Digital Literacy
Digital Literacy – “Cyber Civics™”
Journey School is very proud to be the Founding School for the innovative and award-winning middle school digital media literacy program, also known as Cyber Civics™, which addresses the urgent and growing need to prepare our students to leave Journey School equipped with the skills to be ethical, confident and empowered digital citizens.
About the Program
In 2010, there was a social media “incident” at Journey School. Like many school administrators around the world, ours found himself dealing with a whole new world. A parent of two children at the school, who’s also the Founder of CyberWise™, thought she could help.
Having just completed an M.A. program in Media Psychology and Social Change and authored the paper New Media Literacy Education: A Developmental Approach (JMLE), Diana Graber was eager to put academic work into practice. So with the support of Journey School’s Administrator and teachers, weekly middle school “Civics” classes where converted to “Cyber Civics” and the program was born. Read more info here.
Fast forward to today… we are thrilled and overwhelmed by the program’s successes:
- Cyber Civics™ is currently being taught in over 300 schools worldwide, including 42 states and 7 countries.
- In 2019, Diana Graber, Founder of Cyberwise™ and Cyber Civics™, published her first book, “Raising Humans in a Digital World,” which draws from her experience teaching Cyber Civics™ to our middle school students. (Click here to learn more about Diana's book.)
- The National Association for Media Literacy (NAMLE) honored Diana Graber as the recipient of the Media Literacy Teacher Award for 2017.
- Cyber Civics™ was honored as an “Innovation in Education” award finalist by Project Tomorrow and the O.C. Tech Alliance.
- Incidences of poor digital behavior no longer demand administrative time or attention (see our testimonials below).
- Test scores have risen consistently and significantly since the program’s inception.
- Cyber Civics™ has been covered widely in the press. (Click here for details).
Testimonials
“In the four years since the Cyber Civics™ classes started at our school, there have been only three reported incidences of poor digital behavior; none in the last two years. This is unheard of in this day and age. What has been a small investment has paid off tenfold. Plus it allows us to put our energy on what matters most, learning and teaching in a happy, safe, and healthy community.” –Shaheer Faltas, Former Journey School Administrator
“Teaching Cyber Civics™ to my 6th graders is the favorite part of my week. The program is so easy to use and teach.” –Karina Salveen, Novato Charter School
“Over the course of three years working with Diana Graber and watching her develop the curriculum, I recognize that it is based on the the same cognitive developmental skills that are foundational to Waldorf teaching in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. While this curriculum has found a rich home in Waldorf schools that foster ethical development, it is a curriculum that can fit in all educational settings.” –Bonnie River, Chair of Hybrid Program Waldorf Teacher Training, Rudolf Steiner College
“Cyber Civics™ is the best digital media literacy curriculum I’ve seen yet as it is develop-mentally based and creative. The lessons are thoughtful, interactive and encourage kids to connect and collaborate about the very thing that has the potential of disconnecting them – technology! As an Administrator I wanted a curriculum that was thorough, timely and reflected the true realities that kids may encounter online. The curriculum needed to be simple to use and ready to launch with a price that wouldn’t break our budget. I also wanted a resource for parents and a place to access new apps and ask questions as they arose. Cyber Civics™ has provided all of the above. I highly recommend this curriculum and commend Diana and her team for the creation of such a comprehensive and relevant curriculum.” –Sheila Reilly, Administrator, Woodland Star Charter School
Visit the following pages for an overview of the program:
-
Cyber Civics: Digital Citizenship in 6th Grade
One of our key goals is to stop focusing quite so much on ‘do kids have computers in the classroom’ and start focusing more on ‘do kids have the basic social skills and cultural competencies so that when they do get computers they can participate fully?’
-Erin Reilly, USC Project New Media Literacies
Year 1 of our Cyber Civics curriculum, designed for 6th grade, focuses entirely on “Digital Citizenship” or “the norms of appropriate responsible behavior with regard to technology use.”
This year is packed with peer-to-peer learning activities that call on critical thinking, ethical discussion and decision making through hands-on projects, problem solving, and role-play, all surrounding the topic of “digital citizenship.” It grew out of published, academic research. This year can be taught entirely without technology. That’s because experts widely agree that the most important new media skills are social and behavioral skills.
To see an overview of the curriculum, please see the Cyber Civics website.
To Learn More About Digital Citizenship, Get FREE resources here.
Or watch this video about Digital Citizenship:
-
Cyber Civics: Information Literacy in 7th Grade
"Students need information skills not just to get through school but also when immersed in their careers and in day-to-day living… I see incoming students whose academic research skills are abysmal. And throughout their lives students will continue to be bombarded by information from a variety of sources so they need to learn information discovery and assessment skills as part of their formal education."
– Dawn Talbot, UC San Diego’s Digital Library Program (from A 21st Century Challenge: Preparing ‘Cut and Paste’ Students to be ‘Information Literate’ Citizens)
Year 2 of Cyber Civics focuses on “Information Literacy” or “the ability to find, retrieve, analyze, and use online information.” Current research shows that while young people seem incredibly tech-savvy, in actuality most know little about the core concepts of “information literacy.”
Although individual lessons to teach Information Literacy skills existed here and there, it was difficult to find a comprehensive, year-long curriculum. Which is why this one was created. It curates the best lessons from known, vetted sources and includes original new lessons to fill in the gaps. Like Year 1, it emphasizes ethical and critical thinking, discussion and decision-making through hands-on projects, problem solving activities, and role-play. It can be taught with or without technology.
To See An Overview of the Curriculum or to Get Free Lessons please visit The Cyber Civics website
To Learn More About Information Literacy Get FREE resources here.
-
Cyber Civics: Media Literacy in 8th Grade
“The purpose of media literacy education is to help individuals of all ages develop the habits of inquiry and skills of expression that they need to be critical thinkers, effective communicators and active citizens in today’s world.” -N.A.M.L.E., the National Association for Media Literacy Education
Year 3 of Cyber Civics, intended for 8th grade, focuses entirely on “Media Literacy,” or “the use of critical thinking skills to evaluate media messages.
This is such an important skill that many states in the U.S. are now mandating that “Media Literacy” be taught in school.
In addition to evaluating media messages, towards the end of the year students learn skills that will help them with both the written and visual portions of their 8th grade projects.
Following is an overview of the year:
- My Media Diet
- Using Your C.R.A.P. Detection Skills
- Gender Representation in the Media
- Advertising Messages
- Digital Doctored Photos
- Spot the Photoshop
- Urban Legends
- Copyright Review
- Avoiding Plagiarism
- Paraphrasing Strategies
- Citing Online Sources
- Using Creative Commons
- Making Digital Presentations
And Much More!
The 8th grade year of Cyber Civics will be available soon! Please contact Diana Graber if you would like to be notified when it is ready.
Learn More About Media Literacy
See all the FREE CyberWise materials on “Media Literacy” at CyberWise
