It's Like Riding A Bike

I've been thinking a lot about what I can do better next year when it comes to including more discussions, information and learning about digital citizenship in my classroom and school.  The hardest part seems to be finding out where to start when I'm not sure where everyone else is on their digital journey.

I know that elementary students where I teach generally have access to at least one piece of technology; whether it be their parents' phones, computers, tablets or their own personal mobile device.  I was trying to think of a connection to something that my students may have a similar experience with when the thought of using a bicycle came to mind.

I recently spent a day with my students and their bicycles at school.  I was quickly reminded of the challenge I was facing having students at many different levels of experience using their bicycles, helmets and locks.  Many of my students struggled with using their helmets and locks properly but were still able to do some pretty great tricks on their bikes and make their way around quite effectively.  This seems to be similar to their experiences with a variety of technological devices.

	Personal Mobile Device	Bicycle
Tools	device charger carrying case	bicycle helmet lock
Standards	laws  digital citizenship / media literacy etiquette (online and in the presence of others)	laws etiquette
Safety	privacy acts digital footprint  net smarts / media literacy virtual boundaries risky behaviours	rules of the road / laws  geographical boundaries risky behaviours
Learning	practice / accessibility willingness to test and try	practice willingness to test and try
Role of Parents	modeling with own devices words of support and encouragement instruction	modeling with own bicycle words of support and encouragement instruction
Role of Educators	modeling with own devices provide opportunities to practice / use instruction	provide opportunities to learn / use  instruction
Role of Community	provide safe environment (maintain the infrastructure, provide accessibility, enforce laws)	provide a safe environment (maintain the roads, parks, bike racks, enforce laws)
Opportunities	independence / self-reliance access to global community self-expression connect with others	independence / self-reliance access to different parts of the community self-expression connect with other with a similar interest

Learning how to use technology appropriately is as much a part of a child's development as learning to ride a bike.  It is the responsibility of parents, educators and the community as a whole to see to it that every child has the tools they need in order to navigate safely. 

This will be my starting point next year.  Maybe this will help me bridge some of the gaps with the stakeholders at my school.