Today’s students have grown up with technology, however this facade of “digital experts” can overshadow the reality of inexperience. As a teacher, you play a dual role regarding student digital citizenship - you are a model for positive digital identities and you are a facilitator of digital literacy skills. Digital citizenship is a general term for appropriate and fair conduct in the online world. The graphic below illustrates nine general topics that encompass digital citizenship. (More on Digital Access in this post.)
We all know that teachers are held to a higher standard than the general public. We are role models for our students and this extends to the digital world. As part of my research for this post, I googled myself. Not gonna lie, it was pretty uneventful. I recall doing this in the early 2000s (when the internet first got “big”), finding news articles from high school basketball accomplishments or media interviews from volunteer work.
I’ve made a point to establish a professional learning network and manage my digital identity. My about.me page acts as a digital landing page, directing visitors to my teaching portfolio, social media pages and contact information. My social media accounts are private and I only share information that I want out in the world (mostly animals in need of care and children’s literature). I’ve managed to establish a positive digital footprint and am in control of what information is available to the general public. Digital identity role model: check.
PEW’s research also revealed that very few teens think social media is helpful for finding trustworthy information (Pew Research Center, 2018). Part of digital literacy is being critical of information and developing skills to find reliable information online. Digital literacy is essential in today’s education; the responsibility falls on us teachers to incorporate digital skills into all content areas.
There are many excellent resources available; here are some that I’ve curated for my own professional use:
Twenty-first century educators have the challenging task to prepare students for the unknown jobs of the future. If we can lead by example and facilitate digital citizenship, today’s youth might just have a fighting chance to leverage technology and make this world a better place.
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We all know that teachers are held to a higher standard than the general public. We are role models for our students and this extends to the digital world. As part of my research for this post, I googled myself. Not gonna lie, it was pretty uneventful. I recall doing this in the early 2000s (when the internet first got “big”), finding news articles from high school basketball accomplishments or media interviews from volunteer work.
I’ve made a point to establish a professional learning network and manage my digital identity. My about.me page acts as a digital landing page, directing visitors to my teaching portfolio, social media pages and contact information. My social media accounts are private and I only share information that I want out in the world (mostly animals in need of care and children’s literature). I’ve managed to establish a positive digital footprint and am in control of what information is available to the general public. Digital identity role model: check.
Student Lens
Today’s students are connected more than ever. Research on teens’ social media habits and experiences discovered the majority of teens feel social media has helped them to build stronger friendships, exposing them to the world’s diversity, but still some teens struggle with online peer pressure and cyberbullying (Pew Research Center, 2018). Social media is a huge platform for social connection; students need training to use these tools safely and responsibly.PEW’s research also revealed that very few teens think social media is helpful for finding trustworthy information (Pew Research Center, 2018). Part of digital literacy is being critical of information and developing skills to find reliable information online. Digital literacy is essential in today’s education; the responsibility falls on us teachers to incorporate digital skills into all content areas.
There are many excellent resources available; here are some that I’ve curated for my own professional use:
- Digital Identity poster - great to put up in your classroom;
- K-12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum by Common Sense Education - pepper in some digital citizenship lesson plans using these ready-made resources;
- Foster meaningful discussions with older students on digital wellness using these discussion card prompts;
- MediaSmarts is Canada’s centre for digital and media literacy - plenty of resources for families and the classroom.
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| Image Source: EdNexio |
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I agree with you on the point you made about today's students being more connected than ever. This is such a great post. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and some resources. I totally love this. Good Job Deanne.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words, Pam!!
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