Bagadisian,+Martha-920

Martha Badigian, Library Media Specialist Peace Dale Elementary School South Kingstown, RI mBadigian@skschools.net
 * Final Project April 2009: EDC 920

Teaching Unit for 4th and 5th Grades: Blogging, using the R.I. Children’s Book Award website ****. **

I chose this topic to use at my Elementary (K-5) school because I have observed that children may not consistently use computers in elementary school for more than the occasional research project or games and play websites. Time for technology instruction has become increasingly difficult to find. Our school has a couple of computers in each classroom, a computer lab that teachers can sign-up for, and six computers in the library that they can use during recess and free periods. However, classroom time is increasingly taken up by programs such as AIMSWeb testing, Everyday Math, 7 Keys to Reading Comprehension, 6 Traits of Writing, and other district-mandated areas of focus. There is a wide variety of exposure to technology, depending on the comfort-level of the classroom teacher with technology, and when children use the computers, it is more often than not very task-specific. Children are using the computer to find a certain thing, and once they find that thing, there is no further discussion of technology. To be fair, classroom teachers are challenged enough in guiding students through a research experience, and in creating their final product, particularly given everything else they are expected to accomplish is a day. There is no time for them to delve more generally into teaching about internet. There is not currently a technology curriculum in place in our district. I would like to implement a more universal, purposeful introduction to one aspect of internet use for my students. In this way, I will know that regardless of what may happen in any given classroom, the 4th and 5th graders in my school will have a consistent, across-the-board introduction to blogging on the internet as well as some of the skills that are needed to do this successfully.
 * __Summary:__**

I know that exposure to technology varies greatly from classroom to classroom, and I know that students do not all have access to computers at home. I also know that the busy pace of life can get in the way of a consistent, thoughtful introduction to some of the internet resources for children. I think it is very important to introduce a new Web 2.0 computer usage to the students, one that will be more interactive, and that will teach the students that the internet is also a place to have thoughtful conversations with others. I would very much like to see my students have a broader understanding of the possibilities of the internet, beyond games, and commercial sorts of websites such as “Webkins” or “Nickelodeon”.

I will need to “ramp up” this unit in a series of small lessons on keyboarding skills, internet safety, digital citizenship and the art of blogging in an interesting way. I also think that it is very important to teach children about the idea of evaluating websites. This generation of children needs to do something we never did when we did our research from books and encyclopedias. Students today also need to take a big step back and ask questions about the source websites where their information comes from, and this involves knowing a bit more about what kinds of websites exist (.com, .edu, ,org, etc.) and whether or not information is reliable and/or biased. While I see this as a critical skill, I don’t include that particular lesson with this unit, since I am choosing all the websites and blogs to be used, and there is no need for students to address that particular issue as part of this unit, but I do see this as a necessary lesson for this age group, to be done at a different time.

The most significant obstacles that I can foresee will be short library time periods, since the 4th and 5th grades attend library just once a week for 40 minutes, and students must also get their books during this time. This does not leave a lot of time for each lesson – perhaps 30 minutes at best. However, to try and get around this I will use a home assignment for each lesson that will ask students to complete assignments outside of library class. Alternately, six students at a time could come to the library during recess or free times during the day to complete assignments. This will make working with the students a bit difficult, but I think that these lessons are well worth the effort involved.

Finally, the idea of students using book blogs independently is very exciting to me. Combining technology instruction with the reading and writing that would be required for students to successfully blog on the R.I. Children’s Book Award blog meets many standards and GLE’s, but beyond this, it gives students the tools to “own their own reading” in a way that wasn’t possible before. Rather than responding to a teacher’s question about a book, the students are talking to each other through the blog, having their own conversations about books. It is important to note, however, that it will take time and practice for students to learn to use blogs appropriately and to their potential, so, I think it is important to begin the process and introduce the students to this skill as soon as possible so that the practice can begin. Most students really start using technology in 5th grade then in middle school in particular. Doing this lesson with the 5th grades would allow the introduction of some important safety, etiquette, keyboarding and crafting (having a conversation about a book) skills before they really launch into technology in middle school.

