Giving Compass' Take:

• Education Dive reports on a school in Texas that allows its 5th-graders to run its official social media accounts, a lesson in being mature and responsible online.

• We know that the younger generations are digitally fluent, which is why instilling ethics while using such tools is so important in this era of online bullying, doxxing and fake news. How can we expand on the examples given in this article?

• Schools are harnessing other portals as well. Read about the student-run YouTube club in Pennsylvania.

At John C. Webb Elementary in Navasota, Texas, 5th-graders run the social media accounts every day. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are all managed by a team of two children who rotate roles every three weeks — the students shooting images, crafting messages and adding their own hashtags. Principal Todd Nesloney trains one team at the beginning of the year and has each succeeding pair train the next.

“Allowing kids to have voice has brought a different perspective, including things they want to share that I didn’t even notice,” Nesloney told Education Dive. “We’ve never had any kid post anything mean or something inappropriate. They take this seriously.”

Social media is a powerful digital medium today, and students will be expected to be fluent with these tools, including how to use them ethically, at some point in their lives. Whether they choose to engage, developing the skills to not just to navigate these online spaces, but to be able to make decisions and craft judgments that are safe, is key.

Read the full article about teaching kids to be responsible digital citizens by Lauren Barack at Education Dive.