Just this weekend, I listened as a bunch of elementary students described how boring school is because of the amount of seat time and worksheets that occupy their day. The response I heard back from the kids? “Well, that’s just how school is.” Why is this acceptable?
I have also been listening to how adults react and the response is always same, “That’s life, get used to it.” Again, why is this acceptable?
Why do we allow learning to be boring? I just don’t understand. Why do we accept this as just the way it is, the way it’s always been, the status quo, a challenge that we must all endure?
What I see posted on Twitter about connected learning gives me hope, but the reality is that this is not the case for all students and until it is, I’m going to do whatever it takes to ensure all students everywhere have the opportunity to be creators, inventors and innovators every single day.
A huge thanks to Dan McCabe for tweeting out this quote because I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m officially breaking up with boring, conformity and status quo (and while I’m at it, I’m breaking up with worksheets and students sitting idly at desks in rows too). I’ve had enough. It is an unhealthy relationship and the results are damaging the future for our students.
We have a responsibility to get this right. Our students are counting us. Tomorrow when our students arrive at our classroom doors full of curiosity, wonder and awe, let’s embrace it, foster it and make this type of learning the norm for all students.
I’ve seen posts warning parents about the dangers of this app and that app with all sorts of sensational headlines. But, I have a spoiler alert for you: The app is not the problem.
We are so afraid that we can’t control or monitor what our teens are doing that we’ve labeled certain apps as “RED ALERT” when that red alert should really be placed on us. I get it though, it is easier to place blame on the app than to acknowledge or address the source of the problem.
Blocking and banning certain apps or sites will not change behaviors. Look at all the violence happening around our world. Somehow, we have forgotten that we are all members of the human race and what happens to one of us — happens to all of us. To quote from one of my all-time favorite movies, the Dead Poet Society, “That you are here — that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?”
So, the solution begins with each of us. It’s time to contribute our verse to this critical conversation. We need to engage, educate and mentor our society on the choices and consequences of being human. We need to model what respect for ourselves and others really looks like and to invest in building community wherever we go.
I think the hack needed for education really begins and ends with the ability to humanize the person next to us, as well as across the screen. When we can do this, we can change culture and build communities at the local, global and digital level simultaneously.
Let’s stop the blame game, address the underlying problem and celebrate what makes us human.
The world has changed drastically since I was a kid growing up in the bleachers at Fenway Park. Yesterday, I decided to take a step back in time and enjoy the game without any devices or electronic distractions, Be in the Moment: Going Device Free to Fenway Park.
Yesterday was a walk down memory lane as I remembered every game, all the players I’ve cheered on and most importantly, the people I’ve been with. Maybe you have to be from Boston to understand that baseball is like a religion here and the Park is just magical. Bart Giamatti, the Baseball Commissioner once said, “As I grew up, I knew that as a building (Fenway Park) was on the level of Mount Olympus, the Pyramids at Giza, the nation’s capitol, the czar’s Winter Palace, and the Louvre – except, of course, that is better than all those inconsequential places.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself and Jimmy Fallon’s character in Fever Pitch could have been just about anyone I grew up with. We might be called a little obsessive when it comes to our home team, but as Bostonians, we are known for our unwavering loyalty whether we are winning or losing and above all, we love our team.
Lessons Learned from #Unplugging4TheDay
So, yesterday I went to the Park device free with only a baseball glove in hand and let me tell you, I felt some serious JOMO (Joy Of Missing Out) as I relived my childhood through the eyes of my nine-year-old son. We took a picture at home before the game and then I went silent on all my social media feeds.
Maybe it’s because Fenway Park is my favorite place in the world, but yesterday, everything was more vibrant. The colors were popping, the smells were more aromatic, and the atmosphere was just simply electric. I felt myself snapping mental images, so I could revisit them in my memory like the pictures I have in my head sitting in the bleachers with my dad.
I realized how much I was taking in details like the lovely couple sitting in front of us who also appeared as if they came to the game device free. When I mentioned it, they said, “We took our pictures before the game started. We don’t need our phones, we enjoy being together.” Next to them was a woman scoring the game (on paper, not an app) and sitting behind us was a hockey family who had devices, but they were nowhere to be seen.