Upon completion of this unit, I as a teacher will have met the following ISTE’s National Educational Technology Standards for **Teachers** //1.// //Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity// c. //promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual// //understanding and thinking, planning and creative processes.// //2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments// //a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote// //student learning and creativity.// //3. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility// //a. Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate,// //and use information resources to support research and learning.// //4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility// //c. promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of// //technology and information.//
 * __UNIT Standards:__**
 * (NETS-T):**

Upon completion of this unit, students will have met the following ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for **Students (NETS-S):**

//2. Communication and collaboration: students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.// //a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of media and formats.// //b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.// //5. Digital Citizenship: students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and// //practice legal and ethical behavior. Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to// //technology and practice legal and ethical behavior.// //6. Technology Operations and Concepts: students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology// //concepts, systems, and operations. Students:// //a.// //understand and use technology systems.//

//Upon completion of this unit, students will have met the following Grade Level Expectations (**GLE’s**)://

W–4–11.1 Writing with frequency, including in-school, out-of-school, and during the summer (Local) W-5-11.1 “ “ “ W–4–11.2 Sharing thoughts, observations, or impressions (Local) W-5-11.2 “ “ W-4–11.3 Generating topics for writing (Local) EXAMPLES: Journal writing, free writes, poetry, quick writes, scientific observations, learning logs, readers’/writers’ notebook, __letters and personal notes__ W-5-11.3 “ “ “ “ and reading response journals.
 * Habit of Writing: Writing Extensively (W-11) **
 * W–4–11 + W-5-11 **
 * Demonstrates the habit of writing extensively by… **

= In response to literary or informational text, students show understanding of plot/ideas/concepts by… = W–4–2.1a Selecting appropriate information to set context/background (State) W-5-2.1a “ “ “ W –4–2.1b Writing an introduction that sets context/background (Local) W-5-2.1b “ “ “ W–4–2.2 __Summarizing ideas__ (Local) W-5-2.2 “ key “ W–4–2.3 Connecting what has been read (plot/ideas/concepts) to prior knowledge, which might include other texts (State) W-5-2.3 “ “ “ by referring to relevant ideas.
 * Reading-Writing Connection: Writing in Response to Literary or Informational Text- Showing Understanding of Ideas in Text (W-2) **
 * W–4–2, W-5-2 **


 * Reading-Writing Connection: Writing in Response to Literary or Informational Text- Making Analytical Judgments about Text (W-3) **
 * W–4–3, W-5-3 **
 * In response to literary or informational text, students make and support analytical judgments about text by… **
 * W–4–3 **
 * In response to literary or informational text, students make and support analytical judgments about text by… **

W–4–3.1 Stating __and maintaining__ a focus (purpose) when responding to a given question (State) W–4–3.3 Using __specific__ details __and__ references to text to support focus (State)
 * W-5-3.1 “ **

W–4–3.4 Organizing ideas, using transition words__/phrases__ and __writing a conclusion__ (State) R–4–16.1 Comparing stories or other texts to related personal experience, prior knowledge, or to other books (Local) R–5–16.1 “ “ “
 * Literary Texts: Generates a Personal Response (R-16) **
 * R–4–16, R-5-16 **
 * Generates a personal response to what is read through a variety of means… **

R–4–14.1 Reading with frequency, including in-school, out-of-school, and summer reading (Local) R-5-14.1 “ “ “ R–4–17.2 Participating in discussions about text, ideas, and student writing by offering comments and supporting evidence, recommending books and other materials, and responding to the comments and recommendations of peers, librarians, teachers, and others R-5-17.2 “ “ “ “
 * Breadth of **** Reading **** : Reading Widely and Extensively ** **(R-14)**
 * R–4–14, R-5-16 **
 * Demonstrates the habit of reading widely and extensively* by… **
 * Breadth of **** Reading **** : Participating in a Literate Community (R-17) **
 * R-4-17, R-5-17 **

1. respects the principals of intellectual freedom; 2. respects intellectual property rights; 3. uses information technology responsibly;
 * Information Literacy Standards **
 * Standard 8: ** Practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information technology, as described by the following indicators:


 * __Unit Goals/Objectives/student Outcomes:__**

At the end of this teaching unit, I would like students to:

equip the students with opportunities and methods to practice that skill.
 * have learned about keyboarding skills – that is, to be aware that there is a skill level beyond “hunt and peck”, and to


 * have an awareness about how to be safe on the internet in general, and while using blogs in particular. Specifically, knowing how to protect personal information, and why that is necessary. This will involve a lesson on internet safety with several components.

visiting and posting to blogs.
 * understand what a blog is, and how it is different from a “regular” website and have some experience


 * have an understanding of what it means to be a good “digital citizen”- that is, not leaving prank or inappropriate comments on websites.

conversation (rather than be a conversational “dead end”, such as “I liked the book.”
 * have an understanding about how to post to a blog in an interesting way, that would provoke more

//concepts, systems, and operations. Students: understand and use technology systems.//
 * Lesson 1: **
 * Beyond Hunt and Peck: An introduction to typing **
 * Lesson Standards: **
 * NETS-S 6: ** //Technology Operations and Concepts: students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology//

Find out if they realize that there is a way to type beyond “hunt and peck” method.
 * Connect and Engage: **Discuss with students their approach to typing.

