On 23 January, Bournemouth University hosted an international conference aiming to improve how students use technology and interact online. Called the Digital Citizenship Summit UK (DigCitSummitUK), it is a unique conference geared towards safe, savvy, and ethical use of social media and tech. “Digital Citizenship” is an umbrella term used to describe the expectations of being a digital citizen in regards to ethics, etiquette, rights, and responsibilities. Common topics that are discussed include cyberbullying, empathy online, trolls, security, savvy use of social media, and online reputation. Digital Citizenship Summit UK featured a diverse range of prominent educational, parenting, and industry leaders, including four American speakers from the inaugural Digital Citizenship Summit held in the United States last October.
“This is an international event with speakers coming from Singapore, Ireland, United Kingdom, Spain and five American and will include two student speakers. This is a remarkable testament to the connected educator community and grassroots movement the desire for reform and to impact change, and demonstrates what educators are capable when there is a culture of trust and collaboration” says co-founder Dr. Marialice B.F.X. Curran, an American educator and recognised digital citizenship leader. “Digital Citizenship Summit UK has been organised by a group of volunteers within 2 months and is shaping up to be an exciting event where people can truly influence the global conversation around social media and tech use.”
The event was reported across media platforms, and trended 4th in world on twitter
CELs Debbie Holley presented her research in school:
Speaker: Dr Debbie Holley, Associate Professor, Centre for Excellence in Learning, Bournemouth University; Philip Howlett, Principal lecturer, Dept of Education, Anglia Ruskin University; Dr Nick Rudman, Headteacher, Maylandsea Primary School
Session Title: “Capturing the voice of the child: a co-design approach to developing calmer classrooms”
The ‘voice of the child’ is lacking within traditional literature framing classroom behaviour, and this project set out to develop a set of resources to assist trainee teachers to view their classes from the perspective of the child. The class of 11 year old children in our study developed, planned, wrote and directed video clips on their own ideas of issues that affected their learning. This presentation will cover the co-design workshop with the children, and showcase their ideas. By appreciating how children see barriers to their own learning, trainee teachers can develop insights into their own practice.
This session focused on the Digital Access aspects of Digital Citizenship, as co-design workshops aims to give all participants a voice, and the session encompassed the challenge and opportunities of working with a diverse set of participants.
