Meet the New School of Digital Citizenship

http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2014/10/upright-citizens-brigade

According to author Melissa Delaney, the need for educating students on good digital citizenship is increasing. As students use technology at home and at school, they create a digital footprint in the technology world. This footprint is becoming more and more attached to the individual, whether it is used by colleges or future employers that research the background of potential candidates. Through research, it has become clearer that older students and even adults are unaware of how to portray themselves online or through social media. Inappropriate comments and photos can be forever linked to an individual, even if that person no longer supports them.

Using technology appropriately, especially in social media, has become crucial to our students and their future. If they are to become responsible contributers in the world of technology and social media, they need to be educated on how to do so. In Delaney's article "Meet the New School of Digital Citizenship," she supports an initiative created by Mike Riddle, director of technology at the Manhattan-Ogden Unified School District No. 383 in Kansas and author of Digital Citizenship in Schools.

Riddle has created a system to educate students on digital citizenship from a very early age. Riddle's system focuses on nine themes that fall into 3 categories: respect, educate, and protect, also called REP. Teachers should focus on one theme in each category every year in school, building the students knowlege about responsible use of technology and creating their digital footprint.

Delaney's article also suggests that this type of education does not need to be overly complicated. There are a lot of resources available, whether it is a video or curriculum, that is free and accessible. Many schools already have an acceptable use policy that teachers can use to build on when educating their students about digital citizenship, and lessons can be woven throughout multiple disciplines.

I feel this a very relavant to the subject I teach because in my classes, we often discuss the power of words and meaning.  We also cover responsible practices for research and discuss intellectual property and plagarism.  I feel reponsible for educating my students about these topics so that they can have a positive experience using technology in their lives, and then they are prepared for the higher learning environments that many of them will attend.