Use the Elmo projector (document camera) to show how I am typing- literally showing the keyboard and my hands, and in particular the way my hands always rest on the “home keys”. Explain that typing in this way has been found to be the best way to be able to type the fastest, rather than the “hunt and peck” method of typing. Then, plug the laptop into the LCD projector and show some of the typing games that students can use to practice. Also explain that they will be required to take typing in middle-school, and that given the importance of being able to use a computer, this is an important skill to master.
 * Teacher Modeling and Guided Practice: **

These games will be bookmarked on every library computer, and students will be encouraged to practice in the library during free periods(“choosing times”). In addition, children will be laminated picture of a keyboard that can be used for practice at home, and on that sheet will also be the names of the different practice sites that they can use if they have the use of a computer at home.

A color-coded keyboard chart, showing which keys are pressed by which fingers, will be added to all the library computers as well so that children will always have that reference right in front of them. this lesson should be considered an introduction to the idea, and it will provide a pathway and opportunity for those that decide they are motivated to start learning to type now. Students who are paying attention will have met the requirements of the lesson because they will be made aware of typing as a skill that will help them and be shown ways that they can begin to practice on their own. There is a way to assess those who decide they want to begin learning now, and that is the online programs that give students their speed and accuracy. They can make note of these and track their progress.
 * Lesson Assessment **: Because learning to type is not something that can be required of students at this point in school (they are required to take typing in middle school),

Students who are really motivated to begin to learn to type now, and have access to a computer at home, can choose to make a (free) account at www. keybr.com, where they can track their progress and see if their speed and accuracy improves over time. Students who are motivated to learn how to type now and do not have access to a computer at home can usethe library account that I establish, and keep track of their scores in school. See below for details.
 * Lesson Extension: **

Here are some very simple and fun games:
 * Practice: **
 * (Take home sheet for home practice) **

[]

Choose the typing games there.

Here’s a great site that gives typing lessons:

Go to: [] and choose Typing Lesson. Follow directions given.

Advanced:

Go to [|www.keybr.com]

With you parent’s permission, register by entering an e-mal address and password.

Place your fingers are the keys shown (left hand on **asdf** and right hand on **jkl;** and the thumbs are left free, over the space bar).

The game will start when you click on the word “Paused”.

Type for at least ten minutes, trying to use the correct fingers.

Here is a great chart that show you which fingers type which keys: It would be helpful if you can print this out (color printer required) to keep near your keyboard.

[]

Here is another color chart that is even more clear:

[]

It is a priority to educate our students about safety before asking them to participate in Web 2.0 activities**. More specifically, the goal of this lesson is for students to state, by way of discussion and then by completing a chart, what mistakes they saw on the part of the students in the videos.** Each chart includes a rubric for completion of the chart. At the very end of the lesson, students will work with teacher to fill out a “Best Internet Practices” Chart, which will include the following:
 * Lesson 2: **
 * Internet Safety for Bloggers (and everyone else too!), Grades 4 & 5 **
 * Goal: ** Students will finish the unit with knowledge about the kinds of dangers that exist on the internet, and what kinds of practices will help them to avoid those dangers.

1. When chatting online, be sure you are chatting to someone you or your parents know and trust. 2. People may not be who they say they are online, and students should constantly be aware of this fact. 3. Never give out any personal information such as name, address, phone, school name. 4. Tell your parents or guardians immediately if there is someone who has made you uncomfortable in an online conversation. 5. Never agree to a meeting with someone you have met online and even more importantly, NEVER get into the vehicle of someone you do not know. 6. If you would like to meet with someone you have met on line, discuss this with your parent/guardian, meet in a public place, bring parent/guardian with you. 7. Be careful when answering seemingly harmless/innocent questions such as the weather in your area, school colors or mascots, areas of local interest, etc. These kinds of facts can be used to piece together a picture about where you live. 8. Do not post your picture online-this would tell a predator exactly what you look like. There may also be clues in the picture that would reveal where you love (school jerseys, etc.)

