Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1480924
Camino Nuevo Teachers Association. "Because of this, students feel the need to post all kinds of unnecessary pictures and texts that could lead to trouble. And it gets to the point where they are so involved digitally, they are posting about life instead of partaking in life." One of his students, Leslie Villalta, shares: "Viewing influencers and observing their 'perfect' lifestyle and 'perfect' looks can force individuals to feel insecure about their looks. ey want to be able to replicate influencers' lives, which can be incredibly damaging to one's mental health. Spending too much time on the internet may also cause an addiction, mirroring the effect of a drug." When teaching digital citizenship, Toledo asks students to print selfies of themselves and hang them up on the wall. Students do a gallery walk to look at the photos and see the humanity and good in each other. He also asks students to examine online messages and discuss the tone of what is being conveyed. Is it sincere, mean-spirited or sarcastic? It is often hard to tell. "When people contact each other through text — or a mes- sage that can be instantly erased on Snapchat and you have five seconds to read and process it — what you see can be inter- preted in ways that lead to misunderstandings or conflict. It's very important to discuss positive ways of effectively commu- nicating online." Ultimate goal: Students as impactors Ryan Hickman, 12, has a passion for recycling and cleaning up the environment. anks to his supporters around the planet, there are fewer recyclable containers making it to the landfill or out to sea where they harm animals and the environment. Hickman, a student at Marco Forster Middle School in San Juan Capistrano, has recycled over 1.6 million cans and bottles, weighing more than 160,000 pounds. He has created a nonprofit called Project 3R for recycling, using some of the proceeds to help a small village in Africa. He has raised nearly $15,000 for the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach. His company, Ryan's Recycling, partnered with Recycle From Home, which pays Irvine residents for aluminum cans, plastic and glass bottles and picks them up. He has partnered with the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings to organize beach cleanups and appeared on e Ellen DeGeneres Show. Hickman is a digital "impactor" who is using technology for the public good. He gives some of the credit to his teacher, Mark Rivadeneyra, who encouraged him to do something "powerful" last year with technology. "I wanted to go online to make an impact," says Hickman. "It's important to make sure that people are recycling. If a 12-year-old like me can do something like this in the real world, anybody can." "Teaching digital citizenship is important," says Rivadeneyra, a member of the Capistrano Unified Education Association who teaches yearbook and video production. "We tend to focus more on the 'don'ts' instead of the 'dos.' But I believe in encouraging students to use technology for the public good." It's critical to help students use social media in positive ways that connect them to their communities, like-minded people and social justice causes, says Erica Swift, a technology integration support specialist for the Elk Grove Unified School District. At right, Ryan Hickman, 12, is a digital "impactor" whose efforts to recycle and convince others to recycle have been hugely successful (#ryansrecycling). He gives some credit to his teacher Mark Rivadeneyra, left, who says "I believe in encouraging students to use technology for the public good." 21 O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 2 John Toledo