Links for Digital Citizenship Ideas

 Digital Citizenship Week is coming up in Term 4 - so I have added a few links that may (or may not) be of some use.  

The first one is a quiz about digital citizenship - are your students good digital citizens?  This quiz may help you find out. 

The second one is an updated version of a Digital Citizenship Survival Kit, as sometimes a visual thing can have more impact than any words you can say.  I have blogged about this one before - but the teacher has now put up an updated/improved version with his reasons for each item.  What do you think? 

And the last one is from Commonsense.org, with information and ideas. 

https://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=andretrace_1

The "New and Improved" Digital Citizenship Survival Kit - A Teacher, Coach & Dad (craigbadura.com)

https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship-week

Handy Weblinks for Teachers & Students

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/QR-codes-teaching-andrew-miller

https://besthistorysites.net/ancient-biblical-history/general-resources/

https://www.bighistoryproject.com/home

https://www.abc.net.au/education/#!/home

Above are a few weblinks that may be helpful for either teachers or students.  Two are history based and the other is our ABC education page - which covers a large range of materials.  Check them out if you have a free moment or two.  There is also a link with 12 Ideas for teaching with QR Codes.  

Resources & Weblinks from Edutopia

Below are some weblinks from the Edutopia site.  This is a USA based site, but it has some interesting ideas and activities that look good for classes.  I am not teacher trained though - so I just put them here, and let the experts (all of you) rifle through for anything useful.  

Take a look when you have a little spare time and check them out.  I have also mentioned it on the Blog List on the main page, so you can check them out for yourself. 

https://www.edutopia.org/article/7-clever-teacher-tested-tech-hacks

https://www.edutopia.org/article/engaging-students-community-based-projects

https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-origami-teach-children-about-endangered-animals

https://www.edutopia.org/article/building-sustainable-future-one-classroom-time

International Day of People with Disability

 Tomorrow, Friday 3rd December, is the International Day of People with Disability.  Check out the link below for more information.  

International Day of People with Disability (idpwd.com.au)

Two weeks to go to the end of the school year ... but who's counting?? 

ABC and Education

I came across these links while chasing something else.  I'm sharing them with you in the hopes that they may be of some use.  The source checker one is actually a game (like Factitious) which might get the kids on board for checking out some 'fake news' material.  Who knows? 

There are also a couple of weblinks regarding mini lessons and secondary programs. 

https://www.abc.net.au/education/media-literacy/

https://games.abc.net.au/res/media-literacy/source-checker/index.html

https://www.abc.net.au/tveducation/programs/mini-lessons/13417954

https://www.abc.net.au/tveducation/programs/secondary/

Anyway, take a few moments and have a look.  They may be of some use to you and give you some ideas. 

More Edutopia Weblinks

See below for some more weblinks from Edutopia - that hopefully may be of some interest to you. These cover areas such as: Science, Math, reading and writing - and also STEM. Who knows, these may just give you some crazy ideas to run in the classroom that will TOTALLY get the students on board!! Miracles happen ... 

https://www.edutopia.org/article/fun-survivor-themed-classroom-activity-promotes-science-learning

https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-can-we-survive-mars

https://www.edutopia.org/article/quick-and-inexpensive-design-challenges

https://www.edutopia.org/article/connecting-math-and-science-reading-and-writing

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/why-origami-improves-students-skills-ainissa-ramirez

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/making-is-essential-to-learning-youki-terada

National Threatened Species Day

Today is National Threatened Species Day - and there are a couple of web links below to check out if you are interested.  

https://www.wwf.org.au/what-we-do/species/national-threatened-species-day

https://www.wwf.org.au/news/news/2020/37-million-animals-already-lost-due-to-lack-of-independent-cop-on-the-beat#gs.a85cu8

Carry on being your awesome selves!  

Edutopia Articles that may be of interest

 Below are a few weblinks from the Edutopia website, that could be of some use for you all - and if you check the site out, you may find lots more for your interest.  

https://www.edutopia.org/article/strategy-exploring-student-creativity-collaboratively

https://www.edutopia.org/article/school-wide-focus-choice-reading

https://www.edutopia.org/article/10-new-focused-attention-practices

https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-find-games-classroom-learning

https://www.edutopia.org/article/game-based-learning-middle-school-math

https://www.edutopia.org/article/does-our-natural-affinity-games-have-place-classroom

https://www.edutopia.org/article/coding-across-curriculum

I hope that you get something from these articles - and the home site for Edutopia is:

https://www.edutopia.org/

Enjoy the upcoming weekend - and carry on being your awesome selves! 

