Process
In the process of making this report, I assessed the digital readiness of a public middle school in Seattle, WA by asking questions based on Ribble’s elements of digital citizenship.
I found the school’s Computer Technology Teacher (CTT) and the School Emphasis Officer (SEO) to be willing and able to answer my questions regarding digital readiness. I met with the CTT in person and we talked mostly about the school’s adopted digital literacy and responsibility curriculum. The SEO answered my questions via email and had good ideas about future plans to make learning about digital literacy more interactive for students.
Findings
The school is in good position to build systems around digital readiness with a substantial number of student devices and a digital citizenship curriculum that addresses a wide array of issues.
Areas of growth for the school include:
- securing more student devices including IT support and professional development for teachers.
- expanding the digital literacy and responsibility curriculum to include all sixth grade students and making it more interactive.
- connecting with parents to educate them and include them in their students’ learning around digital citizenship.
- designing a campus-wide plan supported by professional development for all staff around digital citizenship and learning technology.
- the formation of a stronger technology leadership team as presented by Jones & Bridges (2016) including the principal, a lead teacher, a technology leader, a librarian and a technology coach. (p. 336)
Action items
The school’s technology team (inluding the CTT, the librarian, IT support staff, and two general education teachers) will meet and discuss plans presented in this report and use Ribble’s elements of digital citizenship as a framework to guide their planning.
References
Jones, M., & Bridges, R. (2016). Equity, access, and the digital divide in learning technologies: Historical antecedents, current issues, and future trends. The Wiley Handbook of Learning Technology, 327-347.
Ribble, M., & Miller T.N. (2013). Educational leadership in an online world: Connecting students to technology responsibly, safely, and ethically. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 17(1), 137-145.
