March 19, 2016. Barrington, RI. Media Smart Libraries hosted an unconference at Barrington High School Library in conjunction with EdTechRI titled Navigating Our Digital Lives: In School and Beyond. This organically created event brought together tech experts, administrators, teachers, parents, legal counsel and others to explore what it means for children and teens to be living and navigating a digital world.
The morning began with participants engaging in both traditional and digital activities. First they wrote on post-it notes one topic they wanted to learn about and one topic they thought they could contribute towards. They then moved to a digital activity and used a Chromebook to post questions for the panel using Padlet, a virtual bulletin board tool. The attendees included parents, teachers, administrators, librarians, and students, so there was a wide range of familiarity with digital citizenship and tech topics.
The first session was a panel discussion with David Kane, Attorney and Senior VP, Sargent Rehabilitation Center, Warwick; Paul Barrette, Director of Technology and Privacy Officer, Smithfield School District; Lynette Owens, Global Director of Internet Safety for Kids and Families, Trend Micro; and Tracey Kareemo, Common Sense Media Certified Teacher, Pawtucket School District, and FUSE Fellow. Eric Butash, Director of Strategy & Implementation at Highlander Institute, moderated the discussion. Participants posed questions about tech safety, internet safety, copyright, and having tough conversations with kids.
While the panel was going on, organizers created break out sessions based on the post-it note activity. Participants chose which breakout session they wished to attend and discussed social media, digital citizenship, and how to protect but not scare your children.
This was followed by our second panel discussion with Tom Driscoll, Director of Educational Technology, Bristol Warren Regional School District; Paula Dillon, Assistant Superintendent, Barrington School District; Jessica Geremia, 1:1 coordinator, Chariho Regional School District and FUSE fellow; and Barrington High School student, Christopher Sarley. Eric Butash moderated the discussion which covered 1:1 initiatives, digital distractions and staying on task, and professional development for educators.
The day wrapped by with a second breakout session and participants chose between Privacy Policies, Photos and YouTube, 1:1 Devices at School, and Google Classroom. The conversations were thoughtful and organic, bringing together diverse points of view. The morning was filled with energy and attendees walked away with new tools, new knowledge, and new partnerships.
To see some of the morning’s discussion, see our Storify of Twitter feeds and a video stream of the Digital Citizenship Conference 2016 recorded by Barrington High School students.