//practice legal and ethical behavior. Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to// //technology and practice legal and ethical behavior.// //**(Safety being one of the human issues related to technology practice.)**//
 * Lesson Standards: **
 * NETS-S **// 5 //// . Digital Citizenship: students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and//

//One of the first ways our students must learn to use information responsibly is to protect their personal information from online predators by first being aware of// //possible dangers and secondly by using safe practices on the internet to protect themselves. In a sort of Maslow Hierarchy of needs, the very first and most important thing for our young students is to take care of is their own safety, before proceeding to think and learn about other issues such “higher level” ideas such as property rights and intellectual freedom.//

Because my fourth and fifth grade students are pre-middle school, they are not yet necessarily taking part in the kinds of social networking sites that pose the kind of security threats that pertain to this lesson, so, this information may be very new to many of the students. Mostly at this stage in their school careers, the students visit game websites, where the possibility of conversations with other people is not yet a large factor (though there are exceptions to this- “Runescape” is one popular game that //does// have the element of conversations with other players, and it is possible that a participant can be a threat to others).
 * Pre-Activities: **

So, it will be necessary to make sure that students are familiar with some of the definitions of the kinds of websites (MySpace, in particular) that offer the possibility that they could enter a conversation with someone they do not know. Also, in the process of using Blogs and Wikis, it is possible that students could reveal personal information that would put them at risk.

An important pre-activity for this unit will be a “KWL” sort of discussion about what students currently know about the kind of websites that exist on the internet, and then a session in which they are shown some of the different kinds of websites and define them (social networking (MySpace in particular), blogs, wikis, and also Instant Messaging).


 * Connect and Engage: Teacher Modeling and Guided Practice/Instructional Procedure: The class will view the videos; after each we will discuss as a class, then students will be given the chart below to complete.**
 * ( Please note: The chart given to the students should have the correction column be blank.)**

Details: In this lesson, the modeling will be more of a modeling of what NOT to do, vis a vis video clips, followed by discussions of what mistakes the characters in the videos made, and what might have been done to avoid these mistakes. Through this approach, we will be able to develop our own “Best Internet Practices” Chart.

Use the LCD projector to show I safe-internet movies that demonstrate different areas that students need to be aware of when using the internet, particularly for interactive acitivites like blogging (but also Instant Messaging, etc.). The i-safe movies are less than 10 minutes a piece, and so perfectly designed for use during the short library period. After each movie, class will discuss. Then students will be handed a partially completed chart which states the mistakes that the person in the video made. Students should be able to fill in the ‘Corrected: column – should be able to write a sentence about what to do differently to avoid the mistakes listed. It may take more than one class to watch videos, discuss, and have students fill in the Mistake/Correction/Comments Charts for each video.

Because I am the school librarian, and only see each class for 40 minutes per week, the units must be short and to the point. Students will be asked to view videos, discuss with the class, then complete a quick “Mistakes/Corrections/Comments” chart. After completing these videos, discussions and charts,, students will be asked to read a script of an online conversation, and then answer some questions about what the student involved in the conversation did right or wrong in terms of the ideas about internet safety.

Video clips for this unit are from the I Safe website: [|http://www.isafe.org] Once on their website, choose the “Teacher” tab, and then choose the online training option (one has to log in in order to participate online). (Note about iSafe videos: Our district currently teaches the “iSafe program” in middle school. This is a few program prepared by a non-profit organization. The organization requires that a teacher be trained before being sent isafe materials. The videos I have used are part of the training videos. I have completed my training online with iSafe, but have not yet received my materials.)


 * Video 1: Predators! (8 min.)**


 * Video description**: the video is a dramatization (made by a middle-school student) of a boy who has agreed to meet someone (a girl, he thinks) outside his school on a Saturday. The person who comes for him is a middle-aged man, who says he is there to pick up the boy and bring him to his daughter. The boy gets into the truck, but has a “flashback” memory of one of his teachers telling them about the dangers of meeting strangers on the internet. The boy jumps from the truck at a stop light, but the man chases him, even into his school. The boy is able to call for help while hiding under a desk, and the story ends happily.

The goal of this lesson is for students to state, by way of a comment on the blog after viewing the video, what the boy did wrong that led him into this situation. They should be able to say that:


 * 1) The boy believed (in error) that he was talking to a girl on the internet. His first mistake was not to doubt that the person was who she said she was.
 * 2) In order for the two to arrange to meet, it is implied that he revealed enough information about where he lived so that the person knew it was possible for them to meet.
 * 3) Agreeing to meet the person, without going with an adult to accompany them.
 * 4) Getting into a vehicle with a stranger.


