My passion is quilted in these letters: ad4dcss
Since I have not yet responded to the Passion Quilt Meme, I've been prompted yet again. This seems a time to unleash my biggest passion for teaching today's students.Forgive me, I may get emotional.
My heart breaks for these parents who are struggling with the kidnapping and beating of their child for the sake of Youtube popularity.
This news show outlines what happens and talked to a psychologist.
My Prediction
We have a small window of opportunity to suggest and create structures of what WE, the educators who use these technologies, suggest we should do about the whole digital citizenship, safety, and success issue.
Then, we will be TOLD what to do because of our lack of action. And we know how that goes.
This came up Sunday Morning, when many of us came together in a little impromptu meeting with Sue Waters and Al Upton in elluminate (I'll post the link to the recording when it is released.) These are the brainstorming whiteboard pages (unedited). NOte that there are a lot of things on there WE WOULDN't do, but sharing the brainstorming screen will help summarize the things we talked about.
A lot of us are passionate about it. And we're sick of "talk" about cooperation on the matter.
So, here is what we have:
- A Google Group to serve as an easy-to join e-mail based network for discussing what we're doing. I suggest subscribing to a DAILY DIGEST to prevent getting too much e-mail. For now, the group is named Advocates for Digital Citizenship, Safety, and Success.
- A "tag" to serve as our focal point to "collect the conversation - ad4dcss
- Everything updated is being put on the Conversation Aggregator page I created on Netvibes. (Note: This comes from some comments from Jon Becker and Kate Olson -- wishing that we could "control" and aggregate a conversation. This page is being set up to track all of the things tagged ad4dcss. We cannot control the conversation but we can certainly work to include newcomers and ANYONE interested in the topic... even the Non-Geeks. And this was important enough to set up the tags and tracking.)
Why did we pick that?
Well, it sort of came up as an accident and aggregation of everyone's thoughts, but it stands for Advocates for Digital Citizenship, Safety, and Success.
We're beginning to pull together some activities, much of which will just happen from the fact that everything is aggregated! If you us ad4dcss in your twitter post it goes to the netvibes page and I've found that the most useful thing so far!
Some things already spotting through this new looking glass are:
- Parents as Partners discussion tonight about how to educate parents with students at www.edtechtalk.com - 8 pm EST
- Professional Learning Board is helping us set up a Moodle Training site for Advocates and others interested in this topic -- we need some volunteers to help Kate set it up.
- Group blog - This is for those who want to share discussions around this topic. If you're interested, contact Vicki by leaving a comment here. It is meant to be a resource for Advocates and those interested in this topic.
- We will have some upcoming impromptu and planned sessions. If you want to hold a session and you have an elluminate room or online place to "meet" -- let me know and I'll give you some talking points of groups that are forming.
Current action items are:
- Listen to the elluminate recording
- Ask educators interested in forming a grassroots organization to promote online AND OFFLINE action advocating digital citizenship, safety, and success to join this group - http://groups.google.com/group/ad4dcss
- Join the Diigo Group to share links (See http://digiteen.wikispaces.com for the categories UNTIL group is set up.)
- Anything you write about the ideas for organizing -- what needs to be done! Tag it ad4dcss if you twitter it type #ad4dcss
- Join an upcoming discussion or plan to host one. Add them to our Google Calendar page (to be posted soon.)
Current ideas under ACTIVE discussion
- Global Action Days ("Flash Point" Projects) - eVents, Student projects, bringing out the student voice en masse on these topics.
- Develop of a curriculum wiki by teachers on these topics
- Online professional development
- Talking points documents that may be printed and shared offline to administrators, boards, teachers, etc.
We all have different areas and ways that we may share, so share in the way you feel most comfortable.
Hinges of History
But I'm going to say something here. Some of my favorite books are the Hinges of History books.
We swing upon a hinge of history at this moment. IF you are online now and getting comfortable with this technology, there is a reason. And it is probably so that you may do your part to advocate wise, safe, successful use of the Internet in your area.
We are all too busy and can work together to create materials and other things to do this. If you want to be an advocate, for now, we're open for anyone signing up as long as you want to join in the conversation AND spend a little time ACTING on it. Find a group, organize a group -- ACT.
I'm busy too, everyone. But, I've already bought the domain names and am going to let this be my "virtual volunteerism" project.
Perhaps we are made for a moment such as this. But I'm telling you, I'm tired of this happening and ready for some SUSTAINED efforts on this area.
If we don't do it, people who don't understand the Internet nor our students will tell us what we will be doing.
In five years when you are implementing those edicts, don't come complaining if you didn't at least try.
The debate over the word "digital"
Now, there has been some debate over the word "digital citizenship" and "digital literacy" because after all aren't these subsets of citizenship and literacy. My answer is, OF COURSE THEY ARE.
However, at this point, the mass of educators has not yet understood nor accepted the fact that they are a subset and for that reason, now, we are stuck appending the words "citizenship" and "literacy" with the words digital so that we may be clear in our meaning and laser focused in our efforts.
Maybe someone can debate that elsewhere, but I believe we need to birth some cooperative efforts that will accomplish something.
So, what do you think AND what do you want to do. What are your friends talking about "doing." Let's not just do SOMETHING but do the RIGHT THING, in effective, meaningful, thought out ways.
So, I guess I should tag some people for the passion quilt meme that I hijacked for something I'm really passionate about: Kate Olson, Jon Becker, Sue Waters, Alfred Thompson, and Vicky Hennigan (another newcomer) AND anyone else who wants to!!!
Who's joining in? Who's already doing things? Let's get it started!
tag: Kate Olson, Jon Becker, Sue Waters, Alfred Thompson, Vicky Hennigan, ad4dcss, digital citizenship, safety, 21st century learning
The Rules
- Think about what you are passionate about teaching your students.
- Post a picture from a source like FlickrCC or Flickr Creative Commons or make/take your own that captures what YOU are most passionate about for kids to learn about…and give your picture a short title.
- Title your blog post “Meme: Passion Quilt” and link back to this blog entry.
- Include links to 5 folks in your professional learning network or whom you follow on Twitter/Pownce etc.