Is it important to go to the game device free? Absolutely not. Take your barfing rainbow snaps and selfies. Capture the moment, but please be mindful that you are at a live event and that you don’t have to watch the event through your device. This happens to be the Big Papi’s last season and although it would have been great to snap a picture or two, I have all the images I could possibly need, tucked neatly away in my memory bank. Yesterday, I loved singing the National Anthem, the 7th inning stretch (and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”), being part of the rally at the bottom of the ninth, and most importantly, I loved being at the game with my son.
What was my big take away yesterday being device free? I should do it more often. Yesterday, I was not a prisoner to my device. No one virtually owned my attention or my time. I didn’t feel pulled in a million directions nor did I feel compelled that I “had to” check my phone, answer my email, upload my status, etc. I’ll end with a fabulous message from Adele who recently reminded a concert goer to stop recording her and to just enjoy the live concert.
I hope the next time someone asks me if I left my device at home on purpose that I’ll respond just as the couple did sitting in front of us yesterday.
What I wouldn’t do to have a picture of me and my dad in the bleachers at Fenway Park. But, when I was a kid falling in love with a baseball team in the late 70’s, no one brought a camera to a sporting event, except the newscasters. The rest of us, well, we sat back and enjoyed the game.
This is exactly what I’m going to do today with my son. I am going to practice what I preach and I’m going device free.
Although I’d love nothing more than an album full of pictures of being a kid growing up at Fenway Park, the memories and images I have in my mind are crystal-clear. I don’t need a picture to remember when Don “Gerbil” Zimmer was our coach, Carlton “Pudge” Fisk was our catcher and how George “Boomer” Scott delighted us with every crack of the bat. If I was distracted, it was because I was scoring the game with my dad or bugging him to find the hotdog vendor. I wasn’t a prisoner behind a device trying to catch the big play and upload it for all my friends to see, I was in the moment with my dad and a crowd full of fans cheering on their home team.
Today, I’ll repeat that experience with my son. So, Big Papi hit a home run today because we will be totally present and will capture the moment without being behind a screen!
This week’s announcement about the Digital Citizenship Summit being held at Twitter Headquarters on 28 October is such an incredible opportunity for the entire digital citizenship global community that I wanted to write this post to thank all the people who have supported us from the very beginning. There have so many people behind the scenes, volunteers, speakers, and supporters from around the globe. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being part of this critical conversation and continuing to move it forward into your classrooms and communities.
Believing that nothing happens in a vacuum or by accident, I also wanted to write this post to thank all the people who have personally supported me from the very beginning of my digital citizenship journey. I am indebted to numerous people for casting light on my journey and am so grateful to my PLN for graciously sharing their time, talent and passion with my students over the years.
For me, the making of the Digital Citizenship Summit happened long before our inaugural event last October at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, Connecticut. In fact, my journey started years ago before I even had my first email address or mobile device. As a middle school teacher, I was always student-centered and focused on meeting the developmental needs of young adolescents. My interest in amplifying student voice has always been my True North and reason behind any and all decisions I’ve made during my educational career.
I did not know Tyler, but his suicide made me determined to focus on a solution. Tyler Clementi could be my son, your son. He was a brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, friend, neighbor, and most importantly, a human being. This perspective launched me into uncharted territory. I am the mother of a son. What if this was my son? What can I do to make sure this doesn’t happen again? How can I make a difference?
In many ways, Tyler Clementi was the impetus behind my First Year Seminar course, Pleased to Tweet You: Are You a Socially Responsible Digital Citizen? My definition of digital citizenship is a direct result of the iCitizen Project which asks students to think and act at a local, global and digital level simultaneously. By 2011, I was tired of digital citizenship being an add-on to the curriculum, as well as edtech and bullying conferences. I knew digital citizenship needed its own space and that’s why I created and designed 3 credit courses specifically around the nine elements of digital citizenship at both the undergraduate and graduate level. In February 2012, I also planned and hosted my first livestreamed event, the iCitizenship Town Hall Meeting for both a live and virtual audience and just like the Digital Citizenship Summit, none of this would have been possible without the support of countless people.