 * Predator Video:**
 * **MISTAKE** || **CORRECTION** || **Notes/Comments** ||
 * **Boy believed he was talking to a girl his age on internet. His mistake was not to question that the person he was talking to was who they said they were.** || **Always question the identity of the person you are talking to on the internet, even if they have sent you a picture.** ||  ||
 * **Revealing personal information about where he lived, so that the person knew it was possible for them to meet** . || **Pay special attention to conversations when the issue of WHERE you are located comes up. Be careful not to state or even reveal though information about yourself that the person you are talking to would know that you live close enough to meet them.**
 * Be careful when answering seemingly harmless/innocent questions such as the weather in your area, school colors or mascots, areas of local interest, etc. These kinds of facts can be used to piece together a picture about where you live** ||  ||
 * **The boy agreed to meet his internet friend, and further compounded his error by going to meet this person alone, and without informing anyone of what he was doing.** || **Never agree to meet someone you have met on the internet, unless it is with your parents knowledge and involvement.** ||  ||
 * **The boy got into a vehicle of a stranger!!** || **NEVER!!!!** ||  ||


 * Evaluation:** The following simple rubric will be used:
 * 4 points: ** the student is able to name at least 4 ways to correct the mistakes that the person in the video made.
 * 3 points: ** the student is able to name at least 3 ways to correct the mistakes that the person in the video made.
 * 2 points: ** the student is able to name at least 3 ways to correct the mistakes that the person in the video made.
 * 1 point: ** the student is able to name 1 way to correct the mistakes that the person in the video made.


 * Video Clip # 2: Abduction Video (4.5 min.)**


 * Video description:** This video tells the sad and true story of a young girl who was eventually kidnapped and killed by a person she has been friendly with on the internet, over a long period of time. (She thought she had a close online relationship with a 17-year-old boy, when in fact she was talking to a 47-year-old man with a history of sexual molestation. As with video #1, we will view video together and discuss, then students will fill out the chart below as individuals:


 * Abduction Video:**
 * **MISTAKE** || **CORRECTION** || **COMMENTS** ||
 * Girl believed she was talking to a person her age- she believed that the person she was talking to was who he said he was. || Unfortunately, you always have to keep in mind that people may not be who they say they are online. ||  ||
 * The girl gave out personal information about where she lived, and much more. || Never give out personal information online. ||  ||
 * The girl had not told her father about this online friend. || Inform the adults in your life about people that you have conversations with online, particularly if this is a person you are talking to more than once. ||  ||
 * The girl posted a picture of herself online. || Never post a picture of yourself online- then a predator can know exactly what you look like. ||  ||


 * Evaluation:** The following simple rubric will be used:
 * 4 points: ** the student is able to name at least 4 ways to correct the mistakes that the person in the video made.
 * 3 points: ** the student is able to name at least 3 ways to correct the mistakes that the person in the video made.
 * 2 points: ** the student is able to name at least 3 ways to correct the mistakes that the person in the video made.
 * 1 point: ** the student is able to name 1 way to correct the mistakes that the person in the video made.


 * Video Clip #3 : The Man Who Came to Dinner(4 min.)**


 * Video description: T**his video tells the true story of a 13-year-old girl named Sarah who had been chatting online with another 13-year-old girl that she knew as “SoccerPro” for months. Sarah had been careful not to post her picture or reveal her real name, or her school name when she was online. Because of small clues she gave over the course of their friendship online, “SoccerPro” was able to track her down to a school soccer practice and then follow her home. SoccerPro turned out to be a detective who met with Sarah and her parents to show her that even small, seemingly innocent clues about your life can easily lead a motivated person to your door.

The goal of this lesson is for students to state, by way of a comment on the blog after viewing the video, what mistakes they saw on the part of the girl. Specifically, students should be able to name what clues the predator followed in order to find Sarah. The following fact is well communicated by this short video:


 * The Man Who Came to Dinner Video:**
 * **MISTAKE** || **CORRECTION** || **COMMENTS** ||
 * Sarah believed that the person she had been talking to over a long period of time, her friend SoccerPro, was a girl her own age, when in fact it was a Police Detective. || Students should always question the identity of who they are talking to online, even if it is someone they have talked to for a long time. ||  ||
 * Even though Sarah thought she was being careful about revealing personal information online, and never directly stated personal information, in fact she gave away enough details over time that SoccerPro was able to track her directly to her house! || Be careful about revealing personal information, even the kinds of information that seems innocent, like what time your parents get home, your school colors, whether or not you or your team has won a championship. Even just revealing the state you live in is enough for someone to begin to track you down. ||  ||
 * What four things did Sarah reveal that enabled the predator to find her and made her vulnerable? || State, school colors, her number on the soccer team, school ranking in state championships, what time her parent got home at night. ||  ||


 * Evaluation:** The following simple rubric will be used:
 * 4 points: ** the student is able to name at least 4 things that Sarah revealed that allowed the predator to find her.
 * 3 points: ** the student is able to name 3 things that Sarah revealed that allowed the predator to find her.
 * 2 points: ** the student is able to name 2 things that Sarah revealed that allowed the predator to find her.
 * 1 point: ** the student is able to name 1 thing Sarah revealed that allowed the predator to find her.


