Digital Citizen ship (Reality or Fantasy)

With digital citizenship, you need to make it count. Because, technology itself always seem as something fun and something that isn't exactly concrete, it's hard to get children to recognize that it can have real world consequences.

This is where digital citizenship comes into play.

Students recognizing the real world application of something that seems unrealistic.

If you remember, all throughout your life, you are told that television and movies aren't real. Well, children believe the same thing about their life or actions on the internet. It's not real, no one will be hurt. It's the internet, if they don't want to know about it, they simply shouldn't read it. If I send it to my friends, no one else will see it.

These are common thoughts.

But, when teaching digital citizenship it's probably best to start them thinking about the internet more so like the News or TMZ.

The news even though it's on television is real. The things they see have real world application, and effects people in real time. So, things that appear on the news should be taken seriously. Well, their life on the internet is the same way. Anything they post is like the news, and everyone is going to see it and take it seriously.

So, the seriousness of this should be stressed first and foremost.

Thus, one activity towards learning digital citizen ship that I want to teach students is the sticky note internet post.

Students are to write every hurtful insult (that is allowable in school), and place it on a sticky note. Then the students are to place them on themselves.

The students will of course think that part is funny, but make sure that the sticky notes are places only on themselves. They are not allowed to post it on anyone else, even though students on the internet will more likely place such comments on someone else.

Then ask them if they would like to walk down the hallway with it on?

You may get varies different responses, and some will even assure you that they will.

Now ask, if they will walk down the street with it on, and into the supermarket, and if they will keep that same sticky note on themselves until they go to college and get married.

They need to understand both, how embarrassing some things can be, and the fact that things posted on the internet will be there for a long time.

You can then use technology to further this post by going to clips for American funniest home videos, or even using such connections as children that have literally grown up on television.

The digital world forms an identity about you. Letting the students see a video that shows how a digital identity is formed might make them more cautions, and then have them literally come up with their own articles and do presentations on the rules of digital citizen ship for the class will help make sure that the students are actually invested in the lesson.

This should be done, in one form or another by every teacher.

The more it's stated, the more likely the students will understand the need.

Also, if you can convince your district, it is very important that the parents are also given this same sort of education. If students feel that being digital responsible doesn't extend to the world beyond school, the problems that come from irresponsible behavior dealing with the digital world will not be solved.