District Library Services Specialist Selected for National Council on Digital Citizenship
Library Services Specialist Hollyanne Ruffner has been selected to serve on the National Council on Digital Citizenship (NCDC). The NCDC, now in its third year, is leading the effort to help K-12 school systems successfully address digital citizenship as a vital 21st century skill. Comprised of approximately 50 education thought leaders from across the country, the NCDC is supported by Microsoft in partnership with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and Topics Education. “Today, students consume, create, and share digital content both in and out of the classroom,” said Ms. Ruffner. “Clearly, at a time when technology use is so pervasive, it is important for educators to help students understand the principles that should govern their behavior as digital citizens. I think the knowledge and skills that come with citizenship are vital.”
With the help and leadership of the veteran District educator, the NCDC will assess attitudes and current practices among their education peers within their districts and beyond. Together, the NCDC will continue to encourage and inform conversation on digital citizenship within the education community, notably through webinars, conference presentations, and white papers.
“ISTE is an organization built on collaboration and empowerment within the broad education community and smaller education communities around the world,” stated Don Knezek, ISTE’s CEO. “Our NETS Standards emphasize digital citizenship, so the NCDC is a crucial cog in our effort to help educators put the standards into practice.”
In fact, ISTE and Microsoft began working together to tackle digital citizenship when ISTE awarded its Seal of Alignment to the Digital Citizenship & Creative Content curriculum (http://www.digitalcitizenshiped.com/), a set of turnkey resources for middle school and high school teachers. Knezek and his team at ISTE will continue their long-standing collaboration with Topics Education and Microsoft to guide and inform the NCDC’s work in 2012.
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) is the premier membership association for educators and education leaders engaged in advancing excellence in learning and teaching through the innovative and effective use of technology in PK–12 and teacher education. Home to ISTE’s annual conference and exposition and the widely adopted NETS, ISTE represents more than 100,000 professionals worldwide.
For more details about the work of the NCDC, contact Jennifer Meier, project manager at jwmeier@carolina.rr.com.
