There is no denying that technology has been a huge innovation both inside and outside the classrooms. The internet is filled with an infinite amount of information for students to access. However, once we get involved with this technology, we must learn what it means to be a good digital citizen.
My statement on digital citizenship is that if a person wishes to have a voice online, they need to speak like if they were in front of their parents or grandparents. So many students and non-students will feel like they have so much freedom by writing comments and posts online. These posts can be seen by literally anyone. As technology progresses, more companies and administrators are using it. They would be able to see anything a person posts, and one comment could determine whether or not they get hired for a job.
Another huge factor to being a good digital citizen is citing and giving credit to sources. If you did not say it yourself, put it in quotations or leave a footnote with the source! It would be the same as stealing a work of art and presenting it as if you were the one who created it. It is incredibly disrespectful to the original creator, so please give credit to them.
The most useful resource that I found was the Pinterest board. It allowed me to see multiple pictures and statements all at once, and it was very easy to read and understand. I feel like it's important to define your role as a digital citizen because you're essentially making a promise to yourself to be digitally polite. If I follow the guidelines that I made for myself, it can greatly benefit me in the long run. Teaching proper internet etiquette to students will also help them grow up and communicate more effectively when they have to use technology in the classroom. It would be both the responsibility of the teacher and parents to make sure their child has the proper instruction on how to live well in the digital age.
I still believe that my views on digital citizenship stand, even after having the class discussion this past Thursday. The discussion did help clarify the subject though. In order for a student to be a good digital citizen, the primary factor is to be respectful. This means respect for other students, teachers, people online, and research sources. This still needs to be emphasized to kids from a young age growing up so that when they use the internet more when they're older, they can act appropriately on it. The scenarios we discussed definitely helped give me a broader view of how digital citizenship is used--whether it be through the music a student is listening to or what a student decides to research for a project.
ReplyDelete