Should digital citizenship be a stand alone term, or is it just plain citizenship? Has our digital identity become so ingrained within our everyday lives that digital citizenship should be considered one with citizenship? These are a few of the many questions posed by Dr. Alec Couros at a recent EC&I 831 class. Teach Thought defines digital citizenship as “the self-monitored habits that sustain and improve the digital communities you enjoy or depend on.” What I like about this definition is that it focuses on the self-monitoring of behavior. This implies that we give students control of their actions, and force them to be responsible for the choices they make. This doesn’t mean that we throw them out the wolves per say, but rather that we educate them to smart decisions about their involvement in the digital world.
One of the elements of digital citizenship that gets the most attention are issues of Cyber-safety. As educators, we need to stop scaring kids from the internet and instead educate them about doing it safely. The internet is not a passing fad, and it is not useful for anyone involved to simply try and scare kids into not using it. The public service announcement below is a good example of how scare tactics are often used to discourage people from posting information online.
“Don’t talk to strangers in real life or online”. In reality, it may be ok to talk to people who are strangers. I think of all the strangers I have met when taking EC&I 831. In fact, all but one of the people in my extended PLN were what I would consider strangers at the beginning of this course. These same people have been tremendous resources in my learning and professional development over the last 3 months.
However, there are dangers that lurk on the internet. There are sites that exist that inappropriate and non-educational. Shock sites, for example, attract visitors by the fact that are gross, weird, violent, or offensive. The reasons that people are attracted to them are the same reasons we need our students to be aware of their dangers.
The Reflective Educator, David Wees tweeted “I’m in favor of Internet filters. I just want to move them from the router to my students’ heads” ( Nov 17, 2012). Even though it was originally tweeted out nearly a year ago, this tweet still appears on my Twitter feed occasionally, and I think it is because his message is so poignant- physical barriers can only do some much. We need to teach our kids how to think for themselves and act appropriately.
How can we teach students to self-monitor their behavior to make our digital world a better place?
I think the question comes down to a LOT of proper modelling, and frank discussion of the content that is available and the real risks and dangers. We often avoid the topic, or coddle children unnecessarily, which in many cases has the opposite intended effects. Let’s have the appropriate, honest, and direct conversations, and give students the benefit of the doubt.