 * Guided Practice: Chat Script**


 * Goal: Students will be divided into 4 groups, then given a script of conversations (see next page) between a group of 5 people in a chat room. There is a line after each person’s statement on which students can either put “OK” or “NO”, indicating that the person has revealed something that they should not have revealed in the conversation with people that they don’t know. Students should be able to identify at least the very glaring mistakes made, and some of the more subtle mistakes.**


 * Each group will then “report out” to the class, and we will discuss all the groups’ results together.**


 * Evaluation:** The following simple rubric will be used:
 * 3 points: ** students are able to name all the things that their person revealed that were not a good idea.
 * 2 points: ** the students are able to name most of the things that their person revealed that were not a good idea
 * 1 points: ** the students are able to name at least one thing that their person revealed that was not a good idea.
 * Extra point ** awarded to any group that notices that “Coolio” asks a lot of questions, but reveals very little, making Coolio a possible predator.


 * SAMPLE CHAT

** __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __After all of the above activities have been completed, work together with entire class to create a “Best Internet Practices” Chart that can be posted in the library, and also once completed can be sent home with students to post at home near the computer that they use at home:
 * 1. Queenbee123 ** 4: I hate Algebra!!!!!
 * 2. S **** urferdude **** 14: ** I sooo sympathize – my math teacher gave me 28 problems for homework. _
 * 3. Melanie13: ** You guys are so smart, I’m just in regular math. ___
 * 4. S **** urfer **** dude14: ** Really – what school do you go to? _
 * 5. Melanie13: ** Brinnett Palms, its in Miami Florida. ___
 * 6. Coolio: ** You are sooo lucky girl, I live in stinking Wisconsin. I never get to sunbathe. _
 * 7. TYlerkid ** : I live in California – love the waves. ___
 * 8. Queenbee1234: ** I always wanted to visit California – My mom and sisters think I’m stupid since I live near the water anyway. _
 * 9. TYlerkid: ** Yeah, you haven’t lived until you’ve tried surfing. Send me your emails and I’ll send you a neat picture of me on this ten foot wave I caught one day. ___
 * 10. Coolio: ** awesome – mine is coolio@aol.com _
 * 11. Queenbee1234: ** Ok – queenbeeinsavannah@earthlink.net ___
 * 12. Melanie13: ** I don’t have my own – only my parents. My dad likes to “supervise” what we receive. But hey – you can mail it to me – I’m at 515 Palm Ave Miami, FL 21212 _
 * 13. S **** urfer **** dude14: ** Hey TYlerkid, I’d really like to talk to you, I’m planning to come out that way with my parents. Maybe I could call you and get some ideas. I don’t want to be stuck with my parents the whole time! ___
 * 14. TYlerkid: ** No prob man – it’s 8 1 8-555-1941 _
 * 15. Coolio: ** I would kill to go over there. My birthday is next week, maybe if I beg and plead my parents would agree to a little vacation. ___
 * 16. Melanie13: ** You are sooo lucky. I have to wait another three months for my birthday. It’s like everyone else I know is older then me – I’m a young 8th grader. _
 * 17. Queenbee1234: ** Well I have the opposite problem – I should be in 9th grade but I got held back in 1st grade. ___
 * 18. TYlerkid: ** Hey Queenbee – what is your real name. You and coolio have these funky screen names. _
 * 19. Queenbee1234: ** My mom helped me pick it – she didn’t want people to be able to tell much about me. My name’s really plain – Sara. Yeah – Plain Sara from dull Hemingford ☺ ___
 * 20. Coolio: ** Nah – I’m not telling mine. I like my screen name much better. I mean have you ever heard a good guys name that started with an H? _
 * 21. Melanie13: ** An H? Hmmmm – Hank? Harvie? ___
 * 22. Coolio: ** Nope – not even close! And you can stop there – I’m not telling. _
 * Best Internet Practices Chart or List:**

Best Internet Practices:__
 * Students will: || Students will not: ||

__ The following internet safety quiz online will be bookmarked on the library computers:__ __ After some time has passed since completing Lessons 1-4, I will have a class in the library where I will be Instant Messaging, plugging the computer into an LCD projector so that all the students can watch the conversation. In our district, “IMing” happens within a closed system, only between other verified participants (teachers, staff members and administrators) in our district. With the help of a colleague or two who might lend me their login ID’s, I will let two students at a time sit at the library computers and join into the conversation. I will play the role of a predator, pretending to be a student their age. I will ask different questions with an eye towards getting them to reveal something about themselves. This should be fun for the students, and good practice at “thinking on their feet”, and being alert to the pitfalls of online conversations.
 * Follow-up Activites:**
 * []**

The reason for not using a commercial IM package such as AIM is that most of these students probably do not yet practice instant messaging at home- this seems to happen more in middle school, along with getting a My Space Page. I do not want to be perceived as the person encouraging children to begin these activities before they have discussed them with their parents. But I strongly believe that with or without their parents knowledge, they will be participating in these things when in middle school, so I feel it is very important to forearm them with some awareness of the dangers and some strategies for protecting themselves.


