Reflections on Digital Citizenship
Technology plays an integral role in our lives and we have the responsibility to teach, model, and practice responsible and respectful digital citizenship. Not everyone is educated about what constitutes good digital citizenship. As educators we have a powerful opportunity to teach and model the characteristics that will guide our students to successfully engage and interact both online and off. Ribble (2017) outlined nine elements of digital citizenship: access, commerce, communication, literacy, etiquette, law, rights and responsibilities, health and wellness, and security. Within our classrooms we can provide a safe environment for students to practice these skills while developing as digital citizens. Given the prominent role that technology plays in our lives and world, I’m surprised that digital citizenship is not a required component of the curriculum at every grade level. Our students may be “digital natives” but that doesn’t mean they automatically understand or behave as respectful, responsible digital citizens. We have to teach and model those expectations and behaviors and I think our obligation extends beyond simply offering a course on digital citizenship. Opportunities must be intentionally built into lessons in all subject areas throughout the year so that students are repeatedly exposed to learning, modeling, and practicing the nine elements.
Teaching at a middle school, I see the challenges technology presents as students struggle to maneuver the digital era intact. Citizenship has long been part of our curricular objectives, but students need guidance as they wade through a world connected 24-7 behind screens that allow you to be anyone and say anything. Our classrooms should provide a space where we can openly discuss issues facing students in the digital realm and discuss strategies to handle those issues. As we provide these environments, we open the doors to empathetic digital citizens who have a greater capacity to see the world through different perspectives and respond appropriately. They need to know that they have a right to a safe online environment and a responsibility to report anything that threatens that. They need to understand the laws that govern online activities such as downloads and cyberbullying. They need to be constantly reminded that a real person exists on the other side of that screen and that their words carry power and consequences, good or bad. They need to know how to protect themselves, their identities, their reputation, and their financial assets. As educators, it’s imperative that we serve as their guides. We can connect our classrooms with others around the world to broaden our students’ global perspective. We cannot shy away from technology integration out of fear of what could go wrong. Technology is a part of life. Sticking our heads in the sand does nothing to ensure we have good digital citizens. Our responsibility is to model and engage our students with age appropriate activities that introduce them to digital citizenship in meaningful ways.
In conclusion, technology is not going away any time soon, so it is incumbent upon us to teach, model, and practice responsible and respectful digital citizenship. We must begin this journey at the earliest ages and continue exposing students to valuable experiences throughout their K-12 learning journey. We cannot and should not assume that because they are born into the Digital Age that good digital citizenship will naturally develop. As educators, we must serve as guides by providing opportunities for students to engage with technology in a wide variety of ways in the safety of our classroom environments. Constant modeling, practice, and reflection in our classrooms will help instill the characteristics needed for our students to thrive both online and off.
Reference
Ribble, M. (2017). Digital citizenship: use technology appropriately [website]. Retrieved from
http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/home.html.
Teaching at a middle school, I see the challenges technology presents as students struggle to maneuver the digital era intact. Citizenship has long been part of our curricular objectives, but students need guidance as they wade through a world connected 24-7 behind screens that allow you to be anyone and say anything. Our classrooms should provide a space where we can openly discuss issues facing students in the digital realm and discuss strategies to handle those issues. As we provide these environments, we open the doors to empathetic digital citizens who have a greater capacity to see the world through different perspectives and respond appropriately. They need to know that they have a right to a safe online environment and a responsibility to report anything that threatens that. They need to understand the laws that govern online activities such as downloads and cyberbullying. They need to be constantly reminded that a real person exists on the other side of that screen and that their words carry power and consequences, good or bad. They need to know how to protect themselves, their identities, their reputation, and their financial assets. As educators, it’s imperative that we serve as their guides. We can connect our classrooms with others around the world to broaden our students’ global perspective. We cannot shy away from technology integration out of fear of what could go wrong. Technology is a part of life. Sticking our heads in the sand does nothing to ensure we have good digital citizens. Our responsibility is to model and engage our students with age appropriate activities that introduce them to digital citizenship in meaningful ways.
In conclusion, technology is not going away any time soon, so it is incumbent upon us to teach, model, and practice responsible and respectful digital citizenship. We must begin this journey at the earliest ages and continue exposing students to valuable experiences throughout their K-12 learning journey. We cannot and should not assume that because they are born into the Digital Age that good digital citizenship will naturally develop. As educators, we must serve as guides by providing opportunities for students to engage with technology in a wide variety of ways in the safety of our classroom environments. Constant modeling, practice, and reflection in our classrooms will help instill the characteristics needed for our students to thrive both online and off.
Reference
Ribble, M. (2017). Digital citizenship: use technology appropriately [website]. Retrieved from
http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/home.html.