I feel that there is not a difference between citizenship and digital citizenship. In either area people need to be kind, respectful and responsible. People need to "do the right thing." Both physical and digital citizenship relies on being a good friend and making wise choices in words and deeds. It involves participation and is tied to a community.
I do feel that people have a sense of digital dualism. They believe that what happens online is a separate and distant reality. (Kuropativa, 2019) Some people believe that they can say things online, through social media, that they normally would not say when face-to-face with a person. People hide behind the keyboard and become bullies and complainers. Because of this, I do not believe people/students have a grasp on what it means to be a digital citizen. Being a digital citizens requires a person to participate in a digital community in a positive, caring, fair, trustworthy and respectful way. The most important elements of digital citizenship to me and my class would be: digital literacy, digital etiquette and digital security. These are important because we have to teach students the proper way to use technology and how to conduct themselves digitally, while in a safe digital environment. We as teachers have the responsibility of teaching students how to use technology appropriately during learning. We must show them how to access information and decipher credible information from non-credible. We must teach them how to respond and post in a positive, respectful manner, using proper digital etiquette. This can all be done by incorporating these issues during lessons that include technology. They can be stand alone lessons, as well. It is also the school's responsibility to keep our students safe while using technology. We must have effective firewalls and filters in place to protect our students from obscene, violent and inappropriate content while online. This creates a safe environment for learning. Teaching appropriate digital citizenship must start at a young age. We live in a society where children are practically born with a device in their hand. I recently met a woman with a one year old daughter who cried because she wanted to play with her mom’s phone. I remember the mother saying “She always wants to play with my phone and see herself in the camera.” She stated “She even knows how to unlock my phone.” I remember being astonished that a one year old was already capable of unlocking a phone and taking selfies. What would she be able to do by age two? This is why citizenship should be taught early. Students need to be taught the nine elements of digital citizenship so that they can be productive, safe, and effective digital citizens in the future. Resources Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools: Nine elements all students should know(Third ed.). Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education. Anthology, T. B. (2015, July 16). Darren Kuropatwa - Digital Ethics and Digital Citizenship #BLC15. Retrieved March 5, 2019, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbMsbxYvr4E (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2019, from https://luonline.blackboard.com/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_141909_1&content_id=_3724086_1
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AuthorSecond Grade teacher and lifelong learner. Graduate student at Lamar University. Archives
April 2019
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