Kirirarautanga | Citizenship

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citizenship

Citizenship is a term that will have very different personal meanings to all of us. From the whenua we come from, to the land we live in, one thing remains the same – we’re all part of a bigger networked, global ‘village’. With easily accessible, borderless spaces online, there has never been a more important time to reflect on what it means to be a responsible digital citizen, both in Aotearoa and the wider global community.

One of three overriding themes for CORE uLearn19 is Kirirarautanga | Citizenship.

He hapori e ngaruru ana i te ao kōtui, he wāhi, hei tāpaetanga, hei tūrangawaewae mō te katoa.
Thriving communities in a networked world, where everyone has a place, everyone contributes, and everyone belongs.

Derek Wenmoth (2019) writes in his blog about ‘Auahatanga | Innovation’, if we want our young people to be innovators and change agents, who can begin to mobilise in response to the growing concerns they have about the problems they see looming on the horizon, then we will need to empower them to be the change agents that make a positive difference in the world they live in – both in person and online. And Richard Culatta (CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education, ISTE) also echoes these thoughts in relation to the use of digital technologies and the way they influence our participation as citizens in society:

Preparing a generation of effective digital citizens is the most important thing we can do to ensure a democracy for the future. (Rethinking Digital Citizenship, Youtube, 11.08)

Social networks and online communities break down barriers of geography, time, culture, and identity. Relationships are formed and boundaries overcome where people join together online through common interest (hobbies), circumstance (possibly not by choice), place (location), action (cause) and practice (job related). Most work for good, while some violate the rights and well-being of others.  Shortly after Twitter was launched, it gave millions a voice on a global stage. The platform didn’t differentiate between the social good or the defamatory, offensive content. Thirteen years on, and in light of recent events in Christchurch, many countries are now calling for social media controls where giants like Youtube, Facebook and Twitter are held to account for the management of offensive and harmful content online.

While algorithms do their best to ban illegal material, questionable and undesirable content remains readily available, regardless of the age, culture and gender of its consumers. As a society, we must critically reflect, not just on the technologies, but rather on how we’re choosing to use them. As educators, we need to nurture our young people into becoming discerning users of these spaces. In addition to teaching about online safety, we need to teach what safe, ethical and responsible use of digital technologies looks like.

Digital technologies provide us with ways of connecting and participating in society that we’ve not experienced in the past. Digital citizenship (underpinned by digital fluency) is defined as participation in civic, cultural, economic and environmental opportunities online. (A definition of digital citizenship, Netsafe, 2018, Enabling e-Learning: Digital Citizenship). In this Youtube video (11.08), Richard Culatta talks about digital citizenship not a set of rules for what not to do, but about using technology to:

  • make your community better
  • respectfully engage with people who have different beliefs from yours
  • be able to shape and change public policy
  • be able to recognise the validity of online sources of information.

Everyday we see social media and web platforms used for social good where social impact enhances the lives of others, champions a cause, or inspires a collective call to action. We witnessed this in 2011 when 10,000 young people mobilised a volunteer army during the Christchurch earthquakes. The impact of their social action lives on with founder Sam Johnson (28) who has started a company to connect younger community members with lonely elderly folk. As Sam says,

The student army was never really about shifting silt. It was about connecting people and helping people out. Christchurch Student Volunteer Army founder’s plan to combat elderly loneliness

On the flip side, social platforms have been used to incite hate, validate radical propaganda, sway public opinion, and interfere with political outcomes. Here six degrees of separation becomes a seamless, ubiquitous network of association where confirmation biases misinformation, and thousands (potentially millions) of people are presented with falsehoods they start to believe, adopt and share.

To make sure we are ingesting truth, and not propaganda with a strong political slant, it is important for everyone to independently verify information gathered through social media and many news sources with a known political persuasion before presenting it to others as fact. Unfortunately, few people do this research.Are You In A Social Media Echo Chamber? How To Take An Objective Look

If social media can shape our collective thinking, then a digitally-savvy person will need to be able to question the validity of information sources and distinguish fact from fiction. They will also need to be media literate. As educators, we can teach our students how to understand different types of media and the messages they’re sending. If we don’t, young people are left to navigate this on their own.

This is too important to leave to chance. After all, the obligations, rights and actions of citizenship permeate every part of our lives. If we all took a stance by respectfully engaging with others from different practices, cultures and world-views, social media platforms could become a space where trolling would be discouraged and hate commentary ignored. Collectively we could create a tipping point, and become part of the solution rather than perpetuating the problem. When we teach students about wellbeing, we need also to talk about the consequences of using technology in ways that impact negatively on the wellbeing of others. Discussing technology use “for good” will help them to see its potential as an influential channel where voices, including theirs, can have a positive impact on shaping public policy. When they understand this power, and mobilise it, then we will genuinely see change for the better.

