I took a look at the digital world and realized that there is a process to becoming a citizen within it. It's not like becoming a citizen of a country. There aren't mass amount of paperwork. There are just a few rules.
Common Sense Media describes digital citizenship as "empowering your students with the skills to think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly online, allowing them to connect and collaborate in meaningful ways."
In order to be a good digital citizen, you have to be honest. You can't steal works from other people or plagiarize what they have written. You have to make sure what you post your won't regret later, because those posts are there for life. You have to protect yourself. You can't give out your name, address, age, and important information. Those things in the hands of the wrong people can be harmful to one's life outside of the digital world.
Like I said, there are rules to the digital world, but these are rules that I agree with. I want my future students to use the internet safely and honestly. The internet can be dark, as the name 'Dark Web' implies. Allowing children to access those sorts of places without protecting themselves is dangerous. As an educator, it is my job to teach my students how to protect themselves.
It is also my job to make them honest. I must tell them why they can't just copy what someone else said in an article without giving them credit.
As a future educator, it is my responsibility to cater to the digital world and ensure that my students are good digital citizens.
As a future educator, it is my responsibility to cater to the digital world and ensure that my students are good digital citizens.
Hi Zoe,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in some aspects. As a teacher I believe it is our duty to teach our students how to use the internet to benefit their education. Proper research skills, recognizing credible sources, and citing correctly without plagiarizing are important skills that students will use throughout school and if they choose to pursue a higher education.
However, I don't really agree that it is the job of educators to teach students how to protect themselves on the internet or watch what they post on social media in case it comes back to bite them in the future. It is not an educator's responsibility to censor what movies children watch or what music they listen to. In the same way, beyond limiting appropriate school internet searches it is ultimately the parents' job to watch what children do or say on the internet. Common sense I believe should be taught by parents. Even in your post you cite Common Sense Media; it's common sense you don't post regrettable things on social media. It's common sense you don't share any personal information on unsecure websites.
Not saying everyone has common sense unfortunately, but, like I stated before, I don't believe it is an educator's responsibility to teach those kind of things in school, unless it otherwise applies to school.
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting! I understand your views!