Learning to balance Digital Citizenship, Research and Publishing!

To protect or not protect our students from the net, that is the question?  Does censorship,  or  continuing education work?  I believe that the more we help guide our students online, the more likely they will,  by osmosis,  become excellent purveyors of online content, and creators of their own digital identity.  They will learn to value what is true, worthy, current and reliable online!

At what age does critical thinking begin; when do we as parents, or teachers help our students learn the critical thinking that goes with the territory of being online in the 21 century?  We used to think that around 11/ 12 years of age was the age of logic according to educational theorists like Piaget.  However university professors can attest to the fact, that many graduate students still do not understand Bloom's taxonomy of higher level thinking when publishing their first hypothesis.  So how do we expect children as young as six to assimilate, adapt and formulate their own opinions on what they are reading online?   We see toddlers consuming content already on iPads, and we know the research shows that reading digital content is all part of improving literacy skills at younger ages, but again where are the parameters?

Here are some suggestions to help your students incorporate critical thinking skills, and be able to learn  how to evaluate online:

•  Parents need to be involved in providing guidelines for their  students,  with tools to help them assimilate content using computer filters, curation, and organizational apps to help collect websites that pertain to education and their interests.  (Bookmarking tools such as Symbaloo, Mentor Mob, Scoopit, Diigo, and RSS feeds, or apps like Flipboard, are all excellent ideas for helping your students traverse the net and share with others).  But for younger students, starting with resources like Commonsense Media, or Media Smarts, and our HCOS linking library to help find quality authoritative resources, are also useful.  Remember those great,  child friendly search engines too, like SweetSearch and Google SafeSearch for Kids.  Set guidelines for Internet time that are appropriate for your family's needs and balance.  Teach digital citizenship lessons using online games for younger students,  and for high school students encourage the creation of a digital dossier!  

• Once your students are old enough to enjoy more time online provide some critical thinking lessons.   Project based learning will help create an environment to substantiate the kind of cognitive concepts you want to see in place,  to ensure your students can gravitate towards aggregating data online.  Teach your students to research projects that relate to their passions and interests, which in turn will lead to engaging discoveries!  

• Teach your students about brainstorming a topic using keywords.  Discover lessons that help with keyword search in Google Lesson plans.  Create  topics which  include basic questions that include what, when and where, as well as more open ended questions,  why, and how?   

• Assess their work based on how they went about the research process, as opposed to the content they listed, copied or shared.  Give good marks for a qualitative bibliography, where students have researched links from wiki's or other references from websites.  Share tools like Bib me  to make their bibliography stress free!  Make sure students have gone beyond Google to find their sites, using educational indexes, following links, wiki's and academic databases like Ebscohost.  Applaud if they have used different means for sharing their projects like video, podcasting, animation, virtual worlds,  infographics or blogs.  All of these online tools teach 21 century skills, and help students create a digital identity which is true to their learning style, and can be collated from Kindergarten through graduation as a reflective tool for online learning and also for a life long digital portfolio!
• Help your high school student create their own blog to share their academic authority or hobbies, and if you have a younger student teach them how it blog on moderated sites like Kidblog

• Plan the research process using Big Six skills, mind mapping like Popplet, databases like Webspiration, and research/writing websites like Owl of Purdue.   Encourage and teach your students to learn how to research what makes an infographic appealing, and then suggest they make their own infographic using tools like Piktochart.  

• But most important before your student has been give the freedom to explore the net on their own, expand on how to evaluate a website.  Kathy Shrock's website has a plethora of lesson plans for you to share with your students on web evaluation.   Teach copyright and creative commons to your students if they are already publishing.  This should be all part and parcel of a middle school journey into becoming an educated, and discerning producer of content.

Once your student understands how to evaluate websites, blogs and infographics, they will be more critically attuned to sharing a digital identity, understand how to assess their own presentations, and be safer online for life.

Engaging Students in the Learning Commons

For those of you who missed my presentation at the recent #edtechbc conference here is my SlideShare presentation.  If you would like notes please contact me and I will share with you.

