Designing the Classroom Curriculum Designing the Classroom Curriculum | Page 154

Designing the Classroom Curriculum
critically assessing what they model to young people in physical school settings and in virtual space.
(Shariff & Gouin, 2006)
Schools, as part of the hidden curriculum have always taught social mores that reflect their society. These
values have changed over the centuries in which public education has existed. Society in the Western world,
influenced by the events taking place, changes and thus, the relationships between groups, language,
acceptable behaviour all change the social mores taught in school. As technology is increasingly integrated
into our society, the correct social usage of it is important for students to learn. Thus, teachers in modern
society need not only to be teaching technological literacy but also to be technologically literate themselves.
The
NSW
Government’s
Education
and
Communities
site,
“Digital
Citizenship”
(http://www.digitalcitizenship.nsw.edu.au/), is a suite of applications, resources, templates and tools to
assist teachers in their understanding of what skills need to be developed by both school communities and
students to develop students who are good Digital Citizen. This site is divided into three sections for Primary,
Secondary and Parents groups. Each section presents a series of activities suited to the specified group with
teacher resources and ideas to help them implement the program. This is much more efficient than having
individual teachers creating the same tasks over and over again.
In today’s society with its growing dependence on ICT (especially youth connectivity via the internet and
WEB 2 resources) it is essential that students are made aware of their status as Digital Citizens and also of
the responsibilities this carries. It is essential that we plan curriculums that ensures students can live in, work
in, play in and be safe in, digital communities.
CYBER-SAFETY
Naturally, cyber safety is a major concern across the school system. Teachers need to ensure
that their students are not only safe when on the internet but can navigate safely through the vast array of
web sites securely. Ensuring that your students are cyber safe is essential in education. The Australian
government’s “The Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner” site 71 (see footer for web address) has
a comprehensive program:
“Basic skills and using technology to learn are still high priorities but we need to move to the next
stage of digital citizenship. This includes media literacy and empowerment of young people to better
manage online risks such as cyberbullying and self-destructive online behaviour. It recognises young
people as stakeholders in positive internet use. Obey the law, have respect for others, act civilly and
sensibly.” (Office of the Childrens eSafty Commissioner, 2016)
Just as we teach road safety or water safety in Primary schools, so we need to teach Cyber Safety in our
classrooms. The main-stay of digital safety, your digital footprint, is an essential concept for both teachers
and students to understand. So the major concerns become, “What personal information is safe to put on
the internet? “How do I cope with Cyber-bullying?” “What is acceptable behaviour on the internet?” All of
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https://esafety.gov.au/?from=cybersmart
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