Digital CitizenShip

                Good ol’ Digital Citizenship!  My, how things have changed since I was in junior high and high school.  I can remember being in school when there were no computers except for the ones in the main office.  Now-a-days there is multiple computers in every classroom.  I can remember using a computer in high school, in a computer lab, and the teacher just instructing us on how to complete our work using a computer.  I do not remember them lecturing us on how to use the computer in a safe and respectful way.  The internet was not as huge back then and the chances of us going to or finding a bad website was very low.  We just did what was needed of us and if time was left we could e-mail friends.

                Today is a whole new ballgame.  Permission slips and other papers need to be signed by parents and students in order for them to have access to the computers in the schools, students need to review a booklet and take a test on how to use the computer properly, and students are constantly on watch from teachers and administrators.  For students to become a good digital citizen they need to know how to respect the computer and its use.  Far too often students abuse their privilege with a computer, they type swear words, play games, and/or check out bad websites.  Some students are so good that they know codes or passwords to get by the blocked sites set up by the school.  In a link provided to us I would have to agree with Suzie Nestico where she stated, “Part of being a responsible Digital Citizen as a teacher is being in the know.” (1)  Us as educators need to know what is going on around us and what is interesting to students today.  For us to stay in the loop with our students is progress in the right direction.  We could understand our students better….to a degree, know what intrigues them, and see how they may feel about certain current news topics.  Facebook was mentioned in her post.  I’m not sure that I feel the same way about it.  She said she does not accept current students which imply that she does have former students on her account.  I feel that you should not have any Facebook friends that were students. 

                In order for us to teach our students how to be a good Digital Citizen we need to promote it and show them first and foremost.  Show them how to use the internet in a safe manner and show them that the door is wide open for them to succeed in school using the internet.  We can teach them how to use computers through projects or assignments.  I would assign a group project in the form of a PowerPoint presentation.  Groups of three would show me what a good Digital Citizen is to them.  I would like what they thought Digital Citizenship was before the project and what it means to them after I have taught it in the PowerPoint.  After all groups have presented I would then have an open class where we would jot down the main points on what it really is to be a good Digital Citizen.  Teaching them young and early in their school years will help them understand and know how to use a computer as they get older in school and beyond and hopefully become a model student and citizen.

                Intellectual property and creative rights are important because it teaches our students to be truthful and honest.  They should know that plagiarizing someone else’s work is not only wrong but also against the law.  Although they know that it is wrong students still do it and try to get away with it.  When a student works hard on a paper or an assignment they have a certain ownership to it.  It is their “masterpiece” that they are, at times, extremely proud of.  Teaching students to work hard at something and in turn they will be proud of what the accomplished is a huge step in helping students understand what is right and wrong when it comes to using the internet.

1.       http://coalcrackerclassroom.wordpress.com/2011/03/29/digital-citizenship-in-schools-inverted/