Participate Reflection

Participate Reflection

Being able to consistently and effectively participate with students, parents, and other educators in a digital learning community is an essential skill. Proficient candidates must demonstrate that they possess qualities that allow effective participation and promote a safe, digital learning environment.   

How has the Participate module prepared you to meet each standard listed above? Link to or provide specific examples from your work in Participate.  

1. STANDARD C: Joining a Digital Learning Community: My favorite resource from this section was Diigo. It is user friendly. Benefits include collaborating with colleagues, saving important information and websites, and portability. Students can highlight and annotate when they find a resource. They can collaborate with other classmates as well.  
2. STANDARD E: Digital Safety & Security: Protecting online users is of utmost importance. Social bookmarking sites make digital safety resources readily accessible, Teachers can encourage students to post things that they would say in person. It is important to make sure that there is not a "bullying" or "harassing" tone.  
3. STANDARD  J: Ideal Digital Learning Communities: An ideal digital learning community would make digital learning easier and more accessible to everyone. It would feel like a welcoming environment where people are free to ask for help and to give help. This would be a respectful environment. Collaboration and cooperation are necessary traits to bring this vision to fruition. I am very intrigued by the vast resources available on AcademicEarth.org for numerous topics. One way to make an existing DLC more attractive for students, is to use images or icons. These are easier to recognize immediately and are more user friendly. Simple and easy directions to follow is another way of making a DLC more welcoming for teachers. Teachers can model positive and respectful language with their students.  

What strategies will you take away from the Participate module and apply to your teaching? Collecting Reputable Digital Resources:  Students need to discern the reliability and trustworthiness of sites and resources.  Just because some information is on the internet does not mean it is reliable or credible. Reliable sites can be found by using online resources that end in the following extensions:  *.gov, *.edu, *.org, *.mil,  Teaching students to use the extension mentioned in the previous point is the first step. Then students can evaluate the reliability of the site by using the add on known as Web of Trust, https://www.mywot.com/ This will help students search safely. By modeling the above steps, teachers can help ensure students' safety. 

What lessons were most beneficial for you? Digital Safety & Security: At the beginning of the school year it is important to show presentations to students by demonstrating how to use online resources safely. Students needs to be reminded of this on a regular basis. Joining a DLC: Learning about bookmarking sites was revolutionary. I really like the collaborative aspect of Diigo. It also categorizes what I save which makes it very user friendly.  Character traits:  This lesson provided a good reminder to be respectful and honest on the internet. It is important to remember to write only something I would say in person.