like that there are a racially diverse group of people leading the clips, although it includes mostly young adults as the narrators. I also like that the videos aren’t that long. They could be used to introduce a topic and segway into a class discussion.
It does not appear that there are lesson plans associated with the videos, although I think some of the other topics on the PBS Learning Media do have lesson plans attached. It’s also not clear if the videos are associated with a set of standards.
I taught one section of computer applications for the first time last year and that curriculum relies heavily on Common Sense Media. Both resources have relevant engaging clips and activities. Common Sense Media is much more of a curriculum than PBS as they have different sets of lessons for each grade level and are connected to standards. I haven’t largely considered what my role is as a math teacher to strengthen students’ digital citizenship skills and understanding. I could see myself using PBS videos as a stand alone resource to support discussion on a certain topic in my classroom, but I imagine it would be infrequently as there is so much math I need to cover.
Hi Grace,
ReplyDeleteI also like the idea that the PBS videos are narrated by students, this may be very engaging for your students. I have used PBS learning in the past in my elementary classroom as a science resource and the students always seem to enjoy the work. You mentioned not knowing your role in teaching digital citizenship as a math teacher and I was just thinking that even those simple conversations about digital safety you may have with your students before they use a particular website or even when they choose a password for a digital platform that you have assigned would be a great way to incorporate digital citizenship into your classroom. Also, do you use any type of digital communication tool for math conversations that you could talk about or model how to appropriately respond to one another? Just a few thoughts that I hope may help.
-Laura D.