Developing student digital citizenship and network literacies

This post is a step-by-step reflection about how I have used Edublogs to connect with teachers and students.

During my recent 1:1 coaching session with Silvia Tolisano, I was asked about the events that led to my students Skyping and sharing research with Ann Michaelsen’s students in Norway. The Sketchnote above is a visual reflection that explains how we brought our students together.

Steps for global collaboration using Edublogs:

1. start an Edublog site and a Twitter account
2. follow other educational blogs
3. create a Class Blog
   

   Google Form- a reason to connect

4. find a reason to connect: my students filled-in Ann’s Google form to assist her research and I commented on her blog and sent out Tweets.
5. Skype 1- My Research Practices and ESL class combined and stayed after school to Skype Ann to talk about her research. Wow, a real person in a room in Norway! We were thrilled. This virtual meeting had an immediate impact on my students’ desire to connect globally.

1. Student Blogs- we then explored Ann’s students’ blogs and the excitement grew as we read their posts about their learning and wrote comments on their posts giving feedback on their film study of Rabbit Proof Fence
2. Skype 2- Teachers organised a date for students to Skype each other using a shared Google doc- Students in groups- day class in Norway and Australian students in groups at home in the evening.
3. Blog comments- students shared their research developing intellectual conversations
   

   Scoop.it to share resources

4. Sharing research- Scoop.It
5. 2016 Skype Events- Internet Safety Day Adelaide-Norway Skype discussion on the differences and similarities on safe Internet behaviour.

 

Student reflection

 I think that it was an amazing experience to be able to connect over the Internet with students in another country and to learn about their different cultures and values. I hope that in the future these connections will be available for others to get involved with and enable them to unite with other students around the globe.

Although these collaborations were short events, they all had an academic focus that gave our students a memorable experience in intercultural understanding in which they practiced being responsible digital global citizens.

Web Tools

• EduBlogs
• Google forms and docs
• Skype
• Twitter
• Scoop.It

Resources

• Silvia Tolisano
• Ann Michaelsen
• Vicki Davis on Sketchnoting
• George Couros