Engaging students in the learning commons in the 21 century from Pippa Davies

Takeaways #edtechbc

HappyValentines day to you all!

This weekend several of our HCS team descended on Vancouver to the Coast Plaza hotel to enjoy the start of the #edtechbc conference,  all things techie and distance learning.  It was great to commune with other digital leaders and hear their stories and glean from them.  Here are some of my takeaways!

Social media continues to drive  all learning, which is relevant to our students' 21 century needs.  Encouraging our students to become creators, and producers as opposed to consumers was the name of the game.  Follow our keynote Bradley Shende @b_radley to catch up on all things technology.  His motto is "I Click".  

The ministry gave us a heads up that the learning outcomes will be changing in the next year or two to reflect the 21 century challenges!

Digital citizenship is still on the top agenda for students to create their own digital archive of learning to take with them into adulthood.  Another reason to blog ℅ George Couros our second keynote.  Follow him on Twitter @gcouros.

Researching tools, new on the net,  and teaching students how to evaluate online was also discussion worthy!  

Blackboard Collaborate is working on resolving issues that have caused some issues lately in the virtual classroom.

Gord Holden, April Mcleod, Richard Bitgood, Greg Bitgood,  and myself shared on all things techie and wonderful happening in our school!  I made sure to do a shout out for all things Ning, E Books, research, blogging and social interaction in our learning commons.  There was lots of great feedback and discussion about new trends and old trends in education, and how we are keeping abreast of changes.

To catch up on some of the story in tweet language read my Storify.

If you need some updating in your ed tech language check our this great infographic to see if you are on top of all things ed techie!

Blessings to you:)

Pippa

Do you need a Pep Talk?

This video was share in a learning commons workshop I have been attending.  Great encouragement from a young tyke about community and loving our neighbours. Go Kid President!

Read-A-Thon 2013 and 10 reasons for E Readers!

Read-a-thon 2013 has started this week at HCS Learning Commons,  with many excited students making literacy goals, and searching for  books which will keep them engaged!  Character trait is the theme this year, and we encourage our students to write at least one book review to share more about their favourite or least favourite character!  It is not to late to sign up.  Just go to this page here for more information.  We look forward to seeing your students participate and get excited about reading!

If you have not discovered our E Library now is the time to teach your students how to read an e book on an e reader.  We have several e readers for loan from our library in Kelowna, the Kobo ( just does e reading) and the Sony (has audio and e reading capability).  To find out more how to use the e library contact Pippa,  and she will walk you through the process.

Here are some of the positive stats around e readers and younger students!

1.  You can enlarge the font for students who struggle with tracking the words.  (Thanks Heather for sharing your experience)

2.  The Kobo has a build in dictionary, that lets you highlight and find definitions for tricky words.

3.  Research shows that E readers engage students, especially those students who need a motivational push to get them reading.  http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2012/10/23/YOUNGER-AMERICANS-READING-AND-LIBRARY-HABITS/

4.  E Books can also be read on computers,  and cell phones have become a very popular way to be read.

5.  61% of E Book readers prefer to borrow books from a library according to the PewInternet study.

6.  E books tend to make the process of loaning a book from a library much faster, and does not require a trip to the library.

7.  Borrowing an E Book is easy, once you are a registered user, and know how to use your e reader.

8.  Interactive E Books like the books coming out from Living Books via Broderbond are perfect for students who need to engage, and  manipulate more with a book, although the literacy engagement for students in general,  is to be found more with traditional E books.

9.  The Kobo Glo has a built in light similar to the elluminated iPad, but less intrusive on the eye.

10.  The Kobo and Sony e readers are light and easy to hold in one hand.

Enjoy the read-a-thon, and a new reading experience.

Many Blessings
Pippa and the learning commons team.

Reading Readiness Sites

As a reading facilitator I love websites that will help parents reach out to their kids,  and provide the links or tools that are necessary to progress to the next step in reading.  Having run an ALA Ready to Read program when I worked in the public library,  I loved the tools I could offer parents who needed advice along the way.  Here are some great websites to help you and your young ones move along the wonderful road towards literacy.  When your student learns to read celebrate in style, because it is an amazing and proud moment for your little one!  Thank God for books and the joy of reading!

