Tips from a Tech Teacher: Responsible Use/Citing Sources

With all of the new devices in our building and the amount of digital information students are able to access, I thought it would be a good reminder for everyone to recognize that when students are using sources and information from the Internet, they should be citing them.  If students use information or images that they did not personally create without citing, they are technically plagiarizing.  It's important that we are all on the same page and have the same high standard for learning.  (It's not as easy as just copying and pasting.)

Here are the Ohio Technology (2003) standards and New Ohio ELA standards that address this point.  

Ohio Technology Standards (2003):  Responsible use of technology.

3rd Grade:  

Understand that people use technology to create new items and that the creator may own the rights of these items.

4th Grade:  

Practice respect for intellectual property rights.

Discuss ownership rights.

5th Grade:  

Discuss patent, copy right, trade name/trademark protection and the rights of the owner of the work.  

Discuss basic uses related to responsible use of technology and personal consequences of inappropriate use (plagiarism of intellectual property)

Credit all participants for their work.  

Ohio Technology Standards (2003):  Information Literacy

1st Grade:  

Tell where information came from.

2nd Grade: 

Give credit to the sources used for work by listing the author and name of source.

3rd Grade:  

Give credit to sources used.

4th Grade:  

Construct a list of the sources used.

5th Grade:  

Cite sources used:  author, title of resource, publisher of source of information, and copyright date.  

Ohio New Learning Standards  ELA:  Research to Build and Present Knowledge

3rd Grade:  

Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.

4th Grade:  

Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.

5th Grade:  

Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.

Tips from a Tech Teacher

I have done a unit with my 3rd graders about Acceptable Use Agreements. 

Did you know that every time you press the "OK" button to sign into the computer at school you are agreeing to following all of the rules of the AUA?  The AUA screen is just a snapshot of the entire district Acceptable Use Agreement. I know that I like to know what I'm signing up for before I sign my name and agree to it.  So I was very glad that I read the fine print to know what I agree to every time I use the school computer.  

A couple of interesting points:  

-Internet Safety:  Our AUA warns users that they have individual responsibility and that access to electronic network has a potential for access to materials that are not appropriate.  Each user is expected to take responsibility and stay away from these sites.  (I understood this as in case a student pursues a bad site, he or she has a responsibility and therefore will have a consequence.  It doesn't necessarily mean that your lesson was wrong or inappropriate.)

-Commercial transactions:  users aren't supposed to buy or sell anything over the Internet.  (Does this mean purchasing classroom materials on our school device is not okay?  I'm not sure about this one.  Something to think about, I suppose.)

-Games:  games may not be played on any school computers.  (I understood this as unless they are purposeful to education.)

Remember all students K-12 are expected to either sign the AUA every year, or have a parent or guardian sign it.  If they don't sign it, they are not welcome to use the Internet and technology at our school.

Productivity Tools for Little Ones

ABCya Paint

When students create products, they use the thinking skills of application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.  ABCya Paint is an online learning activity that allows students to insert text and illustrate their writing.  I use ABCya Paint to have my Kindergarten and 1st Graders produce journal entries.

Kindergarten students are writing a journal and illustrating using ABCya Paint.

Hardware, Software, and Multimedia for K and 1st Grade

Kindergarten and 1st Grade Online Learning Activity

Find the Technology

This online learning activity encourages Kindergarten and 1st Grade students to learn the proper vocabulary of technology hardware, software, and multimedia.

Keyboarding For Kids

Kindergarten and 1st Grade Keyboarding Activities

Keyboard Zoo

Type Rocket

Cup Stacking

BBC Typing

2nd Grade through 5th Grade Keyboarding Activities

Cup Stacking

Keyboard Invasion

Keyboard Challenge

Retro Typer

Typing Race

Type Rocket 60

Ghost Typing

BBC Typing

Typing Web

Keyboarding skills are necessary for Kindergarten through 5th Grade students to master in the 21st Century.  Districts don't usually have enough money to purchase programs for individual student computers.  Additionally, software installed on personal computers becomes outdated quickly.  I've come across a few very effective free online keyboarding resources for my Kindergarten through 5th Grade students.

Some people would argue that Kindergarten and 1st Grades are too young to teach keyboarding.  I disagree.  If we want students to create products using technology, we must introduce how to write using the keyboard.  If students are able to write with a pencil, they should be able to write with a keyboard.  The games I introduce to my younger children help students become aware of letter placement.  They then are able to move on to writing sentences using the keyboard.  This opens up writing entries on blogs and making other products like journals with sentences and illustrations on a paint program.  

Keyboarding for students in 2nd through 5th Grade is based more on touch typing.  In the older grades, I introduce keyboard skins so that they are able to memorize key placement.