Global Digital Citizen Post Two

Digital Etiquette and Responsible Social Interactions 

When I think of my future students being responsible on the internet I immediately think of cyberbullying. While, they may not be on social media sites in my classroom it is still important they know the repercussions of cyberbullying. Students often post stuff online without thinking twice about it. What we say can really break a person down if we aren't careful. There are also predators on the internet looking to take advantage of young children. Students need to be aware that what they put on the internet is not only seen by their friends but essentially everyone on the internet. Since anyone potentially has access to our social networks is extremely important to watch what information we are giving out about ourselves. While it may not be appropriate to dedicate an entire lesson to cyberbullying and predators to young students, it is important to include it in your hidden curriculum. The video below is a PSA for cyberbullying. It's a different way of looking at the effects of bullying online. The video can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpsGRYbhBbM

Digital etiquette is defined as, "a basic set of rules you should follow in order to make the internet better for others, and better for you. It's just as important to treat people with courtesy and respect online as it is in real life" by http://www.nisd.net/digitalcitizen/sec_digcit/etiquette_6_12.htm. This being said it is clear that digital etiquette and responsible social interaction really go hand in hand. The way we treat each other on the internet matters. The information we put out there matters. As a future teacher it's important my students understand the responsibility that comes with logging onto the internet. They can easily become a predator r or a victim. My goal is to make them neither by teaching them what is and isn't smart to put on the internet. I think it's also my goal to make sure my students do not have access to sites that ask students for personal information or allow them to communicate to complete strangers. This relates back to my first post and the importance of setting up blockers on school computers to keep students safe while they are at school. 

Global Digital Citizen Post One

Safe, Legal and Ethical use of Digital Information and Technology in the Classroom

Having technology in the classroom can enhance a child's learning in many ways. However, it is extremely important that the technology is used in a safe and ethical manner. When students get on the internet they are essentially leaving the classroom and left to their own devices. This is why it is important to make sure you've created a safe environment on the computer. This can be achieved by the following: 

1. Students are only allowed to use teaching and learning sites. 

2. Do not rely on the internet to teach your students. The internet should only be supplementary

3. Give students guidelines to follow when they are accessing the internet

4. Make sure all devices have a safety setting so students aren't able to access inappropriate websites. 

(http://www.slideshare.net/Mrs.Faust/teaching-ethical-and-legal-use-of-technology-in-the-classroom)

The legal and ethical use of the digital information falls on the teacher for the most part. As far as the students are concerned the most important thing for them to learn about is plagiarism. They need to know what is means and how to avoid it. I think it's the teacher's responsibility to supply legal and ethical material. Students use the resources that are given to them by the teacher. As teachers we need to make sure before had that it is legal and ethical.

As a teacher it is extremely important to model safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information. Student's look to their teachers to know what is right and wrong. If we show students that being safe on the internet or not citing our sources isn't important why should we expect them too? Plagiarism is like stealing and stealing is never okay. Taking digital information seriously teaches students to respect the power. The internet is a big scary place and that's why we need to be smart with what we decide to do on it.