DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP is the ethical and appropriate use of technology.  As Spiderman (?) would say, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” Today, people have accessibility to an amazing wealth of information, literally at their fingertips.  This is quite often very difficult for our youth. It is so easy to act and react online, the deed (and possibly damage) is done before they even realize what happened. The growing expanse of our social networking capabilities makes digital citizenship more important than ever. The very people responsible for setting examples of appropriate behavior online are failing society and our youth.

So the question is “In what ways is digital citizenship similar to and different from the traditional view of citizenship in the world beyond our devices”? The similarities from digital to the real world exist with doing what you know is right. There is no difference in a hurtful comment in person or online. Honestly, online is even worse given the larger audience. Fortunately, there are many sources of literature and online sites providing norms and lessons of digital citizenship. One such site (http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html) defines nine themes of digital citizenship.
1.   Digital Access:  full electronic participation in society.
2.   Digital Commerce:  electronic buying and selling of goods.
3.   Digital Communication:  electronic exchange of information.
4.   Digital Literacy:  process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology.
5. Digital Etiquette:  electronic standards of conduct or procedure.
6.   Digital Law:  electronic responsibility for actions and deeds
7.   Digital Rights & Responsibilities:  those freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world.
8.   Digital Health & Wellness:  physical and psychological well-being in a digital technology world.
9.   Digital Security (self-protection):  electronic precautions to guarantee safety. 

These themes provide an excellent resource for considering all the areas associated to the development of an appropriate digital footprint.
                                                                                                                                                                              https://www.flickr.com/photos/togawanderings/6988486459
How can we apply traditional citizenship ideas to our work in helping students develop digital citizenship?  All my life I have heard the statement, “If you don’t have something good to say, then don’t say anything at all.”  The visual sums up that statement. THINK! Is it TRUE? Is it HELPFUL? Is it INSPIRING? Is it NECESSARY? Is it KIND?
What is the teacher's role in helping students develop digital citizenship? Edudemic has a wonderful article about Teaching Students Good Digital Citizenship. It is critical that families and teachers model good citizenship online and off. The article shares tips and activities to help promote these qualities in the classroom. There are multitudes of videos, such as this one from the Common Sense organization, available to emphasize digital citizenship to all grade levels.








Comments

  1. Steph McCabeOctober 13, 2017 at 7:48 PM

    I agree that in essence, digital citizenship isn't much different than in face-to-face interactions. I think the major difference I want my students to understand is that just because it's online doesn't mean it is up for grabs. They can't just put any image or video on their blog without first doing the work of citing the source. I'm hoping to teach them better ways to think about their audiences and what an image can do for their blog posts -- that means more than just Googling the first thing that pops up.

    How are you using this information with your students?

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMay 4, 2018 at 8:26 PM

    First of all, I loved the Spiderman reference! Secondly, I completely agree, having access to technology (internet) means having access to endless amounts of things. This includes things that could be inappropriate or unsafe for children under 18 years of age. I believe that school were smart to restrict certain websites not only because they can be inappropriate or unsafe, as I just explained but also because children should not be searching things that are not related to school matters. It will only distract them from their daily tasks.

    ReplyDelete

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