Customized Curriculum eBook
This customized social story is intended to teach children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD to develop impulse control strategies within the context of using their devices. With increasing access to and dependence on technology, it is imperative that our students learn how to become responsible digital citizens by determining the suitability of media content. Online safety is a particularly prevalent issue for children with neurodevelopmental disorders who are vulnerable to accessing potentially harmful content (Good & Fang, 2015). Social stories help learners to evaluate decision making and how it impacts themselves and others. This book features descriptive and directive sentences and is written in the first person from the perspective of the child with ADHD. While targetting children with ADHD, this book is intended to be used in the UDL classroom and is accessible to a wide variety of learners - featuring text-to-speech, highlighting, high contrast colors, speed controls - and purposefully features a child of color (because representation matters). This book was modeled on a child with an IEP and diagnosis of ADHD. Customized social stories are most effective when the students see themselves as the character in the book, therefore this character looks, sounds and acts similar to the student for whom it was intended.
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Rationale and Reflection
Indiana Academic Standard K-2.IC.1
Indiana Academic Standard K-2.IC.1
Indiana Academic Standard K-2.IC.1
Computer Science: K-2.IC.1 Practice responsible digital citizenship (legal and ethical behaviors) in the use of technology. Through this book, students learn about the meaning of a digital citizen. There is a hyperlinked video that guides the student on the kinds of behaviors they should demonstrate when online. This book goes on to show how participating in irresponsible behaviors (such as making illegal or unethical choices) gives the student an uneasy, uncomfortable feeling. In my classroom I have used this tool to help students explore both sides of the decision making process and evaluate which is the best choice, rather than simple dictating what students should or should not do.
ISTE Student Standard 2.0
Indiana Academic Standard K-2.IC.1
Indiana Academic Standard K-2.IC.1
This book addresses the ISTE Standard for Students 2.0: Students recognize the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways that are safe, legal and ethical. This is specifically addressed through Standard 2b: Students engage in positive, safe, legal, and ethical behavior when using technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices. This social story has a relatable character faced with an important decision. The four areas outlined in the standard are learning how to make positive, ethical, safe and legal choices. These words are clearly defined on page 7 using clear and simple explanations with iconic images. D'Marco thinks through his decision by asking himself discerning questions (page 6), modeling to students that they need to make their choices and should not be guided by extrinsic motivation.
InTASC Standard 9 and 9(f)
InTASC Standard 9 and 9(f)
InTASC Standard 9 and 9(f)
Standard #9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice. By using this book, the teacher presents ethical decision making. This Standard is met more specifically via Standard 9(f) The teacher advocates, models, and teaches safe, legal, and ethical use of information and technology including appropriate documentation of sources and respect for others in the use of social media. Through this social story, this standard is met in the mentoring of the student through their decision making process and modeling the role of the teacher who reinforces their autonomy. The teacher does not tell the student what to do and instead allows the student the right to make the right choice. Appropriate documentation of sources is referenced and demonstrated on page 9.
ISTE Educator Standard 3.0
InTASC Standard 9 and 9(f)
InTASC Standard 9 and 9(f)
This book also addresses the ISTE Educator Standard 3.0: Educators inspire students to positively contribute to and responsibly participate in the digital world and more specifically, 3c: Mentor students in safe, legal and ethical practices with digital tools and the protection of intellectual rights and property. Standard 3c is met through the explanations in the book and through the interactive quiz on page 8. By taking the quiz, students are prompted to make text-to-self connections as well as consider how they would respond in this situation to make choices that are safe, legal and ethical. Teachers could collect this formative data and use these reflections for further lesson plannings. Click to view the quiz.