The 6 tech skills expected of all incoming freshmen - six

In 2005, I outlined five skills classroom teachers should expect all incoming high school freshman to have mastered. Eight years ago. Time for an update. I'll look at each skill, one per day, and add a 6th skill area - Managing one's online presence. Each skill is accompanied by a set of expectations, a performance task, and an evaluation checklist. Changes to the 2005 document are in bold. This skill, number 6, is entirely new.

Managing one's online presence

Expectations:

I am mindful that my actions and communications when using online resources will have a lasting impact on both my personal and professional reputation. I share personal information only with known and trustworthy individuals and organizations. I can articulate a personal code of conduct for my online actitivities. 

1. I understand and adjust the settings of my social networking sites, including Facebook.
2. I respect the privacy of others by limiting the photographs and other information I post to public sites.
3. I can define bullying, understand its potential impact on others, and know what to do if I am bullied.
4. I know only to share personal data (phone numbers, addresses, social security numbers, etc.) with trusted sources. I understand what spam and spoofing are.
5. I can articulate how what I post online may have both postiive and negative long-term effects on my education, career and personal life.

Assignment

Submit a one page paper in which you reflect on the places you now have an online presence and the personal guidelines you follow when deciding to post to public online sites. Descibe how you are (or might) create an online portfoilio of your creative work.

Assessment checklist

• Your name, your teacher’s name, class name and hour on the paper.
• A clear and complete list of public sites where you may have personal information.
• A specific list of personal guidelines you use when deciding to post online.
• A clear and specific plan, including tools used, to create an online portfolio of work.

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The 6 tech skills expected of all incoming freshmen - five

In 2005, I outlined five skills classroom teachers should expect all incoming high school freshman to have mastered. Eight years ago. Time for an update. I'll look at each skill, one per day, and add a 6th skill area - Managing one's online presence. Each skill is accompanied by a set of expectations, a performance task, and an evaluation checklist. Changes to the 2005 document are in bold.
 

Internet-enabled research

I can use the Internet to efficiently locate information in both print and digital formats to answer my educational and personal questions. I know about and can locate information from the “free” Internet, full-text periodical databases, reference materials, and books located using the online library catalogs. I have criteria by which I evaluate the reliability of the information sources I find. I can properly cite electronic all sources of information.

1. Effectively use an Internet browser.
2. Use directories and search engines to locate information on a topic.
3. Use the “Advanced Search” feature and term delimiters (and, not, or quotation marks, etc.) to effectively locate information.
4. Know the subscription databases (reference materials and full-text magazine databases) available to you.
5. Use your school’s and region’s on-line library catalogs to locate books. Know the procedure for interlibrary loan.
6. Print, copy or clip to an online storage space a selection of a page from the WWW.
7. Know and understand the district’s Acceptable Use Policy for Internet use.
8. Use selection criteria to determine the reliability of information taken from Internet resources.
9. Use a tool to curate sources of information on a topic (Evernote, Diigo, Delicious, etc.)

Assignment

Submit a short paper that includes:

A word-processed bibliography of five information sources located by using the Internet on a single topic of your choice (or assigned by the teacher). The bibliography, in the citation style required by your teacher, must include:

A magazine article accessed using a full-text magazine index.

An Internet site.

A book in your school or local public library.

An example of using limiters with a search engine in conducting an Internet search.

 A paragraph copied from one these sources, with a clear indication that this is copied material.

A paragraph defending the authority of an Internet source you listed.

A description/link to a curation tool you use to store Internet links, websites or downloaded information.

Assessment checklist

• Your name, your teacher’s name, class name and hour on the bibliography.
• Five sources of information including:
  • A magazine article accessed using a full-text magazine index.
  • An Internet site.
  • A book in your school or local public library.
• Each source is correctly cited.
• A paragraph copied from an online source with a clear indication of its origin.
• A short rationale for the authority of an Internet source.
• An example of using limiters with a search engine in conducting an Internet search.
• The link to the curation tool used to store found links and resources.

The 6 tech skills expected of all incoming freshmen - four

In 2005, I outlined five skills classroom teachers should expect all incoming high school freshman to have mastered. Eight years ago. Time for an update. I'll look at each skill, one per day, and add a 6th skill area - Managing one's online presence. Each skill is accompanied by a set of expectations, a performance task, and an evaluation checklist. Changes to the 2005 document are in bold. (This one was called E-mail Use and is now Online Communications)

E-Mail Use Online Communications
 

Expectations:

I can communicate effectively online using a variety of tools. I have an e-mail account that I use on a regular basis to communicate with teachers, other students, and people who might be considered experts in areas in which I am doing research. I know proper e-mail “netiquette” and safety precautions. I send and open e-mail attachments. I have an address book and signature file. I can participate in online discussions on official school forums (Moodle, Edmodo, Schoology, etc.) I can use the comments feature within online documents to give and receive suggestions to the work.  I can:

1. Access and open my school e-mail account.
2. Identify my e-mail user name, mail server domain name, and password.
3. Check and configure e-mail settings.
4. Get new mail.
5. Open, read and delete a message.
6. Send a message.
7. Reply to a message, forward a message, print a message and find a saved message.
8. Create an address book.
9. Set up a mailing list.
10. Create a signature file.
11. Organize and store sent and received messages.
12. Send, receive and open attachments
13. Participate in online classroom discussion forums.
14. Enable and use the commenting feature in online documents like GoogleDocs.
15. Understand e-mail online “netiquette” and safety including:
    1. Privacy issues.
    2. Spam/spoofing.
    3. Virus threats in attachments.
    4. Importance of a signature file.

Assignment

Send an e-mail to the teacher giving you this assignment. Attach a word-processed document or link to an online file that answers the following questions:

1. What does the concept “limited right to privacy” mean in school and business settings?
2. What precautions should one take when opening an attachment and why?
3. What do “spam” and “spoofing” mean and how do you protect yourself from them?

Logon to the class discussion forum and add your response to these discussion item:

1. Should the same rules that apply to verbal harassment in school apply to online communications? Why or why not?

Assessment checklist

• Your name, your teacher’s name, class name and hour is in the e-mail message.
• The message includes a signature.
• The e-mail message includes a message indicating that it includes an attachment.
• The attached document adequately answers questions regarding safe and ethical use.
• The online forum comment was  relevant and thoughtful.