Edutopia Articles

Below are a few weblinks taken from the Edutopia site.  I have a selected a few which cover a variety of things (compost to equity and more).  I'm trying to cover most of the learning areas that I can think of.  This is once again an American site - but there may still be a few nuggets of ideas buried within it that could be of some help. 

Take a quick squiz if you get a few free moments.  Not being a teacher, I can only make a guess at what may be helpful.  Hopefully, I'm somewhere in the right ballpark?

https://www.edutopia.org/article/why-are-some-kids-thriving-during-remote-learning

https://www.edutopia.org/article/formative-assessment-distance-learning

https://www.edutopia.org/article/making-most-compost

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/equity-vs-equality-shane-safir

Also, if there is something that has happened in your class that you would like me to put up on here, or a link or idea that you would like to share - please send it through to me. 

Weblinks on various topics

If you get a moment, maybe use it to check out the weblinks below.  They are all from the 'Getting Smart' website - American based but there may be something useful you could use.

https://www.gettingsmart.com/2020/04/out-with-the-test-in-with-pbl-how-project-based-learning-is-transforming-remote-learning

https://www.gettingsmart.com/2020/03/how-hands-on-robotics-brings-science-lessons-to-life/

https://www.gettingsmart.com/2020/02/getting-started-with-coding-18-tools-for-early-learners/

https://www.gettingsmart.com/2020/02/no-excuse-not-to-teach-climate-crisis-mitigation-and-adaptation/

More ideas on Picture Books

A few further thoughts on Picture Books from authors and readers:

Here are 12 reasons why picture books are important.

Little kids love them
Big kids love them
Adults love them
They make us laugh
They make us cry
They make us think
They help us understand the world
They help us understand each other
They stay with us
They are fun to talk about
They are fun to give as gifts
They smell good

http://inkygirl.com/inkygirl-main/2013/11/7/why-picture-books-are-important.html

http://www.tanglewoodbooks.com/tangled-up/15-reasons-why-we-will-always-love-picture-books/

https://www.writersdigest.com/guest-columns/picture-books-are-not-just-for-children-10-reasons-why

What are your reasons for loving them?

Genre's and Weblinks

The latest genre display is up - and it is DIARY this time.  
There's a range of titles from historical to humour, and hopefully will appeal to a range of tastes.  

Below are also some links taken from the 'Conversation' blog, about educational thoughts and ideas.  I have just grabbed a few that could be topical, so maybe log on and have a look for yourselves. 

https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-is-it-ok-to-listen-to-music-while-studying-125222

https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-how-was-maths-discovered-who-made-up-the-numbers-and-rules-121509

https://theconversation.com/keep-your-job-options-open-and-dont-ditch-science-when-choosing-next-years-school-subjects-123012

https://theconversation.com/explainer-whats-the-difference-between-stem-and-steam-95713

Big History Project Weblink

Check out the Weblink below on the Big History Project.  
This is free - and includes easily accessible lessons which are updated regularly and highly customisable.  It advertises itself as:  13.8 Billion years of History!  Free!  Online!  Awesome!

Take a few minutes and have a look - see if it is as good as it claims.  

https://school.bighistoryproject.com/bhplive

Genre Display and Weblink ideas

I have updated the mini Genre Display with Adventure as the theme for this week.  There are a couple of 'Choose Your Own' titles included in this collection as well.

When you get a free moment - or two- check out the Weblink below.  It gives a list of the 'Top 10 Blogs for Educators to follow' - and promotes them as  "rock-solid and trusted education blogs that continue to be sources of inspiration for us all as educators from all walks of life."

https://www.wabisabilearning.com/blog/10-best-edtech-blogs

Hopefully there will something there to catch your interest.

Have a fantastic week - and carry on being AWESOME! 

Mindshift Weblinks

Below are a few weblinks from the MindShift website that caught my attention.  Take a few minutes and check them out for yourselves.

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/53940/how-hydroponic-school-gardens-can-cultivate-food-justice-year-round

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/53892/how-daily-farm-work-and-outdoor-projects-make-learning-in-high-school-better-for-teens

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/53701/what-students-gain-from-learning-ethics-in-school

Web Links

Below are a couple of links to check out.  

Both are infographics, so hopefully should catch the students interest enough for them to at least take a look.  
The first one is tips for evaluating fake news headlines and the second covers Boolean commands for searching.  Boolean searches are shortcuts to find what you need quickly and more effectively, rather than wading through thousands, if not millions of sites, looking for that small nugget of information. 

http://www.easybib.com/guides/evaluating-fake-news-resources/      (infographic)

https://au.pinterest.com/pin/483644447453982190/   (Boolean Search Commands - Infographic)

Few thoughts on the 'Age of Information'

So ...  my offering for today.  Some things to mull over and discuss ....

