RCE: 11 Tools, Tool 10 Underneath it All - Digital Citizenship

Discuss at least three things you would want to make sure your students understand about being good digital citizens.

In their article, "Digital Citizenship: Addressing Appropriate Technology Behavior", Mike S. Ribble, Dr. Gerald D. Bailey, and Dr. Tweed W. Ross identify nine general areas of behavior that make up digital citizenship:

1. Etiquette: electronic standards of conduct or procedure
2. Communication: electronic exchange of information
3. Education: the process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology
4. Access: full electronic participation in society
5. Commerce: electronic buying and selling of goods
6. Responsibility: electronic responsibility for actions and deeds
7. Rights: those freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world
8. Safety: physical well-being in a digital technology world
9. Security (self-protection): electronic precautions to guarantee safety

It is imperative that parents and teachers explictly teach etiquette, responsibility, safety and security. Luckily, we have a great librarian who has helped teachers reinforce high standards. Most of the children at are school have been exposed to technology and its use and practices from a very young age. However, it is important to review the procedures and expectations each year. With intermediate students, I like to focus on access, rights, and communication. Since cyber bullying is on the rise, especially in middle school, I think it is important to address this issue early in Elementary.

Share at least one of the resources mentioned above or on the Ed Tech website that you plan to use instructionally.

The iSafe program looks promising. I like the real stories found in the Student Toolkit.

Explain briefly how you would "teach" the idea of digital citizenship to your students.

To start the year off, it would be neat to have students make an animated video describing the various components of digital citizenship. Merely talking to them about it would not be as meaningful (or memorable). FramebyFrame Leopard would be a neat tool to use on the Macs (if we have it). Students could create their own animated videos. This video shows an example of the possibilities;however, I would make sure my students produce a video with a little more "meat." I have begun to bookmark sites on Diigo and plan to start the year with an introduction of inquiry circles focused around the theme of cyber bullying.

Explain briefly how you plan to share the idea of digital citizenship with your parents.

We can inform parents of digital citizenship at Back to School Night. We can also post tips on our grade level blog.