Digital Citizenship in a Global Community, an Introduction.

As I conclude the first week in the course I am reflecting back on my own experiences.

My first reflection comes as a teacher, wondering how effective I have been in teaching digital citizenship to my students. Hamilton, Cross, Plested and Rezk (2010) state that “Digital Citizenship is more than just a teaching tool; it is a way to prepare students/technology users for a society full of technology.” Have I done enough? Now that I think about it, the answer is a resounding 'no'. Although it’s been in the curriculum for grade 5 for many years, there really isn’t an abundance of resources available. Have I taught about digital etiquette and health? Absolutely! Has digital access come into play? More since online learning than ever before. Have I ever thought to teach about digital commerce and digital law? Not once. I didn’t even know these were aspects of digital citizenship. But as the old saying goes: you do better when you know better. 

 

My second reflection comes as a mom, knowing I need to work on this area. I chose to read the article Educators: Help parents talk to their kids about tech by Rogers-Whitehead (2020) out of guilt about not having enough candid conversations with my own children about digital citizenship. Why don’t I? Well, because I’m scared. I’m scared I may not say things the way I want. I’m scared I might dive in too deep for their ages. I’m scared of what they may already know. I’m scared about a lot of things. This article neatly sums up the importance of repeating and reinforcing lessons at home. “If lessons are not repeated and reinforced outside the classroom, students cannot internalize them and truly learn.” Rogers-Whitehead (2020). She gives some great suggestions about how to approach those conversations with students/children in various age groups and I look forward to starting those conversations with my own children.


My last reflection comes through me as a person. I learned some hard truths today after watching a documentary called InRealLife by Kidron (2014). Although I knew about the addictive nature of the internet and the disconnect between expectations and reality, I never heard candid conversations about young people who were immersed in it. To hear and see how they are not able to have real face to face connections with others was eye opening and heartbreaking all at the same time. Getting through the ‘dark’ side of digital citizenship gives me hope that we can bring more of the ‘light’ side through our students. 

References

Hamilton, K., Cross, C., Plested, D., & Rezk, M. (2010). Digital Citizenship. https://k3hamilton.com/ED/digital-citizen.html

Kidron, B. (Director). (2014). InRealLife [Video file]. First Run Features. Retrieved January 10, 2021, from Kanopy.

Rogers-Whitehead, C. (2020). Educators: Help parents talk to their kids about tech. https://www.iste.org/explore/digital-citizenship/educators-help-parents-talk-their-kids-about-tech

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