ARTIFACT DESCRIPTION

I have grouped these artifacts together, because they are similar and hit many of the same standards. These artifacts are robust and together they hit all aspects of ISTE standard 7, being a digital citizen advocate. The first artifact is a video I created to help teachers and students with digital literacy. “Information Literacy - 5 Tips to Mastery” explains information literacy and how it can help students, parents, and teachers critically examine online information so they can stay safe and informed as outlined in standards 7c & 7d. Artifact 2 is similar, but it goes more in depth and also relates to standards 7a & 7b. Artifact 2 is a website tutorial on "How Do We Know What to Believe?" This interactive tutorial and game which helps students to learn about claim testing, fake news, digital citizenship, and the dangers of social media. It shows students how to navigate technology and social media in a safe and responsible manner. It also highlights the importance of being a civically engaged digital citizen in the 21st century.

IMPLEMENTATION

Both of these artifacts are now embedded into the Altus curriculum and have been shared across the altus schools. Teachers are using them as references, reminders, and as lessons in multiple humanities courses. Students from 6th-12th grade have completed these activities with great success. Students find these lessons engaging and informative and teachers love that these important topics have been “gamified” to better hold student interest.

IMPACT

These lessons have helped students become better digital citizens, become safer when online, become more informed global citizens, and they encourage students to become more respectful and open minded. Together they hit all aspects of standard 7. Based on the results of the exit ticket quiz and based on the feedback of students and teachers, these lessons have been a major success. Creating these was a lot of work, but the benefits have been worth it and I am happy to see an immediate and positive impact at my school.

These lessons have helped students become better digital citizens, become safer when online, become more informed global citizens, and they encourage students to become more respectful and open minded. Together they hit all aspects of standard 7. Based on the results of the exit ticket quiz and based on the feedback of students and teachers, these lessons have been a major success. The result of the exit ticket indicates that students have become more efficient at examining online sources and that they are safer and better engaged digital citizens. Additionally, this lesson has been utilized by teachers across my school and it was recently nominated as a “best practices” lesson activity to be shared on the school website. Creating these artifacts was a lot of work, but the benefits have been worth it and I am happy to see an immediate and positive impact at my school.

These artifacts not only provide students with the life long skill of critical analysis, but they also help students recognize their own biases and guide them on how to become better informed citizens. The "How Do We Know What to Believe?" tutorial details how “fake news” and biases can become political tools when used nefariously. It also explains how students can help address the challenges this creates and encourages them to examine their own role as a digital, global citizen. This clearly meets the goals of standard 7a. The tutorial also delves into the dangers of social media and teaches kids how to use technology in a respectful and balanced manner, as outlined in standard 7b. The main goal of both artifacts is to teach students, parents, and teachers to “critically examine the sources of online media and identify underlying assumptions.” This is the crux of standard 7c. Finally, these artifacts detail the importance of being an informed digital citizen and they explain the negative impact your digital profile can create if it is not curated in a responsible and safe manner. This is the central theme of standard 7d. I worked very hard on both of these artifacts and am glad they are being utilized at my school. I believe they demonstrate my competence with all aspects of standard 7 and hope that they will be used for many years to come.