As I reflect on the people who have supported me, I am reminded of just how many students and educators have virtually joined my digital citizenship courses and participated in the #digcit chat on Twitter over the years. Week after week, members of my PLN graciously shared their time, talent and passion with my students through Twitter, Skype and Google Hangout. I could seriously write a book on the entire experience, but for this blog post, I’ll share one of my favorite virtual guests, Jeremiah Anthony, a high school student from Iowa. Jeremiah Skyped and live tweeted, Stand Up & Speak Out with Digital Citizenship with my undergraduates. He demonstrated how it takes just one person to make a difference in your community both on and offline.
There have been so many people over the years who have been that one person to me and I just want to publicly thank anyone who has ever supported me through all my digital citizenship courses, projects, Twitter chats and conferences, including the iCitizenship Town Hall Meeting, Digital Citizenship Summit and the Digital Citizenship Summit UK. It has been a privilege and an honor to learn alongside a global network of students, educators, parents and the edtech industry as we collectively continue to solve problems and create solutions together.
So, from my middle school classroom in the early 90’s to my college campus in West Hartford to Bournemouth Univeristy in the UK to Twitter Headquarters — thank you, thank you for being part of this incredible journey.
All it takes is one person to stand up, to make a difference, to be the change. Just one and before you know it, one becomes many. My son just recently stood up and shared his story with a global audience. At the age of nine he delivered his first TEDxYouth talk, My Wish: Digital Access for All Students Everywhere about the difference between how he learns at school and at home. Just one student standing up and speaking out about the need for digital access to be like air and water for all students.
Today, he made his wish become a reality and with permission from his third grade teacher, he invited connected educators, Derek Larson and Sarah Thomas to help him break down the classroom walls in his school. Today was the first time in four years that Curran had an opportunity to learn with digital access in school, not just at home. Today, one student became a classroom full of students who were eager and excited about this new way of learning.
It’s like skipping stones, one student becomes one classroom which becomes an entire school, which eventually includes the district and ultimately influences the community and once that happens, we have caused the most positive ripple effect.
A special thanks to Derek and Sarah for helping Curran introduce connected learning to his teacher and his classmates. These tweets say and capture it all:
TY for making learning at school like learning at home. I had so much fun & so did my class! It was 200% awesome! https://t.co/Gp6VOmidaX
As a mother, I am so happy that Curran has been authentically engaged through so many connected learning opportunities. But, as a connected educator, my heart breaks for the students who do not have digital access at home or at a school. As a mother/son #digcit team, we have made it our mission to continue to stand up and speak out until all students everywhere have access to learn about the world with the world.
I have always been a team player. I have zero athletic ability, but I was born to be on a team.
When it came to kids picking teams, I was always the last kid picked. I know I was the last pick when it came to my coaches too. But, that didn’t stop me. What I lacked in athletic ability, I made up for in spirit and attitude. I knew at an early age what a privilege it was to be part of a team.
I loved going to practice, wearing the team uniform, working hard and giving it everything I had. I loved the camaraderie, the laughs and inside jokes between teammates. As a substitute player, I saw very little playing time, but that didn’t matter because my role on the team was on the sidelines. In fact, that’s where I developed my leadership skills and I thank every coach I’ve ever had for bringing out the very best in me.
On the sidelines, I learned that every member of the team is invaluable from the MVP to the 12th player. I also learned to recognize, appreciate and acknowledge the gifts and talents of each individual player.
This past weekend, my son’s hockey team placed 2nd out of 66 teams in the state. In the stands, I had time to reflect on the importance of being part of a team. Not only am I grateful as a player, I am grateful as a parent. Coaches volunteer their time, talent and passion in order to build confidence and leadership skills for life. What you learn from a coach defines you for life — your work ethic, attitude, sacrifice, dedication, commitment, and perseverance.
In gratitude, I want to thank coaches everywhere — especially my soccer coach, Mr. Mac, for inspiring me my entire life. What I learned on your field, I have brought into my classroom and my profession.
For my son’s hockey coaches, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the privilege to be a parent in the stands all season. I loved watching you build a foundation for life for each of your players — it is a testimony to your character and has not gone unnoticed.
