Digital Citizenship

Digital Citizenship

Search Engines and Web Navigation

Wow! We live in an incredible age where information is literally at our fingertips! What an overwhelming duty we have to our students to instruct them on how to properly and responsibly access the internet to retrieve information. Most students, no matter their age, have an idea of how to use the internet before they even enter our classroom! However, it is our job as educators to expand their knowledge by showing them how to make the most out of the internet in regards to their education. One of the tools the internet has to offer is the ability to navigate information on the web through the use of search engines. “According to the Search Engine Watch site, in the United States the ‘Big 5’ search engines are: Google, Bing, Yahoo, Ask.com, and AOL” (Roblyler, 2010, p.183). Teaching students how to properly use search engines by using keywords and advanced searches will allow your students to access more specific information for the topics they are wanting to know more information about.

Website Evaluation Video

“As students learn how to make use of online sources for school purposes, an essential skill they must acquire is being able to evaluate information critically and to look for indications that content is accurate and reliable” (Roblyler, 2010, p.199). Teach them to stay away from Wikipedia! I love mnemonics, don’t you? I still to this day know the color order of the rainbow, lol! Teach your students about the CRAAP test, to find out whether the information they located is “crap”, or not; pun totally intended. CRAAP stands for currency, relevance, authority, accuracy and purpose.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbvqKaVZxUw

Favorite Professional Websites

Some of my favorite websites specifically designed for educators, as well as students, are http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/ and http://aptv.org/IQLEARNING/index.asp. Both sites are organized and “reflect characteristics and features that are easy to use” (Roblyler, 2010, p.199) They each have search engines that make it easy to locate the information you need for your lessons. You can also rest assure that within each site, the content and media are both appropriate for young ears and eyes.

Online Safety and Security

The internet, while beneficial, also has many downsides. So much information is easily accessible to anyone who is willing to search for it, and unfortunately that opens up the potentiality and likelihood that someone will access inappropriate information, sometimes even by accident. It is imperative that we take the steps necessary to ensure our students’ safety. Fortunately, most schools have firewalls or filtering software installed through their school’s network to prevent students from accessing inappropriate material. With the use of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) implemented in many schools, it is essential that we remain vigilant in our efforts to make school a safe place for students to access the internet.

Roblyer, M. D. (2010). Integrating educational technology into teaching

 (7^th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.