Original post via McNicholas to hold Digital Citizenship Day for all students – Around Anderson Township.
First of its kind in the greater Cincinnati area
McNicholas High School will change its curriculum for the day on Monday, Feb. 24. On this day, all students will participate in a Digital Citizenship Day, organized by Director of Educational Technology Katie Ritter. The day will run normal school hours of 7:40 a.m.-2:40 p.m.
The DigCit day will begin with a presentation by Steve Smith with Cincinnati Bell about living in a digital world and the dangers and ramifications of a negative online presence. Students will then proceed through their normal class schedule and each department will focus on a different area related to digital citizenship. For example, during social studies classes, guest speakers will discuss the legal ramifications associated with cyberbullying and sexting, and in business and technology classes, students will learn about the importance of keeping their social media clean for colleges, employers, and government agencies.
“As a one-to-one Tablet PC school, it is our responsibility to teach our students how to navigate the online world and be responsible global citizens, which now includes their digital life. In the same way we wouldn’t hand the keys to a teenager to begin driving without proper training, we shouldn’t hand them these devices without proper guidance. This day will elaborate on the conversations we’ve already begun, and become part of a continuous conversation we have with our students about digital citizenship,” Ritter said.
Ritter said the idea came to her through many discussions with students, parents, teachers, and sessions from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference she attended last year. “We needed to do something BIG to make a statement that we, as a school, think digital citizenship is very important,” Ritter added.
More detailed information can be found on Ritter’s blog Talk Tech with Me under the blog post #DigCit Day for High School Students.
Questions? Contact Katie Ritter, McNicholas High School Director of Educational Technology, at kritter [at] mcnhs [dot] org.
PHOTO ATTACHED: Katie Ritter, Director of Educational Technology at McNicholas High School, reviews curriculum plans with Phys Ed teacher Cheryl Heise. Ritter has organized a Digital Citizenship Day for all students on Feb. 24.