Digital Citizenship

How can you practice good digital citizenship? There are many resources to help you learn to be safe, polite, and appropriate when you are online. Use the links below to learn about the many elements of being a good Digital Citizen.


On Guard Online
Stop Cyberbullying
Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship
BrainPop: Digital Etiquette
iSafe Internet Safety Tips
NetSmartz Tweens Videos
Digizen Kids-resources for understanding digital citizenship
Stop Cyberbullying

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Practicing Effective Google Search Strategies

Understanding how Google, or any search engine, works can help you understand how to use key terms and other strategies for searching the web effectively.  Without careful consideration of key terms, you will likely end up with too many results, or with information that is not useful or appropriate.
Google offers many Tips & Tricks for effective web searching, but the best advice is to keep it simple!
Use basic names and words, trying to imagine the website you want to find, and which words might be associated with it.  For example, if you want to find out what is happening in Boston this weekend, you would get better results in you typed the key terms Boston events, than if you typed what is happening in Boston.
This video explaining how Google Search works might help you develop the ability to come up with effective key terms, and start to become a master Google searcher.


This video explains strategies for using key terms for effective online searches: Web Strategies in Plain English

You can practice your Google search skills with A Google A Day, a scavenger hunt game where Google asks a question, and you find the answer as quickly as you can by typing key terms into the Google search box.

Evaluating Websites

Most people rely heavily on the Internet for research, but not all Web resources are created equal. You should always evaluate the web sites you find carefully. Is the information up-to-date? Is the web site accurate? Is it believable?

Evaluate these sites about endanged species. Which one would you choose to make a donation to help save the endangered animal?

 

Next, visit each of the following web sites.

1) The Florida Panther
2) Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle
3) The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
4) Northern Right Whale

Use  your worksheet to record your notes. Decide which website is most deserving of our donation and rank it #1.  You can rank the other websites too, giving #4 to the one you decided is the worst. 

Blast Off! Grade 4 Solar System Adventure

Blast off -solar system webquest lesson

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Educational Links for Students - at school, home, or anywhere!

Blanchard students and teachers can find links to some great educational Internet resources on our newly-created web-based bookmarking sites.  I have created separate sites on portaportal.com for grades 1, 2, 3, and 4, with more to come soon.  Click below to open the bookmarking site for your grade level, and then click to open any of the websites listed. 

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Summer Reading

Summertime is the perfect time to read some good books!

Need a suggestion for something to read? There are plenty of resources on the Internet with lists of books, and even games to keep to you interested.  Check them out, and happy reading!

Guys Read http://www.guysread.com/

Kids Reads http://www.kidsreads.com/
Scholastic Books www.scholastic.com/summerreading
Summer Reading http://www.summerreading.org/
iRead: Summer Reading Lists http://www.iread.ila.org/

Internet Safety

Surf the Web Safely!
Are you always safe when you search the web? Do you practice good netiquette? Are you a cyberbully? It's always a good idea to think about how you are using the web, and to practice appropriate Internet skills and manners. These websites will help remind you how to be a good Internet citizen.
Keeping Kids Safe
Safety Tips for Kids
Internet Safety with Professor Garfield
Internet Safety with Sid
License to Surf
Cyberbullies Beware!