Whether you see social media use as a problem or an incredible resource, there can be no denying that it is firmly entrenched in our society. Learners of today value their online interactions as highly as their offline conversations. Our role as teachers and educators has never been more crucial in helping them find the balance, behaviour, and beauty that exists in all their lives (James Hopkins, CORE blog, I am a citizen of Facebook).

As educators we want our young people to find that balance, to have a sense of belonging (whanaungatanga) and wellbeing, to be part of safe, respectful, thriving, networked community online, that reflects us as Kiwis on a global stage. As global citizens, we could help positively shape spaces online – where diverse language, culture and heritage would shine. This won’t happen if we don’t actively teach what digital citizenship means to us, both in Aotearoa and a global context.

In the broader sense of the CORE uLearn19 theme Kirirarautanga | Citizenship, we can also use the following focus questions to deepen our understandings, ignite new ways of thinking and inspire new ways of working.

  1. What does it mean to be a citizen in Aotearoa, in an inclusive modern society?
  2. What does collective responsibility for all learners look like?
  3. How do we teach our learners to be active, responsible ‘digital citizens’?
  4. Whose responsibility is student wellbeing? How might we create supportive systems and contextual wellbeing?
  5. What impact is globalisation having in our local context? How do we maintain our identity on a global stage?

How do you promote good digital citizenship in your classroom? Do you want to know how to promote better and safer practices? What is one deliberate act of teaching you pledge to help promote good digital citizenship in your classroom?

edSpace is CORE Education’s online network for educators to connect with others, discuss strategies, and share information – join edSpace. Once you’re there, head to our uLearn discussion forum, to discuss more about Citizenship.

Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash

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edspace community of practice

edSpace – Our networking frontier

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edspace community of practice

I recently read Anne Kenneally’s blog post There is power in being connected, and found myself nodding, agreeing, and getting more excited as I read about the power and potential for using social networks to help drive and influence professional practice.

Educators are important and have important things to say, and every day I see strong relational networks growing within and between schools and kura, so it was good timing to view Alan Daly’s talk about the potential of using social networks to leverage collective wisdom or intellectual capital. As the Online Facilitator for CORE Education’s edSpace, I also see huge potential for teachers, kaiako, leaders, and tumuaki to continue those rich connections online.

What can edSpace do for educators?

According to recent research, New Zealand teachers are using a variety of social media tools and networks to support their teaching and professional learning by:

  • collaborating with teachers beyond their school 61%
  • asking teaching-related questions online 76%
  • sharing teaching resources online 62%
  • contributing to online discussions about teaching 51%
  • taking part in online learning opportunities 50%

stats

Findings: Digital technologies for learning: Findings from the NZCER national survey of primary and intermediate schools 2016

Like social networks, communities of practice enable us to connect to other people, information, ideas, and events. edSpace is a community for those who have a strong common interest in education. We are a community of experts — some in classrooms, some who support a community of practitioners — who can connect and learn from each other in a safe and open environment. What’s the difference between a social network and an online community?

What can edSpace do for you?

edSpace enables us to access and generate intellectual capital together, beyond what and who we know. This, in turn, can generate new ideas and inspire transforming shifts in our professional practice. In the establishment phase of edSpace, we see relationships forming and interactions ignited where community members are invited to share experiences, facts, opinions, emotions, resources, ask teaching-related questions and take part in online learning opportunities. Relational trust is the foundation of this mutual engagement, where multiple interactions grow an audience into a community. Connections might look like this:

connections

Getting the most out of edSpace

Once you join edSpace you’ll find a collection of Ngā Rōpū (groups) and a mixture of communities — each dedicated to particular interests and people. Some meeting spaces are openly associated with CORE projects, products or services (events), fostering opportunities for many voices to engage, share, debate, challenge, and explore. There are like-minded people and groups of interest to connect with such as the following featured themes and events:

If your areas of interest are not represented yet, we invite you to create your own. To get started:

getting started list

Some food for thought

  • How might you connect with others in edSpace to support your own practice?
  • What are the benefits for you, your colleagues or students?
  • What concerns do you have about becoming connected?
  • What is the way forward to overcome any concerns and maximize the benefits?

For more, see About edSpace, and if you have any queries or need any further support, please feel free to contact your Online Facilitator, Tessa Gray.

