There is no denying that technology is developing and changing at a rapid pace. Today’s students find themselves in a unique and exciting reality very different from the one I experienced just 20 short years ago. With the advantages of these new technologies come some very real and potentially long-lasting challenges. It is our job as educators, parents, and members of the community to teach young people the value of technology while also instilling in them a respect for its dangers, an awareness of its hazards, and the tools and skillset to use it wisely.
This is the topic of the article Digital Citizenship: Addressing Appropriate Technology Behavior (Ribble, Bailey, Ross, 2004) from the ISTE journal Learning & Leading With Technology. In this article, the authors describe ways to adapt the NETS standards for students to real-world learning and to teach students to be proper citizens of the digital world in which they live. They present a set of nine guidelines to digital citizenship and outline each one with examples of how they affect students and strategies for educators to encourage good behaviors or habits. The behaviors addressed are etiquette, communication, education, access, commerce, responsibility, rights, safety, and security (Ribble, Bailey, Ross, 2004).
There is some debate as to who should be teaching young people how to use technology appropriately, and whether it should be taught at all. In another article from the ISTE journal called By Point/Counterpoint: Should Schools Be Required to Teach Digital Citizenship? (Ohler, Malmstrom, 2012) two educators answer that question. Both authors agree to some degree that digital citizenship should be taught, but differ in their opinion of the best approach. Ohler argues for collaboration with students on policy-making, incorporating digital citizenship into school codes, infusing digital citizenship into all aspects of education, and rewarding good behavior. Malmstrom advocates for a less direct tactic that involves meeting students where they are most comfortable using technology, such as interactive gaming and online, so that we can model good behavior in the real setting. She calls this “participatory media” and says that she has seen more success in this approach than with the teaching method.
In my opinion, digital citizenship is a topic with as much relevance and importance as any of the core subjects. It is something that must be learned and we are doing our students a disservice if we do not prepare them with this knowledge. Whenever I read a story in the news about a high school sexting scandal or a cyberbullying incident I feel so sad for these young people whose lives are forever changed by negative behavior. I also feel regret that for them this hard lesson is learned a little too late, after the damage has been done and their actions have been immortalized by technology. I think the answer lies in education, and in informing young people about the consequences of these actions. While there will always be those who still engage in unsafe behaviors, the possibility of preventing even a fraction of these incidents is worth the hard work. In addition to protecting privacy and reputation, digital citizenship pertains to overall safety and security online. Things like posting your location to social media, sharing addresses, or identifying information make us vulnerable to strangers who might have harmful intentions. Many adults are unaware of the dangers of sharing personal information online, so how can we expect our kids to know how to stay safe online without showing them? Now is the time to teach a generation of technology users how to do so safely, respectfully, and responsibly.
Ohler, J., Malmstrom, M., (2012). By Point/Counterpoint: Should Schools Be Required to Teach Digital Citizenship?. Learning & Leading with Technology, December-January 2012-13.
Hey there! Nice work! I agree with you, many adults have never been taught/told or just simply do not know how to protect themselves and their families online. If the guardian(s) of our students do not have the knowledge, skills, and/or time to teach their child (children) about cyber-safety, than whose responsibility is it to protect our young from being vulnerable to bullying, theft, or predation online? I like what Ribble, Bailey and Ross say about the schools responsibility. "We must begin somewhere, and because the schools encompass our future, this is where the discussion begins" (Ribble, Bailey, Ross, 2004) They also offer a definition of education and its purpose in our society, "Education is the teaching of the overall citizenship, to learn to live together with fellow citizens, and above all to learn to obey the law" (Ribble, Bailey, Ross, 2004) With this in mind I think that teaching cyber-citizenship falls perfectly into the requirements of education. The school is supposed to be a safe haven where students come to learn the tools necessary to be highly functioning members of society, therefore with technology's prevalence it is essential that students receive the exposure and instruction they need to thrive in the digital world.
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