 * Lesson 3: What is a Blog?? **
 * Grades 4 & 5 **

Before asking students to use the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award Blog, they should be introduced to Blogs in general, starting with a definition of what blogs are, followed by visiting different blogs to begin to understand the wide variety of blogs that exist. Also, I would like students to visit the comments section of blogs to see what kinds of comments people make, and what kinds of comments work best and are most interesting for the reader.
 * Goals: **


 * Lesson Standards: **
 * (NETS-S): **

//a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of media and formats.// //b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.// //concepts, systems, and operations. Students:// //b.// //understand and use technology systems.//
 * // 2. //** //Communication and collaboration: students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.//
 * // 6. //**//Technology Operations and Concepts: students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology//


 * Teacher Modelling and Guided Practice: **
 * First, we will define the word “blog”.**

Definition: A blog (short for **web log**) is a personal online journal that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs are defined by their format: a series of entries posted to a single page in reverse-chronological order. Chronological order means in order by date, and reverse-chronological order just means the newest or most recent entry shows first. The author of a blog is often referred to as a blogger.

Next, teacher will use LCD projector to show class some different examples of blogs, and look quickly at a few of the comments that have been left on the blogs. After looking briefly at all four blogs shown below, We will work together to create a list showing the common elements of the four sites. that the students observed.

The list should include:

//*Keeping a blog is a lot like keeping a journal.//

//*The most recent posting date was on the front page or “home page” of the blog.//

//*We can see past listings by clicking the list on the side of the blog, or some sites will let you just scroll down to see// //the previous entries. Some let you do both.//

//*The comments button is at the end of each posting in small letters.//

//*Sometimes people get into a discussion in the comments section.//

Here is a really fun blog for kids, created by the Auston Children’s Museum: []

Here’s a fun author’s blog (Mo Willems- you know- “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus”, etc.): []

and here is the blog I made this year for our annual 4th grade Battle of the Books: []

This is a really great blog called “Dog-Eared”, and the focus is popular children’s books- check it out and see if you can find a book you have read recently: []

These blogs will be bookmarked on all library computers as well, so that
 * Collaborative practice: **Together, the class will compose and post a comment to one of the blogs.


 * Assessment: ** Assessment for this lesson will be more informal, based on student participation, random questioning from teacher during lesson, and participation in composing a comment for the blog. Because this lesson is really about introducing blogs, it is too early to assess their understanding in any more formal way.

[]
 * Follow-up Activities: ** You may want to create your own blog. You would have to start by speaking with your parents about this. Visit this website to find some great ideas about creating your own blog, and some Blogging “Do’s and Don’ts”:


 * Lesson 4: Mind your Internet Manners: Netiquette **
 * (Being a Good Digital Citizen) **


 * Goal: ** The goal of this lesson is to introduce the students to the concept of Good Digital Citizenship or Digital Etiquette. There are many aspects to good digital citizenship, and they will be defined briefly in the introduction. However, special emphasis will be placed on good manners when chatting or commenting on a blog. Other aspects of good digital citizenship can and should be explored later. At the end of this lesson, students will be aware that there is such a thing as good manners online, and will be able to give a couple of examples of good digital manners.

//practice legal and ethical behavior. Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to// //technology and practice legal and ethical behavior.//
 * Lesson Standards: **
 * NETS-S: **// 5. Digital Citizenship: students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and//


 * Connect and Engage: **
 * Introduction: ** Begin discussion with a question to students about “what is a citizen?” and what it means to be a “good citizen”. Record answers on paper or chart. Move on to ask what students think it could mean to be a good //digital// citizen? (You will probably want to explain the term “digital” as something that happens on the computer). Record answers on paper/chart. Please note: set up in front of screen with LCD projector, since you will need to type things for students to see in different parts of this lesson.