Get Ready to Read. has screening tools, transitional tools into Kindergarten, skill building activities, and early childhood basics.

Get set 4 K  from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has reading readiness skills, activities, and monthly activities perfect for homeschooling mums wanting some more ideas.

Reading is Fundamental has some very creative games for babies, toddlers and pre schoolers to learn how to read and rhyme.

The Early Childhood Education Network for reinforcement of alphabetical skills.

Toronto Public Library Kidspace.  Pre reading activities to get your young ones on the road to reading.

Starfall One of my favourites for teaching phonics to young uns!

Reading Eggs for students grade k-6.  Thanks Jenn!

RAZ subscription.  If you have not used this be sure to try it out!

Digital storytelling tools for students who like sharing their stories digitally!

Blessings to you
Pippa

Goals 2013

2013 awaits with anticipation to see what youthful inspiration and educational phenomena will bless our schools.    We know that technological advancement is turbo charged, and we can only hang on by the edge of our seats to stay in control;) Thankfully we have our almighty God who gives vision and helps steer our ship.

As our learning commons moves to a new setting in the form of a Wordpress 3 blog and website, hcslearningcommons.org we are  optimistic that the vision set forth in Building a New Learning Commons will continue to thrive in its new home?  Discipleship is still first and foremost the goal of our learning commons, and with that in mind here are our goals for our students in 2013.

 Literacy!  Our goal for each and every student in HCS Schools, is that literacy in the many forms of digital, and non- digital media will be easily assimilated and transferred to learning that is relevant to the 21st century.  Find all things literary under our new Literacy Centre, including the Read-A-Thon, with a Character Trait theme this January. Join our new E library and discover a world of e books chosen specifically for your perusal based on your requests.  Discover our learning commons kits and make learning outcomes stress free!  Or check out our books and media library at the campus school/online learning commons, and have materials shipped right to your front door, via Canpar and our superb learning commons team Shandra, Kelly and Jessie.  Our Knowledge Building Centre is enhanced by our HCS Weblinking Library , which covers research related links on numerous subjects for your students' perusal. Our Subscription library has 21 century learning right at your fingertips with some authoritative databases.  Content curation is covered extensively by Pippa and Natalie,  who scour the web daily for your research related queries, on Scoopit and also via LibAnswers.

2.  Collaboration!  Our goal for each and every student will be to invite collaboration and participation in the learning commons ning!  It is our belief that each student who is fully engaged in learning which is personal and unique to their passions, will feel led to engage more fully with their peers and teachers.  Students will also be able to connect with their fellow classmates, pray for each other and problem solve together.

3.  Build Creatively and with Innovation!  Our goal is to invite deeper learning, in the Experiential Building Centre which will encourage building and problem solving along the lines of our teen geek squad and their technological gifts, or the Flat Stanley community, or the Digital Photography competition that is happening right now on our ning, and a poetry and writing competition in the spring.  Last year some of our students enjoyed critical acclaim for their digital animation skills,  and this year we look forward again to seeing their creations.  We invite all of our teen students to share their gifts on the ning.

 Research and Think Deeply, as a Digital Citizen!  Our goal is to teach and encourage digital citizenship, research skills, problem based learning and privacy aspects of being online, with mobile technology and social networks.   Our prayer is that we can engage in our chat room on the ning, share webinars on networking, and creating a personal learning network with our students,  whilst sharing how to be astute and discerning citizens online in our Reference Centre on our new website.  This term we have had Micah Penner join us as one of teen geek squad leaders to share in Blackboard Collaborate classrooms, how to make video trailers, and stop motion videos.  We look forward to more this new year.  In return we hope our students will teach us something on the technical aspects of being digital learners:)  We invite all of our staff to join us in this directive.

I look forward to hearing how your students are growing as unique, digital citizens in our blended learning commons, and I look forward to gleaning from you in the new year.  Many blessings from our team
Pippa