Bernasconi and Desler (2013) note:

The inequalities of the national digital divide are well known—English language learners (ELLs) are far less likely to have computers and Internet access at home than their mainstream peers, and they are much less likely to have access to online technology beyond drill-and-skill testing programs in their schools. This gap imperils the growth potential of these students. Concurrent with these challenges is a potentially huge opportunity. A growing number of ELL families are investing in a smart phone as the "family computer," and just as ELL students are often translators for the family's English language transactions, so too do they serve as the family's "digital" translators—helping parents navigate the online world for real-world needs.

Having seen firsthand in the classroom both these inequalities and opportunities reflected in my students, this article inspired me to create a unit on digital citizenship, implement it, and present at TESOL 2017 in Baltimore on my experience.

Bernasconi and Desler (2013), with these thoughts in mind, created the DigitalID Wiki. The purpose of this wiki is not only to provide access to materials and information about building strong digital citizens in our ELL population, but also to provide a collaborative platform for educators around the world to collect and share curriculum to build digital citizenship. Ribbel (2016) created a definition of digital citizenship that includes nine areas of concentration. The DigitalID Wiki project focuses on four of these areas: digital etiquette (cyber-bullying), digital communications (digital footprint), digital law (copyright infringement), and digital security (online safety).

I used the materials found in the wiki to develop a unit on digital citizenship, which I then implemented in an afterschool tutoring program. Although my target audience was middle school, due to my teaching assignment and limitations placed on instruction by Common Core requirements, I ultimately implemented the unit with a group of second grade students. Several adjustments were necessary to scaffold the materials for a younger audience, but this demonstrates the flexibility of the unit, as well as the abundance of materials for all age groups available on the wiki.

The unit is delivered through a PowerPoint presentation that guides students through the concepts of digital citizenship demonstrated through videos about copyright law, active learning through the creation of cyber-bullying skits, group collaboration through the brainstorming of secure passwords, and independent learning through the creation of a PowerPoint presentation about cyber-bullying. The wiki provides excellent opportunities to publish student work as appropriate. Accordingly, it provides examples of projects completed by other students worldwide to use a resource in implementing the unit.

My students enjoyed learning about digital citizenship, and I enjoyed the opportunity to present at TESOL 2017 about our experience. With so many concurrent sessions and excellent topics available, I was surprised to see anyone in my audience at all. I must have looked like a tourist, taking selfies of myself in front of the sign at the door and in front of my presentation screen. As a teacher from small-town, rural Tennessee, being accepted to speak at the international level is quite a humbling honor. In spite of my being very nervous, the session was successful—even the technology, which isn’t always a given. The main purpose of the session is not only to inform the audience about the wiki and demonstrate the lesson as my students experienced it, but also to provide instructional materials for the audience to take home and use in their classrooms.

If you want to learn more about the lessons I created or digital citizenship, please visit my webpage on the Southside Elementary School website to access the PowerPoint presentations mentioned in this article. Furthermore, let me encourage everyone to submit a proposal to present at TESOL or other state or regional conferences. It is a wonderful learning experience and a valuable opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from distant places.

References

Bernasconi, N., & Desler, G. (2013). Learning the language of digital citizenship. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol8/826-bernasconi.aspx

Ribble, M. (2016). Nine themes of digital citizenship. Retrieved from http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html

Jennifer Meyer, EdS, is a 1999 graduate of Universität Hamburg, Germany, and a 2010 graduate of Middle Tennessee State University. She has been teaching ESL in the USA and Germany for more than 20 years. She currently teaches K–2 ESL in rural southern middle Tennessee.