Digital Footprint - less

I have Googled myself, as suggested in my study of digital citizenship, and have discovered that I really don't exist in the digital world. In fact, the first listing was an obituary for a person with the same name - see I can't even write it here!! Which author famously wrote, "I am dead"? I obviously have to press harder in the sand.

I take Kevin Honeycutt's point that we don't have to be so careful that we don't exist, but should use the digital world to promote and celebrate the positive aspects of our lives and images.

So, this is one of my goals now - to create a positive digital tattoo. A much better word than footprint. The next big wave can wash the footprint away but information and images online are like a tattoo -  impossible to erase.

The School Library and Student Privacy - Is there any?

I had never previously considered the issue of student privacy in regards to their library borrowing and usage. I thought we were only helping! But was it the students or ourselves we were helping? Nor have I read any policies dealing with this in the school situation. We talk to students about their personal privacy and the danger of giving out personal details online, but are librarians abusing their position of authority and invading students’ privacy, albeit  unintentionally?? I would not like to accused of this.

This is what can be done immediately to begin to remedy this while formal policies are put in place:

• ·      Be pro-active and speak to the policy makers about making these suggestions formal.
• ·      Do not leave pages of log in names and passwords where others may see them.
• ·      Distribute library cards for students to keep rather than being kept in the library.
• ·      Issue overdue notices directly to the child and not to class teachers to distribute.
• ·      Decide on a fair criteria for teachers to be able to view student records.
• ·      Develop a set of guidelines for student use.
• ·      Speak to students about what the librarian is doing to protect their privacy and introduce them to the student guidelines.

Well, that’s a start.

What is digital citizenship?

Digital citizenship involves a vast range of responsibilities, technology, skills, behaviours and knowledge. Teachers will first need to understand it and develop it themselves before being able to construct policies and programs to promote it in the school community. It also has a shifting base as new forms of web 2.0 tools and social networking pervade all aspects of daily life.

To achieve ‘digital citizenship’ students are required to develop the ability to learn as a 21^st century learner with all that entails – the 4 ‘c’s as I call them: collaboration, connectivity, critical thinking and creativity – in a supportive and  safe, yet challenging educational setting.

As a TL, as Farmer (2010) suggested, it is the TL who sees all students and comes into contact with all staff so how much of the responsibility rests with them? How do we achieve school wide digital citizenship?

Digital Citizenship - Here I Come

Horizon Report

The implications for 2013 is that we have to begin to make the shift towards mobile device education. This means a huge shift in budget administration and pedagogy. A school needs qualified and passionate leaders to lead this change successfully. It’s a bit like stepping off a cliff into space because technology is changing so quickly we don’t know where it will take us or what’s coming next.

What the students need to learn has now changed. Facts are not what is important anymore. What’s important is that students know where to locate and efficiently select the information they need. In Denmark (I think) students are sent home with tests that they can complete using the resources of the internet. This type of shift has huge implications for our teaching content and our current methods of assessment, not to mention national testing programs.

The teacher librarian’s responsibility to teach information skills is now more important than ever when we look at the intricacies of defining a topic and the issue of website evaluation skills. These abilities cut across all curriculum areas.

Diigo

I have joined Diigo and applied for an educator account. Looking forward to using it to bookmark information for this course as I continue with my readings.