Digital Citizenship Syllabus

 

Course Description

In this course, you will learn important information about Internet safety, social networking, online learning tools, and digital privacy and security.

You might be thinking, "Why do I need to know this? I'm happy with being able to do what I like on the Internet and all the warnings about web safety are over-hyped by anxious teachers and parents."

Well...teachers and parents are supposed to worry about your health and safety so get used to it. And....there are lots of reasons (besides getting super smart) to learn about these things. I won't give the entire list but I'll mention five important reasons this matters:

1. You could be involved in cyber-bullying without realizing it, which could get you in trouble. It could basically ruin your life.
2. You could share your personal information with someone who is pretending to be trustworthy when in fact they are total slimeballs trying to steal your personal information.
3. You could find things you're looking for more quickly - saving you a lot of time for doing more fun things like listening to music or shopping for things you want.
4. You could become the most knowledgeable person in your school, home, and neighborhood about the Internet. Knowledge is power! 
5. You could enjoy all that the Internet has to offer (and it offers a lot of cool things) while not putting yourself, family or friends at risk. There are bad people out there looking to attract and take advantage of kids who think they know it all. You don't want to be one of those people.

Now that you've discovered the important reasons for digital citizenship, here's what you're going to have to do to be smarter than the average Internet user. You'll even know a lot more than most adults at the end of this. Remember, knowledge is power.

How course work will be distributed

Things I’ll do for you	Things we’ll do together	Things you will do on your own
Introduce relevant information	Discuss	Read
Ask thoughtful questions	Clarify	Think
Assign interesting work	Argue	Analyze
Recognize and reward your hard work	Create	Present

 

What we will learn and why it's important

What we will learn	Why you need to learn it
Browsers and Email	Browsers are what you use to access information and content on the Internet. E-mail is a tool everyone uses for personal and business to communicate.
Social Networks	The Internet is organizing around social networks like Facebook, Pinterest, Google Plus, Linked-In, Twitter, etc. The minute something is “social” it means there are certain rules, regulations, agreements, rewards, and consequences. There are also issues about privacy, the content you share (pics, music, thoughts, feelings, and opinions). Finally, social means anyone, anywhere can see what you are doing – yes…even people you don’t friend or invite.
Privacy and Security	Imagine getting into the shower and discovering that the entire world is watching you. Well….the Internet is like a virtual shower stall. Once you log on – your digital self is exposed. And, anything you post (pictures, poems, stories, rants, or ideas) are being stored on a server somewhere which means that someone, somewhere (even years from now) can expose you to the world. You probably won’t want that to happen – in fact, I know you won’t. So…understanding privacy and security are more important than just about anything else when it comes to digital citizenship.
Safety and Ethics, Online Community, Culture, and Citizenship	You wouldn’t stand in front of someone you don’t know in a grocery store and call them a bad name. Why would you call someone names on the Internet? The same social rules that exist at school, in your family, and in your community apply to the online community. You are just as responsible for what you say and do on the Internet as you are for what you say and do in the real world. And…remember, you can be identified, even when you think you are doing a great job of pretending to be someone else.
How To Evaluate a Website	Just because something is on the Internet and looks real or true doesn’t mean it is. The Internet is full of websites that are misleading, even dangerous. Anyone can make a website but only smart people can make websites that are useful and accurate. You will learn how to look at websites like expert bankers look at money. Even though two dollar bills may look the same, one might be real and the other a counterfeit. Even the fanciest and most technically slick websites can be false.
Research and Keywords	The Internet can be an overwhelming place to look for something. Have you heard the expression, “…looking for a needle in a haystack?” That means, if you don’t know how to look for something, it could take you forever to find what you need. Most kids today don’t realize how lucky they are because they weren’t around when researching something meant going to a library and spending an entire day or longer searching through old, musty books for hours and hours. Google wasn’t even a word 15 years ago. While search engines like Google are fantastic time-savers and getting smarter all the time, you still have to have some skills to find what you’re looking for. You also need to know that there are tricks to researching things on the Internet. Knowing those tricks can save you hours and make sure that the information you do find is accurate, reliable, and valid.
Using and Citing Online Sources	Copy and Paste is nearly everyone’s best friend. But think for a second. What if you spent a ton of time coming up with a very original drawing, photo, or piece of writing. Imagine you posted this on the Internet to share with friends and the world. You discover that you’re super popular and that everyone is copying your work for their own projects. Then you find out that people are using your great idea but not giving you credit. They are acting as though the idea dropped off a big idea tree-free to anyone who wants it. That’s not how the real world works. There’s something called intellectual property. This means that your ideas belong to you. The law is on your side with this. That’s why when you watch a DVD, there’s an FBI warning at the beginning. It says you could get in big trouble for copying or distributing the movie without the owners’ permission. Most people ignore that warning. Bad idea. You’ll learn how to give people credit for the stuff you borrow. You’ll also learn what you are allowed to copy and paste and what you are not allowed to copy and paste. Remember, just because the Internet is easy to get to doesn’t mean it’s a place where everything is free for the taking.
Copyright, Creative Commons, and Public Domain	If there are laws protecting people and intellectual property, there are also laws that protect things businesses create, develop and distribute. So…if you are creating music and making it available to fans, you copyright the material so people can’t sell and distribute your music without giving you a share of the profit. Some things are so old, like songs from the 1800s, that they no longer belong to a specific person or company. That means they are in the public domain – anyone can use the song in any way they like. The Internet has both copyrighted and public domain materials. Knowing which is which will save you time and frustration.

