Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1480924
" I honestly think social media and technology can either be a weapon of mass destruction or used for mass construction." — Erica Viray Santos, San Leandro Teachers Association RESOURCES to Teach Digital Citizenship Common Sense Media (commonsensemedia.org) provides teachers and schools with professional development and free classroom tools to help students utilize technology responsibly and positively. The Digital Citizen Institute (digcitinstitute.com) offers workshops, professional development for teachers and more. The California Department of Education (cde.ca.gov) website has links to resources. Be Internet Awesome by Google (beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/ en_us) has curriculum with resources. Microsoft's Digital Literacy Curriculum (microsoft.com/en-us/digital-literacy) has information for older students. The Stanford History and Education Group's Civic Online Reasoning (cor.stanford.edu) curriculum has more than 30 free, short lesson starters to help students evaluate information on social media and websites. Facebook's Digital Literacy Library (facebook.com/safety/educators) in partnership with Youth and Media at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, has free lessons on security, community engagement and positive behavior. The Global Oneness Project (globalonenessproject.org) has lessons and resources to help students develop understanding and empathy, with photos, videos and articles. The United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (sdgs.un.org/goals) encourages social justice activities and calls students to action through digital presence across geographic boundaries. Erica Viray Santos in class and inset. Behind her right arm is a 'Justice for Steven Taylor' poster; her students used social media and other virtual tools to help organize and mobilize the community when Taylor was killed by a police officer in April 2021. within 24 hours. ey utilized social media and other virtual tools to help orga- nize and mobilize the community when Steven Taylor, a Black man who was having a mental health crisis in a San Leandro Walmart, was shot and killed by a police officer in April 2021. Students' efforts together with his family and other community members resulted in a caravan protest, multiple marches, and even a celebration of life on the one-year anniversary of Taylor's death that was attended by hundreds of people. "It was important for my students, the families and the community to grieve and feel solidarity together," says Viray Santos. Students are creating websites, using social media and many other virtual plat- forms to make a difference in the world, says the California Teacher of the Year 2022 finalist. Some are creating workshops, tutorials and businesses, which she calls a "virtual version of a lemonade stand." rough technology, they fundraise to help others, raise awareness and build community. "A lot of teachers say that they are 'empowering' students, but I don't look at it that way," says Viray Santos. "Students have always had that power. ey just didn't realize it." 23 O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 2