Students will...

• Positively impact the community

• Embrace cultural understanding and diversity of opinions

• Make safe,legal, ethical choices

• Demonstrate civic responsibility

• Participate in the democratic process

Positively Impact the Community: 

PBL/Service Learning Projects: Facilitate technology-enabled service learning projects where students identify community needs and use technology to address them. For example, they could create websites for local nonprofits or use social media to raise awareness about community issues.

 Community Surveys: Use technology to design and conduct surveys to gather input from community members about their needs and concerns. Students can analyze the data and propose solutions.

Digital Storytelling: Encourage students to create digital stories that highlight positive community initiatives, inspiring others to get involved.

Embrace Cultural Understanding and Diversity of Opinions:

 Virtual Cultural Exchange: Set up virtual exchanges with students from different cultural backgrounds, allowing them to learn about each other's traditions, beliefs, and perspectives.

Cultural Celebrations: Celebrate cultural festivals and holidays from around the world in your classroom. Invite students and their families to share their traditions, food, music, and stories.

International Pen Pals: Connect your students with pen pals from other countries or regions. They can exchange letters, artwork, and small cultural items to learn about each other's lives.

Diverse Book Club: Create a book club where students read books featuring characters from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Encourage discussions about the themes and lessons in the books.

Cultural Art Projects: Explore art forms and techniques from various cultures. For example, students can create Japanese origami, African masks, or Native American beadwork.

Guest Speakers: Invite guest speakers from different cultural backgrounds or with unique life experiences to share their stories and perspectives. This can include refugees, immigrants, or individuals from diverse communities.

World Geography and Exploration: Use interactive maps and digital resources to explore different countries and regions. Discuss their geography, history, and cultural contributions.

Debate and Discussion: Organize classroom debates or discussions on topics related to diversity, inclusion, and cultural understanding. Encourage students to express their opinions respectfully.

Community Cultural Fair: Organize a school-wide or classroom cultural fair where students and their families can set up booths to showcase their cultural heritage through food, clothing, music, and artifacts.

Global News Discussions: Discuss current global events and their impact on different parts of the world. Encourage critical thinking and understanding of diverse perspectives on the same issue.

Cultural Quizzes and Games: Create quizzes or trivia games that test students' knowledge of different cultures. Make it fun and rewarding to encourage participation.

Collaborative Projects: Assign group projects that involve researching and presenting on a specific culture or global issue. Encourage students to learn from one another and collaborate effectively.

Diverse Literature Collection: Build a diverse library of books, magazines, and articles that reflect various cultures, backgrounds, and opinions. Make them easily accessible to students.

Embrace Cultural Understanding and Diversity of Opinions: 

Virtual Cultural Exchange: Set up virtual exchanges with students from different cultural backgrounds, allowing them to learn about each other's traditions, beliefs, and perspectives.

Digital Debates: Organize online debates where students research and present arguments on various topics, promoting respectful discourse and exposure to diverse viewpoints.

 Multimedia Projects: Assign multimedia projects that explore different cultures, histories, or global issues. This could include video documentaries, podcasts, or blogs.

Cultural Exchange Pen Pals: Pair your students with pen pals from different cultural backgrounds, not only for virtual communication but also for handwritten letters or postcards. This personal interaction helps build meaningful connections.

Cultural Show and Tell: Encourage students to bring in items or artifacts that represent their cultural heritage. They can explain the significance of these items to the class, promoting a deeper understanding of diverse backgrounds.

Diversity Literature Circles: Form small reading groups, each focused on a book representing a different culture, perspective, or historical event. After reading, students can discuss their book's themes and share their insights with the class.

Cultural Research Fair: Organize a virtual research fair where students investigate and present findings about different cultures, historical figures, or important global issues. This event can be open to parents and the school community.

Cultural Culinary Experience: Collaborate with families to create a virtual cookbook with recipes from various cultural backgrounds. Students can virtually "cook" these dishes with their families, learning about different cuisines and their significance in various cultures.

Make Safe, Legal, Ethical Choices: 

Digital Citizenship Curriculum: Implement a comprehensive digital citizenship program that educates students about online safety, privacy, and responsible digital behavior.

Ethical Dilemma Discussions: Present students with ethical dilemmas and have them discuss and debate the best courses of action.

Guest Speakers: Invite experts in cybersecurity, digital ethics, and online safety to speak to students and answer their questions.

Interactive Scenarios: Create interactive scenarios or case studies that involve real-world ethical dilemmas related to technology and digital behavior. Have students work in groups to discuss and propose solutions.

Digital Etiquette Contracts: Have students collaborate to develop digital etiquette contracts or guidelines for respectful and responsible online behavior in your classroom or school.

Media Literacy Challenges: Run media literacy challenges where students evaluate digital content for ethical issues, including misinformation, cyberbullying, and copyright violations.

Mock Cybersecurity Drills: Organize mock cybersecurity drills where students practice responding to potential online threats, such as phishing emails or online scams. This teaches them how to protect themselves online.

Online Community Service: Encourage students to participate in online community service projects, such as raising awareness about digital safety or promoting responsible technology use among peers.

Demonstrate Civic Responsibility: 

Simulated Civic Engagement: Use online platforms to simulate civic engagement experiences, such as mock elections or community council meetings, where students take on various roles.

Volunteer Opportunities: Facilitate virtual volunteering opportunities, connecting students with organizations that need online assistance, such as data entry or social media management.

Policy Research and Advocacy: Assign projects that require students to research local or national policies, identify areas for improvement, and create advocacy campaigns to raise awareness and drive change.

Community Issue Projects: Have students identify a local community issue they care about, such as environmental conservation or homelessness. Then, guide them in creating and implementing projects to address these issues, whether through awareness campaigns or small-scale initiatives.

Virtual Community Service Fair: Organize a virtual community service fair where local nonprofits or community organizations present their missions and volunteer opportunities to students. This provides a direct connection to civic engagement opportunities.

Student Government or Council: Establish a virtual student government or council where students can run for positions like class president, treasurer, or secretary. This gives them a taste of leadership and the democratic process within their school community.

Policy Debates: Engage students in debates or discussions about current local or national policies. Encourage them to research and present their viewpoints on issues that matter to them. This helps them understand the importance of informed civic discourse.

Mock Press Conferences: Organize mock press conferences where students take on the roles of public officials, community leaders, or activists. They can practice answering questions from "journalists" on important community topics, enhancing their public speaking and communication skills.

Participate in the Democratic Process: 

Mock Elections: Organize mock elections within the school, allowing students to experience the democratic process firsthand.

 Debates and Discussions: Host virtual debates and discussions about current events, government policies, and civic issues to encourage informed political engagement.

 Civic Education Platforms: Utilize online civic education platforms and resources that provide information on government structures, voting procedures, and the importance of civic participation.

Student Government Elections: In addition to mock elections, hold real elections for student government positions, mirroring the democratic process on a smaller scale. This provides students with hands-on experience in campaigning and voting.

Legislative Simulation: Create a virtual legislative simulation where students draft, propose, and vote on mock bills. This helps them understand how laws are created and the role of legislators.

Meetings with Elected Officials: Arrange virtual meetings or Q&A sessions with local elected officials or government representatives. Students can ask questions and learn about the responsibilities of these positions.

KYA/KUNA/Model United Nations (MUN): Organize a virtual Model United Nations program where students represent different countries and engage in diplomatic discussions on global issues. This fosters an understanding of international diplomacy.

Community Issue Forums: Host virtual forums where students can discuss and propose solutions to pressing community issues. Invite community members, parents, or local leaders to participate and provide guidance.

District Examples