Explain that being a good digital citizen means a lot of different things, but that some of the most important things are:__
 * Engagement: **

__*It is considered rude to type words in all capital letters- it is considered to be SHOUTING! If you want to emphasize a word, you can put an asterisk or star in front of it and after it, or use italics (demonstrate to students).__ __Even if someone else has broken this rule, do not answer them back in the same rude way- best to answer in a polite way and end the discussion. Did you know that anything you post on the internet will be there forever? You should never write anything that you would not want someone to see at some later time.__ __In the same way, look over other comments from other bloggers. Try not to just repeat what someone else has said. It is best to try and add something new to the discussion.
 * __It is important not to copy other people’s work without giving them credit- that is, it is important to give credit to the person/place that provided the information. Usually people try to rephrase the information in their own words, but it is still important to tell the source of your information,__
 * __It is important to be just as polite online as you would be in person. Just because people cannot see you doesn’t mean it is OK to act differently than you would act in person.__
 * __Never go into a classmates file and change their work to play a trick on them. It is very important to respect other people’s work and never tamper with it (change it or damage it in any way).__
 * __If commenting on a blog, please keep your comments relevant to the topic; that is, please don’t say silly things that aren’t related to the subject of the blog posting.__

Now, divide students into groups and pass out handout sheets to each person. Give the students some time to complete, and then discuss the answers with the class. (Students may discuss the answers before writing). Please note: This part of this lesson along with handout sheets was taken from CyberSmart.com:

[]

Assessment: The success of this lesson will be judged by the student responses, both verbally during discussion and from written responses on handouts.
 * Lesson #5: Blogging on the R.I. Children’s Book Award Blog **


 * Goal: ** This lesson is the culmination of this unit. The ultimate goal is to help our students become effective bloggers. So many skills come together to make a successful blogger, and this unit has been an attempt to introduce elementary level students to the variety of skills and information that will help them to begin to blog in an optimal way.The focus of this final lesson is making effective, interesting comments on blogs, as well as being good readers of blogs. In order to participate in a discussion, one also must be able to read the comments of others, and respond appropriately. After all, the ultimate goal of a blog is to contact other people and exchange information, not just document our own opinions. Ideally, blogs build community. I have modeled a comment for a book that all the students will be read on the R.I. Children’s Book Award **(RICBA)** website. The comment was made for the book__ Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City (Hardcover) __by Janet Schulman.
 * Lesson standards: **
 * Habit of Writing: Writing Extensively (W-11) W–4–11 + W-5-11;**
 * Reading-Writing Connection: Writing in Response to Literary or Informational Text- Showing Understanding of Ideas in Text (W-2) W–4–2, W-5-2;**
 * Reading-Writing Connection: Writing in Response to Literary or Informational Text- Making Analytical Judgments about Text (W-3) W–4–3, W-5-3;**
 * Literary Texts: Generates a Personal Response (R-16)** **R–4–16, R-5-16;**
 * Breadth of** **Reading****: Reading Widely and Extensively** **(R-14) R–4–14, R-5-16;**
 * Breadth of** **Reading****: Participating in a Literate Community (R-17) R-4-17, R-5-17;**


 * Information Literacy Standards:**
 * Standard 8:** **Practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information technology, as described by the following indicators:**
 * 4.** **respects the principals of intellectual freedom;**
 * 5.** **respects intellectual property rights;**
 * 6.** **uses information technology responsibly;**

Students should be introduced to the R.I. Children’s Book Award (RICBA) before beginning this lesson. Students must have been read__ Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City (Hardcover)__ by Janet Schulman in order to complete this lesson.
 * Lesson Pre-activity:**


 * Teacher Model and Guided Practice: ** Use LCD projector to go the **RICBA** blog and read the comment that I posted to the blog about the Pale Male book: **[].** Work with class to make one more comment to this section of the blog. Give each student the web address of the RICBA blog on a piece of paper to take home. Included on the paper will be brief instructions and a comment rubric (see below). (In addition, the RICBA blog will be bookmarked on all library computers). Students will be required to make one comment under this book. Their comment will be evaluated using the following rubric:


 * Assessment piece: **


 * Blog Comment Rubric**
 * || 4 points || 3 points || 2 points || 1 point ||
 * Comment is more involved than a single sentence. || Comment is at least one paragraph long, including more than 4 sentences. || Comment is more than 4 sentences. || Comment is more than 3 sentences. || Comment is more than 2 sentences. ||
 * Comment mentions more than one fact or element of the book. || Comment mentions at least 3 things about the book and poses a question that others could respond to. at the end of the comment. || Comment mentions 4 things about the book. || Comment mentions 3 things about the book. || Comment mentions at least 2 things about the book. ||
 * Comment is relevant to the book, and does not stray too much from the subject || Comment includes 4-5 points about the book. || Comment includes 3-4 solid points about the book. || Comment includes 1-2 solid points about the book. || Comment includes something about the book. ||


 * Lesson modification: ** Student may have help in typing the comment. If they can say something about the book, a friend or helper may type the comments for them.