As I said before every practice and game, “I’ll give you everything I have, coach.” What a gift to have learned this lesson early in life and to have the opportunity to watch my son learn the same lessons.
My favorite part of the Summit was the presence and voice of students. The only permanent solution to changing school climate, addressing bullying/cyberbullying and learning how to humanize the person next to you, as well as across the screen is more student voice.
We need more students like Timmy Sullivan, our invited high school speaker from Burlington High School in Massachusetts. His session was packed as he shared the need for more student voice in personalizing learning. His impressive online presence is a reflection of both his choices and character which further exemplifies what it means to be the same person both on and offline.
How do we get more student voice in our classrooms?
We start early and often. We embed digital citizenship into everything we do both online and offline.
We model and teach empathy in everything we do, in every classroom, both in and out of the classroom.
We encourage our students to do digital citizenship – not just read or write about it.
Our students are the solution. Engage them in this critical conversation.
My son sharing closing remarks #digcitsummit
How will we get more students like Timmy Sullivan in our classrooms and in our communities? More student voice. We need to begin this conversation before devices are in the hands of our toddlers. We need to have our elementary aged students, like my son who joined me on stage for the closing remarks do digital citizenship and experience what empathy kindness and global collaboration looks like through projects like blogging, Global Read Aloud, Mystery Skype, etc.
If we start with our youngest learners, we will model best practices and will make digital citizenship a verb. As a result, we will help produce socially responsible, ethical and savvy students who think and act at a local, global and digital level simultaneously – like Timmy Sullivan and my son and all students – everywhere.
*A HUGE thank you to my current and former students who helped plan, volunteer and present at the Summit! You are why I do what I do! #FYS15 #ed536 #ed570
What’s the best way to model and teach our students how to be socially responsible both on and offline? Do we focus on citizenship or digital citizenship or both?
This post is for Curt Schilling. You are my #digcit hero and an all-star dad. I want to share your story with other educators, students, administrators and parents on a digital citizenship (#digcit) chat on Twitter on 3/11/15 between 7-8PM ET and I hope you’ll join us.
In 2011, I co-founded the #digcit chat with one of my graduate students. The chat was a direct result of the digital citizenship course I created and taught at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, CT. Every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, the #digcit chat connects educators, students, administrators and parents from around the world.
I teach digital citizenship and digital literacy courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Just recently, both my undergraduate and graduate students completed a #creepU assignment. It was a similar assignment to what you did to find the men responsible from sending the inappropriate tweets about your daughter. The students picked a school and examined public student accounts which lead them to multiple social media tools (which were all public). The #creepU assignment was a teachable moment and by no means was meant to shame the school or the students. Last month, we hosted a #creepU chat on Twitter to share our results and urge other teachers to assign the same assignment. Here’s the #digcit agenda from that chat and the archive from the actual chat. The big take-away from the assignment was that digital citizenship is a 24/7 conversation and must be taught in K-12 schools.
How do we help our students realize that your daughter could be their sister, cousin, neighbor? friend? Our students need to be mindful of the choices they make both on and offline and learn to humanize the person next to them, as well as across the screen. I believe it starts with teaching empathy and providing students opportunities to not just read and write about it, but to do it. We need to teach our students how to think and act simultaneously through a local, global and digital lens.
Next Wednesday, I’m going to host a #digcit chat on “Trolls & Trolling” and discuss the seriousness of it, how to prepare our students to handle it (and our teachers to teach it) and best practices on how to find and confront the troll(s). I hope that you will be able to join me and perhaps co-moderate the chat.
PS: I’m a diehard Red Sox fan too and the only official team jersey I own has your name on it! I’ll be extra proud when I wear it again to Fenway because you have now empowered a global audience to stand up to cyberbullies and trolls! Props to you #38!
A huge thanks to Dan McCabe for tweeting out this quote because I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m officially breaking up with boring, conformity and status quo (and while I’m at it, I’m breaking up with worksheets and students sitting idly at desks in rows too). I’ve had enough. It is an unhealthy relationship and the results are damaging the future for our students.
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