About+Us

"//Part of the 21st century skills movement's plan is the call for greater collaboration among teachers. Indeed, this is one of the plan's greatest strengths; we waste a valuable resource when we don't give teachers time to share their expertise.//" Andrew J. Rotherham & Daniel Willingham, 21st Century Skills: The Challenges Ahead.

// ** NewsFlash: ** // We’re very proud to announce the publication of Solution Tree’s [|Using Technology to Enhance Writing]. We’d like to acknowledge [|Troy Hicks] for encouraging us to submit a chapter on digital citizenship and to our editors for recognizing that a publication on digital writing should have as its opening chapter: Driving Without a License: Digital Writing Without Digital Citizenship.

// "Digital citizenship is the foundation for digital writing." Solution Tree Press, 2014 //

We, Gail and Natalie, are two California teachers who, between us, have taught for 25 + 19 = 44 years. Despite living and working about 200 miles away from each other, our friendship and collaborative partnership was germinated about 10 years ago, when we were both invited into the [|National Writing Project's] incredible community of Technology Liaisons.



The NWP tenet that "Writing in its many forms is the signature means of communication in the 21st century" is central to our teaching philosophies.Through our shared commitment to empowering students to write for change, using technology as a bridge-- and a catalyst, the conversations have continued. Fortunately, the tools have improved (e.g., from email to texting + Skype + Google Docs) - making collaboration almost seamless.

The seed for the Digital-ID project was planted in the summer of 2011, when we had the good fortune to participate in the Merit program. Under the brilliant guidance of Rushton Hurley and the Krause Center for Innovation team, who provided two weeks' worth of amazing professional development, we had both the time and support to examine writing - digital writing - as the pathway to critical thinking, media literacy, and **digital citizenship**. And a project was born...ignited!

Kathleen Watt soon joined us in the adventure as our graphic designer and thinking partner. She now collaborates with us a content curator. In addition to graphics, certificates, and badging, she continues to add to our resources.

Each school year, as the Digital-ID project continues to grow and evolve, we are reminded of the power and possibilities of collaboration.

It is our hope that through this project and wiki, we can help students understand and reach their full potential as 21st century digital citizens. We also hope to initiate conversations at sites and districts around the importance of digital citizenship skills being taught as an integral part of the core curriculum, as opposed to a set of lessons or unit taught in isolation.

We warmly invite you into the Digital-ID collaborative project,

~//Natalie Bernasconi// Ed.D, ( digital.ido@gmail.com ); Central CA Writing Project High School Teacher, Salinas Union High School District; Lecturer, UC Santa Cruz

~//Gail Desler//, (digital.ido@gmail.com); Area 3 Writing Project Technology Integration Specialist K-12, [|Elk Grove USD]

~Kathleen Watt, (digital.ido@gmail.com); freelance graphic designer, blogger, Web Specialist, Elk Grove USD


 * > [[image:Logo-_NWP width="155" height="99" align="center"]] ||> [[image:Logo-_KCI_2_horizontal_(24k).jpg width="268" height="52" align="center"]] ||> [[image:Logo-_MERIT_program.gif width="197" height="61" align="center"]] ||

As is always true of powerful collaborative projects, Digital ID has many people and entities to thank for all their support in helping making this site be greater than the sum of its parts. We are grateful to:
 * [|ISTE 2012] for facilitating multiple venues for talking about digital citizenship
 * The [|Twittersphere] for supporting all the many conversations about #digital-id & #digitalcitizenship
 * Kathleen Watt for creating our Digital ID logos and for being a “thinking partner”
 * Wikispaces & its support staff for providing a robust platform for teachers and students to collaborate and converse
 * The Placer County CAPCue whose Jan 28, 2012 conference provided the official launch for our Digital ID Project
 * The [|California Writing Project] and the [|National Digital Learning Day] initiative for jumpstarting a national conversation on Feb 1, 2012
 * Teachers Teaching Teachers / [|EdTechTalk] for the on-going invitation to explore new media within a connected, global network via webcasting, including [|Google+]
 * The [|National Writing Project’s] [|Digital IS...] initiative for helping examine digital literacy and writing, thanks to funding by the [|John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Digital Media and Learning Initiative].
 * [|National Writing Project’s] [|Holocaust Educators Network] for supporting courageous conversations about Stepping Up.
 * [|Google in Education]and the amazing [|Google Certified Teachers] group for walking the talk of “collaboration”
 * [|CUE] & [|Fall CUE] for providing such fun & challenging opportunities for teaching and learning
 * [|Doug Niva], videographer extraordinaire, and the [|Sacramento Educational Cable Consortium] (SECCTV) for understanding the power of student-generated multi-media.
 * The [|K12 Online Conference] curators for fostering international collaborations about all things K12
 * The Silicon Education Foundation ([|SVEF]) and its spring conference, ShiftEd, for allowing us to showcase our site as part of the Microsoft Partners in Learning US Forum outreach
 * [|Microsoft Partners in Learning US Forum] (PILUS) for choosing our project as a Finalist for the US Forum in Redmond, WA July 29-Aug 1, 2012.
 * [|2012 K12 Online Conference] - Thank you for selecting Digital ID - A Platform for Learning, Sharing, Remixing and Teaching Digital Citizenship as a keynote session. We were honored to be part of the 2012 kick-off events.
 * National Council for Teachers of English - What an honor to be asked to present an Ignite session - Digital Citizenship: Students as Agents of Change - at NCTE's 2012 Annual Convention!
 * 2012 Edublog Awards - We are thrilled to add the Finalist for Best Educational Wiki badge to our sidebar!
 * 2013 Placer County CAPCue Ed Tech Conference - for inviting us back - a year after our official launch at last year's event. What a journey it has been for the Digital ID project over the last 12 months!
 * 2013 CUE and ISTE Conferences - We're looking forward to the opportunity to co-present with Common Sense Media.