The word citizenship is defined by the rights, duties, and privileges that go along with it. I am of the opinion that any teacher looking to involve their learners in an online community (insulated or otherwise) has a responsibility to teach said learners about digital etiquette and internet safety as it pertains to their involvement as citizens of that community. Just as we train students to become good citizens of society, so should we train them to be safe, respectful, and responsible citizens of the digital world. Every learner needs to understand that rules for polite society also apply to a digital platform and that there are expectations for behavior there that help maintain it. Being a part of a community puts a responsibility on anyone, regardless of age, to learn, create, and participate in such a way that does not infringe on the rights of others.
In a pre-pandemic world, the responsibilities of digital citizenship were not something that I explicitly taught, though classroom rules applied as much online as in person. Now that a significant part of the learning experience takes place on the internet, digital citizenship has become something that I formally teach my students through a series of lessons as they become relevant to our learning path. The values we learn in those lessons are embedded in everyday expectations and are revisited frequently for maintenance and relevance. Not only do students need to understand what expectations are being placed on them as digital citizens, but they deserve to understand why there are limitations in place. I would not send them out to the playground for a 30-minute free-for-all with no adult supervision or guidelines for behavior so why would I do the same on a digital playground (a term I have overheard students use in reference to their laptops😆). Unless there are serious safeguards set up so that students cannot access anything but designated sites (not something I would agree with) then there is every possibility students will find themselves in a situation where they need to know the "rules." And let's face it, even with safeguards in place, there will always be students who are able to access things they probably shouldn't...
Now, with all that said, teachers have a lot on their plates as it is and many do not have the knowledge of digital platforms that might be necessary to teach students. So who does it fall on to enforce this? Well, I would argue that it falls on the people who are teaching students to use technology, whomever that may be. Whether it is a technology instructor that students see for unified arts or the classroom teacher who is establishing a digital community within the classroom, the teacher delivering the instruction for internet-based platforms should be driving the instruction on digital citizenship. There are many curricula available online (both free and for purchase) that are fully fleshed-out lessons and units on internet safety and digital citizenship (see resources below for some ideas). There are also quick acronyms that can be taught and posted as a simple reference for expectations. The amount of instruction on digital citizenship should be well matched to the intent and amount of instruction on digital platforms (ie, different for everyone).
This does, however, create a broad spectrum of learner knowledge on the topic. This is where the district should be stepping in to ensure that at or by a specific point in a student's education, they are receiving a set level of instruction in the topic. Just as we are told what to teach with standards for ELA, math, science, etc. we should have the same expectations for online presence. In an ever-changing and evolving world, education needs to keep up, and teaching students about digital citizenship is one way in which this should be happening. If we can have an ELA coordinator and a math coordinator, should we not also have a technology coordinator who can help keep teachers and students on the same page with digital awareness and learning? What are your thoughts?
Resources:
Digital Citizenship Lessons:
https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/lesson/your-rings-of-responsibility
https://nearpod.com/blog/digital-citizenship-week-free-lessons/
https://code.org/curriculum/course3/20/Teacher
https://lessonsbysandy.com/2012/10/digital-citizenship.html
https://mayorofbookopolis.wordpress.com/2015/10/22/teaching-digital-citizenship-with-bookopolis-lesson-1/
Rings of Responsibility Lesson:
https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/lesson/your-rings-of-responsibility
Videos:
https://www.commonsense.org/education/videos/what-is-digital-citizenship
https://www.commonsense.org/education/videos/we-the-digital-citizens
Comments
Post a Comment