Making a Difference Together

Digital citizenship is really just citizenship. The basic rules of human decency don't change just because we are in a digital realm. As I've worked through the material in this course, I have become more convinced that being a good citizen is always about recognizing the rights of others, treating everyone with respect, and ensuring …

Digital Citizenship, Week 5

Week 5 is always the "putting it together" week. During this week of the class, we always are required to synthesize all of the information we've been studying and consider how the information can be used in our current context or to further education as a whole. The Digital Citizenship class has been an introduction …

Digital Citizenship, Week 4

People are mean. They have always been mean, and it seems like they always will be. When I was growing up, bullies stole lunch money, threatened physical violence ("I'm going to beat you up.") and circulated rumors. That was pretty much it. If you could learn how to ignore them or stand up to them, …

Digital Citizenship, Week 3

Hmmm...where to start. This week's class was about Copyright laws. It felt like I spent the entire week reading legal briefs and articles about fair use. Copyright law is complicated and the concept of fair use does nothing to simplify it. In short, copyright law protects the intellectual property belonging to the owner of a …

Digital Citizenship, Week 2

"The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones" (Shakespeare, Mowatt, & Werstine, 2005). This is the thought that occurred to me this week. Our digital footprints live after us. While perhaps Shakespeare possibly overstated the temporary nature of the good we might do, the lesson remains. Who …

Digital Citizenship

Digital citizenship is a complex issue. While the definition may be simple, digital citizenship encompasses nine different elements that encourage digital citizens to consider their actions and their interactions with others (Ribble, 2017). When considering a definition of digital citizenship, it is important to have a good understanding of what citizenship means. Merriam-Webster (n.d) defines …

Action Research Plan

This week is the final week in my Action Research class. I've been considering my original Innovation Plan and Implementation Outline through the lens of action research. Organizational leaders are usually unwilling to make significant changes unless the plan can be supported by data. Innovation in education is important, but cannot be justified without detailed research …

Learning is ALWAYS the Key

My dad once told me "you go to college to get a degree, then you get a job and get an education." He wasn't wrong. Dad retired as a university administrator. He knew a thing or two about college and degrees. What's discouraging is that education has become exactly what he described, an opportunity to …

Alternative Professional Learning

The TNTP Mirage Report (2015) suggests that professional development for educators is at its best, ineffective and at its worst, a waste of time and money. TNTP found that schools overspend and underachieve in professional development; the return on investment is far below what they expect. The goal of professional development is for teachers to …

The Future

I've been working on developing a completely online course. It has been challenging because I've had to consider how my learners view the course. Is it easy to access, follow, and complete? I think I've made the adjustments I need to ensure my students can complete the course and show what they've learned. The next …