Response To Salon #11

 


I attended Salon #11 and joined in the discussion of the article, "Passport To Digital Citizenship: Journey Toward Appropriate Technology Use at School and at Home" by Mike Ribble. The article discussed the importance of teaching students to use technology appropriately and the role parents and teachers have in educating students in digital citizenship. We talked about how parents and teachers must "practice what we preach" and become positive role models. We discussed the importance of schools providing guided practice in using technology appropriately, allowing them to explore while providing them with the knowledge of what they should do if they come across inappropriate content.
The article mentions nine elements of digital citizenship. The following are my reflection to three of them. One of these elements is digital communication. Digital communication is described as the "electronic exchange of information" and an "understanding of the digital communication methods and when they are appropriate. As a teacher and mom of an 11 and 15 year old, this element has become a hot button issue. Although social communication networks, like My Space, Face Book, and Twitter advertise in their registration that participants be 18 years of age or older, anyone with an email account can join. Many young kids are posting profiles and pictures under altered names (so that their parents can't find them) that are inappropriate and possibly damaging to their future reputations. Kids do not think about who's reading their profiles. Many are posting personal info that should not be shared on the internet. I believe that schools and parents should properly educate kids so that they understand the reasons why they should be cautious. Blocking these sites or telling students that they are not allowed to use these social networking tools are not going to stop students and kids from using them, it will only encourage them to find a way to use it anyway. Instead we need to show them how to use it appropriately so that they are able to use a variety of digital communication tools without danger.
The next element I would like to discuss is digital literacy. Ribble defines digital literacy as "the capability to use digital technology and to know how and when to use it." From my experience many teachers have a fear of using technology with their students either because they themselves are not technology users or they do not know how to incorporate it into their curriculum. Furthermore, the teachers that do use technology do so in a teacher centered fashion, always demonstrating (using teacher created power point presentations for example) and not allowing students to use the technology to create anything or accomplish a task. I believe that teachers should not only use technology in their presentations, but also teach students how to share what they have learned using technology. I teach second graders and my students are learning how they can share, create, and communicate their knowledge through a variety of digital tools. Even at the young age of 7 and 8 years old, they have surprised me at how quickly they can adapt and utilize technology.
The last element that I would like to reflect on is the element of digital etiquette. In the article digital etiquette is defined as, "the standards of conduct expected by other digital technology users." Technology has made the world a smaller place. Students are now able to learn from and collaborate with people and places all around the world. Because of this students need to be taught to understand cultural, human, and societal issues. They need to know how to comment appropriately and be aware that anything they create or write can be seen by anyone at anytime. I once heard of a case where students were blogging from home about a class assignment and one student made an inappropriate comment about another student in the class. This led to teasing, hurt feeling, and angry parents. Who is at fault? Was it the school for introducing the technology and asking the students to utilize it or the parents for not knowing what their child was doing at home? In my opinion parents and schools need to work together to determine what we expect from our children. Together we must encourage our kids to use technology but at the same time we must have high expectations and make sue that they become global digital citizens.