Late Work Policy

In this course, there are specific due dates according to your pacing guide. I understand that life happens sometimes beyond your control and work may not get completed on time. I will give you a one-week grace period to get past due work completed for a grade. Anything beyond one week, I will no longer accept and a zero grade will be recorded. Please email me if additional time is needed beyond the one week grace period, but it must be communicated to me and approved for additional time.

Course Contract & Student Handbook

Student Course Contract - Interactive document, download to fill-in

Student Handbook 2019-20

Course Policies & Procedures

Your eTeacher will contact you, your parents and your Learning Coach if it appears you are having difficulty completing your assignments on time, or if the quality of your work needs improvement, or if you are not participating and regularly logging into the course.  It is important each student logs in each school day in order to check for any announcements, messages, and to review and complete assignments, discussions, quizzes, and exams.  Canvas provides the eTeacher with a record of login and activity for each student.

• Course routines: Login each school day.
• Due Dates: Be sure to print and follow the course Pacing Guide. Assignments are due by 11:59 pm on the due date.
• Penalties for submitting late assignments: Submitting late assignments will cause you to fall behind in the course. Non-completion of course work will result in a low grade. If you have a situation where you need extra time or will be turning in a late assignment, please notify your eTeacher immediately.
• Turnaround time for responses to communications: The eTeacher will respond within 24 hours.
• Turnaround time for returning grades assignments to students: The eTeacher will grade all assignments within 48 hours of the due date.
• Discussion participation: Discussions questions will be graded after the due date and all grading will be completed by the end of the Unit. This will allow students to post their initial discussion and then come back later in the week to respond to others.
• Academic Integrity: Academic integrity is important to your success in this class. Remember to cite the sources you use. If the idea is not your original thought, it is important to give the original writer recognition by listing the source of the information. For more information on citing work of others and to see models of writing, check out Purdue Owl Writing Lab and also Indiana University's Writing Tutorial Services on Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It. Plagiarism is a serious academic offense.
• Students should be aware that your eTeacher will contact the school site facilitator anytime that cheating is suspected. If cheating is confirmed, the student's school official will be asked to advise online staff regarding appropriate consequences in accordance with school and district policy.

Technology Requirements & Basic Success

1. Access to a computer with Internet capability and a printer.
2. Students are required to have the computer capability of viewing and saving PDF, PowerPoint and Word documents.
3. A valid email address for emergencies - the primary method of communication should be through the INBOX, located in the Navigation bar in Canvas.
4. The capability to print and save course materials (it is recommended that students purchase a portable thumb drive for portability).
5. Check regularly the course on a daily basis for Inbox MESSAGES, Announcements and Discussion Board postings.
6. Good time management skills are required in order to be successful in a course that is offered online in a distance-learning environment. Students are responsible for developing and practicing good time management skills in relation to course activities and requirements.

Web Browsers

It is recommended that you use one of the following four browsers:

Firefox | Google Chrome | Safari | Internet Explorer

ADA Compliance & Information

If you have or believe you have a disability, you may wish to self-identify. You can do so by providing documentation to your school. If you are not sure how to do this, contact your site coordinator or your building principal so they can help you.  Appropriate accommodations can then be provided for you.

If you have general questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), please visit the American’s with Disabilities Act website.

Accessibility within Canvas

Canvas officially supports the following screen reader and browser combinations:

• Macintosh: VoiceOver(latest version for Safari)
• PC: JAWS(latest version for Internet Explorer)
• PC: NVDA(latest version for Firefox)
• There is no screen reader support for Canvas in Chrome