This week in the digital citizenship course I am apart of, we are talking a lot about what our roles as educators look like. There is a lot of conversation about how we should be modelling digital citizenship to our students. One of the questions that is up for discussion is “how do we become and remain digitally fluent and knowledgeable about the emerging digital world that our students already embrace?”

I believe as educators, it is crucial for us to stay engaged digitally ourselves if we expect to understand what our students are experiencing. By being active and sharing our knowledge and ideas through twitter, blogging, or through Google plus, it allows us to connect with other educators and learn about the current digital culture.

At the school I interned at, some of the teachers put on an “Appy Hour” once a week that allows teachers to come together and share apps and resources that they find useful in the classroom. It allows teachers to share ideas and creates conversation about our digital world. Collaborating with other teachers through events like “Appy Hour” is what helps us grow as digital citizens, which in turns allows us to model to our students.

My favourite way of connecting and learning from other educators is through Twitter. I find so many great articles, blogs, videos, and pictures from people that I follow. I am able to connect with amazing educators from around the world and can easily keep up to date with news stories and trending articles. It is also a great way for my students to engage with others and develop digital citizenship. Twitter is a useful tool that I use to grow as a learner by sharing my knowledge, and learning from what other people have to share with me. The important aspect to any tool is that it allows us to connect with others, share ideas, and engage in collaboration.

-Amanda