Week 5, Digital Citizenship: It takes a Village

This past weeks discussion was very enlightening.  What I learned that I didn't know before was realizing how deep my digital footprint was.  Though it was never a subject I ever pondered before I now find myself cognizant of every website I visit or any transactions I make online.  It never occurred to me that I was part of two worlds the real and the digital.  So therefor with the digital world being another place we conduct ourselves as human beings I think it is very important as adults and teachers to realize that it is our responsibility to teach it to our children and students how to behave online as if it was like any other important lesson in life.

When reading the article, Why Teach Digital Citizenship? Article , by Linda Yollis. I was astounded, just as the teacher was, at how quickly and naturally the concepts of good blogging came to her third graders.  Their clarity and certainty coupled with their enthusiasm was a sure sign that technology was not only something they wanted to do, but something they really wanted to be good at; and if its something they want to be good at then we should know how to teach them how to do it well.  With the uprising of technology use in schools it is important to see that teaching students to navigate the digital world successfully has become just as much a part of the class as reading and writing.  Blogging is a fun and easy way to get your students to create a space of their own in the big world of the internet and practice some of their internet etiquette skills.  But sometimes their is backlash amongst those unsure of the internet use as a teaching guide so here, if ever you hear why blogging for our students? -here is a fun video I found.

  


From parents, to teachers, to community alike it is important that we all realize that we are now living in two worlds the real and the digital, and that we all play a very important role in teaching our children and our students the skills on how to be good digital citizens.  Just as we hope to prepare our students for the real world, we should really hope and work at preparing them for the digital world as well.  The sooner we teach them how to use the internet safely and responsibly the sooner it becomes a tool to enhance their lives.  Not teaching these skills leaves our children susceptible to misinformation that could lead to possible bad decisions that could follow them throughout lives.  Just like the article above with third graders ready, willing, and able to show us their blogging skills, it is important to realize that the demand is out there so we as adults, as teachers, should and must give them the supply. :)