What is Digital Citizenship - Week 1 Reflection
Texas Education Code requires schools K-12 to implement instruction on character traits (Texas). One of the character traits included is good citizenship. The code does not mention digital citizenship, but isn't part of our character how we act online? Digital citizenship is defined by Mike Ribble as the positive and responsible way a person behaves when using technology (Ribble, 2015). Our digital presence is an extension of our daily life. Many adults grew up in a school system without the benefits of technology and do not understand the importance of digital citizenship. It is our responsibility, as educators, to not only teach our students good character traits, but also good digital citizenship traits.
Many students are required to unplug from their technology devices when entering a school building. This seems to separate students real-life from their education (Ohler, 2012). Education should blend into real-life which would answer the never ending question of "when are we ever going to use this." Districts develop acceptable use policies that tell parents, teachers, and students what is NOT allowed, but never explain what technology can be used for. Teaching with technology would allow teachers to educate students on proper positive technology behavior. A large number of educators are afraid that technology will interrupt learning, but this leaves students unprepared for technology issues.
Technology is available to most students on a daily basis. Young adults are exposed to cyberbulling, sexting, online pedophiles, pornographic content, and malware while online (Teens). The dangers students face on a daily basis are scary. Many parents are unaware of the online activity of their children (Wong, 2016). It takes a village to raise a child. Teachers are part of that village and have a responsibility to help educate students about not only the dangers of online activity, but also the benefits. Educating students about digital citizenship will help students live a digital lifestyle safely and positively (Ohler, 2012).
The iCitizen project grouped a class of 11th grade students at a high school in Alabama with a group of college students from Saint Joseph College. The purpose was to promote consciousness and empathy in a digitizing world (Ohler, 2012). Knowing that many children begin interacting with technology before they are in school and that cyberbulling is an issue facing many students, the group decided to focus on creating empathy and becoming active iCitizens instead of bystanders. Students used Skype and tweets to communicate with each other. Through the program, students found ways to be proactive to thrive in the digital space.
We cannot rely on parents to educate children about digital citizenship. We, as educators, must take an active roll in educating our students to respect, educate, and protect themselves and others online. We must teach our students to have empathy and be active learners. We need to provide opportunities for our students to share their learning and become socially aware and responsible iCitizens (Ribble, 2015).
Many students are required to unplug from their technology devices when entering a school building. This seems to separate students real-life from their education (Ohler, 2012). Education should blend into real-life which would answer the never ending question of "when are we ever going to use this." Districts develop acceptable use policies that tell parents, teachers, and students what is NOT allowed, but never explain what technology can be used for. Teaching with technology would allow teachers to educate students on proper positive technology behavior. A large number of educators are afraid that technology will interrupt learning, but this leaves students unprepared for technology issues.
Technology is available to most students on a daily basis. Young adults are exposed to cyberbulling, sexting, online pedophiles, pornographic content, and malware while online (Teens). The dangers students face on a daily basis are scary. Many parents are unaware of the online activity of their children (Wong, 2016). It takes a village to raise a child. Teachers are part of that village and have a responsibility to help educate students about not only the dangers of online activity, but also the benefits. Educating students about digital citizenship will help students live a digital lifestyle safely and positively (Ohler, 2012).
The iCitizen project grouped a class of 11th grade students at a high school in Alabama with a group of college students from Saint Joseph College. The purpose was to promote consciousness and empathy in a digitizing world (Ohler, 2012). Knowing that many children begin interacting with technology before they are in school and that cyberbulling is an issue facing many students, the group decided to focus on creating empathy and becoming active iCitizens instead of bystanders. Students used Skype and tweets to communicate with each other. Through the program, students found ways to be proactive to thrive in the digital space.
We cannot rely on parents to educate children about digital citizenship. We, as educators, must take an active roll in educating our students to respect, educate, and protect themselves and others online. We must teach our students to have empathy and be active learners. We need to provide opportunities for our students to share their learning and become socially aware and responsible iCitizens (Ribble, 2015).
Resources:
Curran, M. (2012, June). iCitizen: Are you a socially responsible digital citizen. Paper presented at the International Society for Technology Education Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX. Retrieved from (PDF: icitizen_paper_M_Curran.pdf)
Ohler, J. (2012). Digital citizenship means character education for the digital age. Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 77(8), 14-17. (PDF: Ohler_Digital_citizenship_means_character_education_2012.pdf)
Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools – Third edition. Eugen: International Society for Technology in Education.
Teens are Exposed to Different Online Dangers on the Web. (n.d.). Retrieved March 7, 2020, from https://www.secureteen.com/online-parental-controls/what-sort-of-online-dangers-are-teens-exposed-to-on-the-web/
Texas Education Code Sec. § 29.906 Character Traits Instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2020, from https://texas.public.law/statutes/tex._educ._code_section_29.906
Wong, J. C. (2016, August 24). US parents largely unaware of what their children do online, research finds. Retrieved March 7, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/aug/24/teens-online-cellphones-cyberbullying-parents
Moving Students From Digital Citizenship To Digital Leadership; image attribution Sylvia Duckworth
Curran, M. (2012, June). iCitizen: Are you a socially responsible digital citizen. Paper presented at the International Society for Technology Education Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX. Retrieved from (PDF: icitizen_paper_M_Curran.pdf)
Ohler, J. (2012). Digital citizenship means character education for the digital age. Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 77(8), 14-17. (PDF: Ohler_Digital_citizenship_means_character_education_2012.pdf)
Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools – Third edition. Eugen: International Society for Technology in Education.
Teens are Exposed to Different Online Dangers on the Web. (n.d.). Retrieved March 7, 2020, from https://www.secureteen.com/online-parental-controls/what-sort-of-online-dangers-are-teens-exposed-to-on-the-web/
Texas Education Code Sec. § 29.906 Character Traits Instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2020, from https://texas.public.law/statutes/tex._educ._code_section_29.906
Wong, J. C. (2016, August 24). US parents largely unaware of what their children do online, research finds. Retrieved March 7, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/aug/24/teens-online-cellphones-cyberbullying-parents
Moving Students From Digital Citizenship To Digital Leadership; image attribution Sylvia Duckworth