Safety on the internet is a very important issue today. To effectively utilize the tools on the web, one must be willing to teach the necessary requirements and safety procedures to students. I strongly believe that good digital citizenship skills is something that should be taught in an ongoing manner as opposed to just one or two lessons per year. There are thousands of wonderful tools available online, but some may come with hidden dangers or inappropriate content. In order to successfully implement Web 2.0 tools, one must be willing to teach the importance of safety and being a good digital citizen.
The simplest definition of digital citizenship is the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior related to technology use. Digital citizenship can help educators and parents understand what users should know in using technology appropriately. It is a way to help prepare children and adults for a society full of technology. A digital citizen is anyone who uses digital tools. This would include computers, cell phones, or the Internet. “Similar to how rules and standards of behavior exist for citizens of a city, those of us in the digital world should also follow rules and policies" (Computer Applications, 2010)
More and more we are seeing students as well as adults misusing and abusing technology. The issue is more than what the users do not know, it is also what is considered appropriate technology usage. Pew Research conducted a study in 2012 that looked at five types of personal information that could be shared by teens on social media.
91% post a photo of themselves
71% post their school name
71% post the city or town where they live
53% post their email address
20% post their cell phone number
They also found that:
92% post their real name to the profile they use most often.
84% post their interests, such as movies, music, or books they like.
82% post their birth date.
62% post their relationship status.
24% post videos of themselves.
These statistics are scary because:
- 65% of online sex offenders used the victim's social networking site to gain home and school information about the victim (Journal of Adolescent Health 47, 2010)
- 26% of online sex offenders used the victim's social networking site to gain information about the victim's whereabouts at a specific time. (Journal of Adolescent Health 47, 2010)
- One in seven kids received a sexual solicitation online.
- 14 percent of students in 10th-12th grade have accepted an invitation to meet an online stranger in-person and 14 percent of students, who are usually the same individuals, have invited an online stranger to meet them in-person.
- 13 percent of 2nd-3rd grade students report that they used the Internet to talk to people they do not know, 11 percent report having been asked to describe private things about their body and 10 percent have been exposed to private things about someone else's body.
- 91% of teens report sharing a nude or semi nude photo that was sent to them
There are several ways that teachers can incorporate and teach good digital citizenship skill and internet safety on a regular basis.
#1 Show students how to create and maintain a positive digital footprint.
A digital footprint is made up of personal information like your name, address, phone number, or birthday. It is also made up of online actions, uploads, and your digital trail. Your digital footprint is an online version of you and may be the only description someone has of you, particularly potential employers.
#2 Use a learning management system.
Edmodo and Schoology are free learning management systems which provide teachers with platforms for discussions, resource sharing, grading, messaging and networking. More to point, however, they offer a school-oriented, safe, and age-appropriate space where students can learn how to connect through social media. If we introduce LMSes early on, we seize the opportunity to teach social interaction through the learning and identity lens first.
#3 Set age appropriate expectations.
Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat have a minimum age requirement of 13. Students under the age requirement of 13 should not be utilizing these sites for classroom purposes, and there is a good reason for that beyond the fact that they would be breaking the rules. Therefore, teachers should not encourage a class group to form on Facebook if students are under that age--yes, even if they already have an account. If we do so, we dismiss the rule and encourage a lack of respect and accountability to the community guidelines which is the very opposite of encouraging citizenship.
#4 Incorporate digital citizenship lessons regularly.
There are numerous sites online that provide lessons on internet safety and digital citizenship. Planet Nutshell has short videos that cover a variety of topics from cyberbullying to protecting personal information. PBS Kids Webonauts Academy teaches kids to make responsible decisions in their online interactions. They can explore a series of missions that will teach them web safety. My favorite is Common Sense Media which has a lot of free materials that are designed to help students think critically about safety and participate responsibly as good digital citizen.
#5 Stress the 9 Ps of digital citizenship.
I chose to explore 3D printers as a tool of the future. My school received a grant which allowed us to acquire two printers. They are made by Ekocycle and use recycled coke bottles as the filament. They are not the best or greatest 3D printers but they have done the job in introducing this new technology to our students. With the assistance of one of the physics teachers at my school I was able to create a case for an iphone and a charm for school lanyards. The software was easy to use and comes with lots of pre-made templates. It was not difficult to learn how to design an item on my own. I played around with the software for a little while before finally printing out a design that resembled a coaster.
References
Wolak, Mitchell, and Finkelhor. “Internet-initiated sex crimes against minors; implications for prevention based on findings from a national study.” Journal of Adolescent Health. 35.5. 2007.
Wolak, Michell and Finkelhor. Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later. Alexandria, VA, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 2006.
Rochester Institute for Technology, 2008
Common Sense Media. (2010). Internet safety for high school kids tips. Retrieved fromhttp://www.commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents/internet-safety-high-school-kids-tips
Common Sense Media. (2009). Protecting personal privacy online. Retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents/protecting-personal-privacy-online
Computer Applications. (2010). Lesson 1 - Introduction to digital citizenship. Retrieved fromhttp://www.pensacolachs.org/webpages/capplications/index.cfm?subpage=428866
Cowell, L. (2010). Follow your digital footprint: Recognizing where you've been online, choosing where you're going. Retrieved fromhttp://old.huhs.org/departments/library/pathfinders/footprint/footprints.html
International Society for Technology in Education. (2007). NETS for students 2007. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx
Morehouse, J. (2011). Students dig up dirt to learn about Internet safety. Learning & Leading with Technology, 39(2), 34-36.
U.S. Department of Education. (2010). Transforming American education: Learning powered by technology. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
What Your Students Really Need to Know About Digital Citizenship. (2014). Retrieved March 28, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-citizenship-need-to-know-vicki-davis