Tool #10 - Underneath it All - Digital Citizenship

Learners need to know how to operate safely, friendly and ethically in the digital world. Our job as educators is to help develop the skills necessary for our students to become successful citizens in the world. As a fifth grade teacher, my focus for teaching digital citizenship is not as extensive as secondary educators. A few of the primary points I will cover with students and the corresponding strategies to help them avoid these pitfalls are:

1. Students copy material off the Internet for class projects without giving credit to the author. To address this inappropriate use, discussing student perceptions of ethical/unethical technology use and discussing fair use and copyright laws is needed.

2. Students violate school acceptable use policies (AUPs) because they view them as unfair. To counteract this, teachers should provide students with information about appropriate and inappropriate use of technology in school. Engaging students about the differences between rights in school and outside school when using technology will also be addressed.

3. Students use handhelds or instant messaging (IM) to send nonclass-related messages back and forth in class. Teachers should use case studies or scenarios to illustrate appropriate and inappropriate ways of using technology. They should also model appropriate uses of technology in and out of the classroom.

Parents need to play an active role in their child's use of technology. Educators can help by offering a few campus sessions highlighting important points for being a good digital citizen. After discussing the key features, parents and their child/children will be asked to sign a pledge as evidence of their faith in following through on good practices. One such contract can be seen by clicking here.