Digital Citizenship

What will I do to implement or change my current AUP?

The AUP for my school includes information on access, communication, etiquette, rights and responsibilities, and literacy. These are the areas most people think of when it comes to use of technology. However, there are some areas that can use a little work. Communication needs more information and needs to be more clear. Etiquette needs to have more information of what is appropriate. Literacy needs more specifics on how students and employees are to be trained.

The plan doesn’t include the other four sections. I would add information on these areas: health and wellness, commerce, law, and security. These are all important areas to include, especially as students are not familiar with laws, online shopping, online security, and how to protect their health when it comes to technology.

What will you do to educate your faculty/staff/co-workers about Digital Citizenship?

I am not in a positive to do this right now. However, I have learned quite a bit about the nine elements of digital citizenship and believe that everyone needs to know the elements and how they work. Teachers and staff must understand the elements in order to teach students. I think that I would, if given the opportunity, create ongoing opportunities to learn about the elements – perhaps using Blackboard to post resources, creating videos, holding informal and formal trainings, etc.

Digital Security

How do students protect their technology in a digital society?

I think this is a relevant question for students AND adults. So many people just don’t protect their technology or private information. First, students should never click on links from sources they don’t know or links that even remotely appear to be suspicious. Students should also have some kind of virus protection and keep it up to date (automatic updates are great for this). Finally, students need to know what to do if they suspect that their technology has been compromised and who they need to go to to get it fixed.

How can students be taught to protect themselves and their equipment from harm?

Students just don’t know how important it is to keep private information protected. Students at my school have no problems giving other students their login information for their laptops. The problem is, this login includes their school ID number, so they are not just giving up their login, they are giving away identifying information. Students need to be taught how to keep their information private, but, I think that adults need to be educated on this as well, and before students can be taught. We need to find ways to meet students where they are. We need to find ways to teach them, without them realizing they are being taught. How can we make it fun to learn about security and make it relevant to them as well? I don’t know how, but I know it is necessary.

Digital Etiquette

Are students aware of others when they use technology? Do students realize how their use of technology affects others?

I think it depends on the student and what we mean by “aware”. I think in terms of being aware of others online, I think many are. Cyberbullying is a big issue in today’s world, but the reports of online harassment and cyberbullying are lower than expected. Per the Pew report, about one-third of students report experiencing online harassment. This number is not low, but most students are not reporting it, which implies that most users are aware of others and their feelings. Looking at being aware of others physically around them when they are using technology, I believe that many students are not aware of what is going on around them while they are absorbed by what they are doing online. There is a lot of negative talk about students and technology, but the numbers show that students are much more aware of their technology use and its effects than we are giving them credit for. I also believe that students can be much more aware than they currently are and we should strive to increase awareness.

In my article, a situation is discussed where a Northwest ISD student wrote an online book that details violence and potential murders of several students who go to the same school. Parents are upset that the student who wrote the book could stay at the school. I think that this could have been prevented with education of students about digital etiquette and having a strong policy in place for dealing with issues of cyberbullying like this. The school district should allow the students affected to transfer if they are not going to remove the student who wrote the book from school.

References:

http://www.pewinternet.org/2010/05/06/cyberbullying-2010-what-the-research-tells-us/

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Northwest-ISD-Parents-Speak-Out-Against-Cyberbullying-299643721.html

Digital Law

Are students using technology the way it was intended and are they infringing on the rights of others?

I would say it depends on the student and how they are educated about appropriate and inappropriate uses of technology. In my experience, many students will use technology the way it is intended while in class, if they are working on an assignment and being monitored in their use. If they are given free time, more freedom, or if they are on their own time, they tend to use the technology in other ways. For example, students on my campus are given laptops for use in class and home. The purpose of having the laptops is that they will be able to use them to do school assignments and homework and so that teachers can incorporate more technology into lessons. Although this is the purpose, many students spend a lot of time playing games instead of using these computers for work.

Should students using digital technologies be accountable for how they use digital technologies?

Absolutely! There are laws government technology and its use. Copyright laws protect intellectual property and should be obeyed. It is up to teachers to help students know what these laws are, but students are ultimately responsible. When it comes to other uses, such as software, music, downloading, file/photo sharing, there are also laws and students will be held responsible for their actions if they are caught doing something illegal. I really liked how the cheating and how to avoid it spelled out what is ok and what is not. I also liked that there were good examples of what to do and what not to do. The online b4ucopy quiz is also good for helping students see what is ok and what is not.

References:

B4ucopy quiz: http://wwwb4ucopy.org

Cheating and How to Avoid It: http://www.doug-johnson.com/storage/handouts/ethics.pdf