A digital citizen is anyone who uses technology in his or her life. Digital citizens use the internet regularly to facilitate their daily affairs such as society, politics, and communication. According to Watters (2010), teaching about digital citizenship should not only be for admitted students only but it should also include students who are yet to join educational institutions. The article also reiterates that digital literacy involves the use of computers as a competent and responsible member of the society. A video on YouTube entitled Digital Dossier, shows that everyone has a digital dossier from the day of birth and it is therefore important to teach about digital citizenship.
Successful educators do some things differently. An article by DeNeen (2013)
shows these issues are vital in the teaching of students in the classroom. Some of these issues are a positive attitude, having clear objectives, a sense of purpose and risk taking among others. An issue like digital citizenship is very delicate and requires an educator who takes risk to tackle the issue without reservations. Some of the activities that happen online such as cyber bullying affect a student’s morale and this are an impediment that an educator should get rid of as soon as he/she discovers it.
An article by Nestico (2011), shows that some of the various ways in which one can be a good digital citizen include being always in the know, reporting any problems to authorities, keeping track of one’s digital footprints and being forgiving. Other ways are learning from their mistakes and using technology to protect themselves..
shows these issues are vital in the teaching of students in the classroom. Some of these issues are a positive attitude, having clear objectives, a sense of purpose and risk taking among others. An issue like digital citizenship is very delicate and requires an educator who takes risk to tackle the issue without reservations. Some of the activities that happen online such as cyber bullying affect a student’s morale and this are an impediment that an educator should get rid of as soon as he/she discovers it.
An article by Nestico (2011), shows that some of the various ways in which one can be a good digital citizen include being always in the know, reporting any problems to authorities, keeping track of one’s digital footprints and being forgiving. Other ways are learning from their mistakes and using technology to protect themselves..
Social
and mobile tools are an integral part of our society. Banning of these tools
therefore is out of question as remarked by Nagel (2012) in his article posted
in the journal. Cyber bullying has
been of concern to teachers but though it occurs, the occurrences are sporadic
and media usually exaggerate these claims. It is of importance therefore
important for all stakeholders involved in online communication to have joint
efforts that aim at obliterating the negative effects of internet use and
amplifying the role they play in improving education.
Digital citizenship is important since it cannot be separated from the real world. I would use digital media such as PowerPoint presentations to explain these important topics to school administrators, school board and parents. I would encompass vivid examples of good digital citizenship to convince them about the significance of digital citizenship classes to students at various levels. Vital topics such as copyright laws, digital footprints, and social media would be interactive for the students and also help them to be safe when interacting in the digital world.
Digital citizenship has 9 elements according to Ribble (2011) in his article Digital Citizenship in Schools. These elements are:
1. Digital Access
2. Digital Commerce
3. Digital Communication
4. Digital literacy
5. Digital etiquette
6. Digital law
7. Digital rights and responsibilities
8. Digital health and wellness
9. Digital security
All these elements ensure that people in the digital world are safe and take responsibility for their actions while in the digital space.
Digital citizenship can be taught either as a subject or unit of its own or it can be incorporated in the existing lessons. For instance, in a music lesson, students may be taught about copyright laws and how to obtain permission to use other peoples’ music. The teaching of digital citizenship for K5 students will vary from that of K6-8 and 9-12. The age differences of the students call for different approaches in the teaching of the topic. The younger students will be exposed to basic skills and knowledge on digital citizenship using simple language while the older students will be taught more complex issues that may arise in digital spaces.
Hi Noha
ReplyDeleteNice thought. But I want to add a point to you students at our school are encouraged to be good digital citizens. This does not mean merely ‘being good online and not cyber bullying’ but by learning a wide-range of skills that assist them to navigate their online lives today and into the distant future. There is much to learn about online commerce and financial issues, health and well-being, security and netiquette, as well a whole host of literacies, including coding. Students need to understand their rights and responsibilities in all manner of online communications.
Hi Noha,
ReplyDeleteI liked that the description of a good digital citizen included being forgiving, learning from their mistakes, and using technology to protect themselves. I think these aspects are often overlooked.
I agree that educators are going to need to be risk takers with positive attitudes. As educators we've got to be willing to jump into Cyberspace with both feet if we want to teach students what it's all about.