Educators inspire students to positively contribute to and responsibly participate in the digital world.
-ISTE Standards for Educators
Technology has been a critical tool in education within the past couple of years. However, there are a few ramifications that teachers need to be made aware of when we access the Internet. Students ( and teachers!) need to be protected when they go online, as well as follow moral and ethical guidelines and leave a responsible digital footprint. Common sense education formulated a curriculum to help students become proper digital citizens that "empowers students to think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly in our digital world. These 21st-century skills are essential for students to harness the full potential of technology for learning." These lessons include teaching students to become private and secure, leaving behind an appropriate digital footprint and reputation, helping build their self-image and identity, building healthy and safe relationships online, protecting and preventing cyberbullying, and many more valuable lessons.
“Our K-12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum” PDF. Common Sense Education, 2016.
At the start of the year I understood the very basics of how to be a digital citizen, such as protecting any secure information and straying away from cyber bullying. However, I did not know how complicated the other aspects of being a digital citizen were. I understood very little about licenses and how to prevent copyright. I will definitely be following Ohio's Anti-harassment and bullying policy from now on, though, as it showcases what is and is not acceptable in an academic setting. I will also be looking at other school district's AUPs and attempt to create my own when I have a classroom to teach.
I found that Interland was a great and fun tool to help get these important life lessons across to children. Interland is an interactive game that takes the player through lessons on how to be a great digital citizen. |
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