 

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video chat

Digital tools for connected schools

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As schools cluster together to help raise achievement for all students, considerations for how this will work becomes a priority. Schools are being encouraged to share their expertise and ‘learn from each other about how best to raise the quality of teaching and learning.’ (Communities of Schools; Making a difference – IES) Blended ways of working (face-to-face and online) could well be one of the best solutions for all.

Connecting together

Q: How will key stakeholders come together to build trusting relationships and address common goals – and are there digital tools that can help us do that?

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Reimagining Professional Learning 2016

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professional learning 2016

The way educators are engaging in PLD is changing. As the school year begins teachers and leaders are crafting inquiry goals and considering their professional learning foci for 2016. For many teachers, particularly those in schools and kura clustering inCommunities of Learning (CoL), this may mean embarking oncollaborative inquiries as they ‘share goals based on information about their students’ educational needs and work together to achieve them’.

Current research highlights the importance for learning networks, or learning communities, to develop shared approaches, and a culture of learning and inquiry. In the NZCER paper, Supporting future-oriented learning and teaching – a New Zealand perspective it is noted that:

“Schools are being talked about as “learning organisations”, and educators are encouraged to become “professional learning communities” or even “networked learning communities” within and across schools. School leaders have responsibility for supporting and sustaining a continuous culture of learning amongst staff, in a dynamic environment.” (p 45).

The fundamental shift of communities of learning is to function more as anetworked organisation focused on raising achievement across the educational sector. As written in, Accelerating student achievement: a resource for schools (December 2015, p 1):

“Accelerated improvement requires a whole system to function as a collaborative learning community that is advancing progress on the four areas of leverage: pedagogy, educationally powerful connections, professional learning and leadership. (Adrienne Alton-Lee, cited in Mathematics in Years 4 to 8: Developing a Responsive Curriculum; ERO, 2013)

The PLD implications for schools practising as networked organisations and professional learning communities are varied. New ways of working as networked organisations may challenge and influence, “infrastructure, processes, people and culture” due to organisational and logistical factors as time, location, size, and distribution of those schools involved in the communities of learning.

The challenge for schools is to find responsive ways to create on-going, engaging professional learning opportunities that are inclusive of all staff across their CoL, able to address individual and collective strengths/needs to help achieve collaborative goals for teaching and learning, not constrained by time or location.

When reimagining PLD in 2016, key aspects worth considering include:

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Safe and sound? | Strategies for cybersafety

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cyberbullying

Educators, parents and community groups alike, are becoming increasingly aware of the issues associated with digital citizenship and cybersafety. Some are observing a growing chasm between what we aspire to and what our students actually do.

Online conversations within the secondary school sector have identified specific issues around cyberbullying and the effective use of Facebook. In addition, there is the challenge of resonding to inappropriate websites that are designed to ridicule and defame.

Let's consider issues related to cyberbullying, and managing inappropriate content…

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying or digital disrespect is identified as a growing problem amongst our young people. Compounding the issue is that some young people don’t see this as anything serious as this article from ED Week highlights. There are some members of the younger generation who yearn for their 15 minutes of fame and who put themselves ‘out there’ in pursuit of recognition – even if this means beings noticed for the most adverse, undesirable behavior.

A recent thread in the  VLN Groups asks, How can we help students use social media appropriately – and why?  It comes down to, says Karen Melhuish, “how well students are prepared to manage themselves with responsibility and integrity online”. It’s about wanting our young people to be good digital citizens – individuals who have the moral and ethical judgment to make the right decisions when engaging online.

Some suggested strategies:

Creating and accessing questionable material online

As our young people get older, they are considerably more influenced by their peers. This includes how they interact and communicate online. "That’s why, rather than trying to put barriers on what kids can do with technology…we need for them to discuss possible problems and consequences with their peers and with adults who will encourage positive behavior". (Power to Learn life)

Some suggested strategies:

  • Explore with your students the long-term implications of a digital footprint and help them make a personal discovery about whee they are online. Check out these resources on YouTube and the Innovative Educator blog.
  • Discuss the consequences for a worse-case scenario. If our young people see this merely as a joke, then it's our job to convince them otherwise. Have a look at this relevant article in ED Week and this YouTube video.
  • Address the cause for the behaviour. As Michele Martin writes in, Negative Online Behavior is a Product of Culture, Not Your Social Media Tools: What I'm Learning from the Work Literacy Course the root of the problem may be more about the culture of the community and there needs to be a strategy or, “plan for dealing with this.”
  • Involve everyone (students, parents, educators) from policy through to implementation. Everyone wants the best for our young people. After all, we want them to make the most of the life – in the safest possible way.

Other resources include:

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