final project reflection

673 reflection

In todays very technology saturated environment it is important for students to realize that being a responsible and safe digital citizen is so important because it can have lifelong affects. Common sense media is one resource that is available to the public. As a mom myself I wanted to create a way to present a comprehensive introduction to this vital resource, because in asking a few of my friends it seemed that many people knew very little about what materials and resources common sense media had to offer.

Common sense media was one of my favorite resources I got to explore this semester. I learned so much and found so many new sources of information I can use in my role as a teacher and a mother. The one I found most helpful was the sliding menu that allows you to pick your child’s age and the site will collect a list of appropriate material including books, movies, T.V. shows, and games.

With so much invaluable information being missed I decided for my final project I wanted to create a presentation that I could share with the community to provide families with more information and resources they could use at home with their child. I feel as a parent and teacher that it is important for more families to know about the huge variant of information that is available on the Common sense media webpage.

The goal of my presentation is to present the ways families can use the vast number of available resources that are available to them on Common Sense Media. I included information that explains what digital citizenship is, why it is important, what the Sitka School District is teaching on the subject, explanation videos of popular social media (Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook) and the consequences if students are not responsible digital citizens.

I then went in to greater detail about the importance of students learning about digital

citizenship, and how families can approach and help students navigate many challenging subjects, including healthy relationships, sexting, and illegal downloading. All the subjects are explained in depth to provide families with the background knowledge to approach each topics in a meaningful way.

           Each topic on Common sense media goes into examples of the behavior, consequences,  tools and questions to guide families through what many times is a difficult conversation to have with their child. Each topic has its own dedicated page with sample questions to engage students in a healthy conversation. I found these very helpful because many times adults are unsure of how to get their child to open up about a topic they child may be embarrassed or feel uncomfortable talking to their parents about.

In todays very technology saturated environment it is important for students to realize that being a responsible and safe digital citizen is so important because it can have lifelong affects. As a mom myself I wanted to create a way to present a comprehensive introduction to a vital resource.

As a teacher each and every one of us needs to work to ensure all our students graduate with the tools and knowledge to be responsible digital citizens. In order to achieve this students, need to have practice and gain information both in the school environment and at home. With the apparent unfamiliarity of the Common sense media webpage I decided I needed to create a resource for families to view which would allow them to help their child learn about digital citizenship at home.

As with many aspects of school so much of the learning actually happens at home. Students often are using technology when they are at home which is why it is so important for families to understand what digital citizenship is, why it is important, and tools to help their child become responsible members of our digital society.

When this PowerPoint is shown to the public I hope it will allow those watching to realize how much valuable information is available on the common sense media webpage and provide a resource they can use to help their child navigate our digital world.