Check out the YouTube link below on 'What the Internet is doing to our Brains'.  Take a quick look - it's a total of 4 minutes.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKaWJ72x1rI

And for those interested - it could be worth reading the book 'Filter Bubble' by Eli Pariser.  This term was coined by the author and refers to what happens when a website algorithm selectively guesses what information a user would like to see based on previous searches.  The theory is that users get less exposure to conflicting viewpoints and then can become isolated intellectually within their own little 'informational bubble'.  I have previously mentioned this title:
http://barklycollegelibraries.blogspot.com.au/2015/

The 'personalisation tools' that Google and other information sources use increase  the chance that people are more likely to continue to be offered information that often helps to reinforce their world views.   This then goes some way towards negating other points of view - and can therefore have an impact by limiting empathy and understanding of other peoples thoughts and feelings.

Maybe take a few minutes to watch the TED talk by the author:
https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles

I'm not advocating barring Google, YouTube and so on - I doubt that I would survive in this job today without them!  There is often a perception (Filter Bubble again) that Libraries and the Internet are in some sort of competition as sources of information but in fact, truth is - we need each other in today's Age of Information and serving clients needs! 

Have an awesome day folks!

Couple of Weblinks to check out.

Below are a couple of weblinks that may be interest to some teachers.  Have a look and see what you think ....

With BloxMob, students and teachers can create apps and share them with others who have downloaded the BloxMob app.  They can download to access the apps that others have made - but the real fun is in creating original apps using the BloxMob website.  Students can start from scratch or work with a template - no coding experience needed.  
https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/bloxmob

The best interactive fiction apps are those ones that are like the usual choose-your-own adventure stories - but have an added set of graphs showing the consequences of your choices, on things like friendships, personalities and your moral standing on issues.  Often, the main character is customisable - plus the best ones also leave room for solving mysteries by entering solutions to problems.  As well, like all good fiction they raise some interesting ethical and philosophical issues to be discussed or pondered over.

https://seanhamptoncole.wordpress.com/2017/04/09/interactive-fiction-the-coolest-way-to-teach-critical-thinking-decision-making-ethics-social-skills-consequential-thinking-engaged-literacy/

I know that the Choose-Your-Own adventure books are pretty popular so these may also catch their attention.  It's always worth a try.

Carry on being awesome .....

Digital Citizenship Survival Kit

Always being one for visual props and ideas, I came across a Digital Citizenship Survival Kit for students.  This has been designed by a teacher in the USA for his digital citizenship classes, to hand out to his students, mainly to reinforce some of what he teaches.  
What do you think?  Any other suggestions?

Padlock: to remind you to have strong passwords
Toothbrush:  Would you share your toothbrush?  No? Don't share your passwords either.
Permanent Marker:  EVERYTHING you put on the Internet is there forever
Toothpaste:  You can't get toothpaste back into the tube - nor can you ever take your posts off the Web.
Magnifying Glass:  What shows up when people search you on Google? Is that what you want people to know about you?  Will it get you a job later?
Fake Tattoo:  'Digital Tattoo' instead of 'Digital Footprint'.  Footprints can be washed away - a tattoo is much harder to get rid of.
Sheet of paper:  Screw it up, stomp on it - now smooth it out and try to make it as new as it was.That's what happens with cyber bullying - the marks are always there.
Strainer:  Know how to 'strain the real' from the Internet.  In other words, know how to spot fake stuff and don't get caught out by hoaxes.

Below is a link to paste in that is a quiz about Digital Citizenship.  It could be interesting to try it out on your class. 

http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=andretrace_1 

And an infographic that shows you how to go about finding out whether a site is fake or not.  
http://www.stonesoupcreative.com/infographic-fake-news-real-news-10-tips-getting-facts/

Web Pickings - Technology and Hybrid Thinking

Just a couple of 'web pickings' that may be of some interest - a little light reading for the weekend. 

http://internetofthingsagenda.techtarget.com/definition/Internet-of-Things-IoT

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-magazine/the-future-is-smart/article24586994/

http://www.easybib.com/guides/5-ed-tech-trends-to-look-for-in-2017/

https://www.ted.com/talks/amber_case_we_are_all_cyborgs_now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVXQUItNEDQ    - Get Ready for Hybrid thinking.

And a science fiction trilogy to put it all into perspective:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWW_Trilogy