Final Thoughts on Digital Citizenship

Digital citizenship is, “The norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use” (Ribble, 2017). Norms? I wonder how many people know there are norms for technology use? In both my past and present interactions with the public, students, friends, and family, I have come to realize that many individuals are unaware of the expected etiquette connected to digital communication. This course has opened my eyes to the lack of available training resources out there and made me feel the need to share my learning with the students in my environment. Even though I know that I can effectively impart my knowledge to those I have the honor of instructing, I feel it is much bigger than me. Digital citizenship education needs to be a top-down approach, and the biggest and first step is gaining buy-in from those who are in leadership positions in a school district. This will not be an easy feat considering the many facets that are juggled at the leadership level at any given time.

So where do I start? The answer isn’t abundantly clear. If I choose to trail blaze without support from the powers that be, it could prove to be a fruitless and frustrating effort. They may wonder why an English teacher is taking precious time away from one of the most difficult curriculum areas in the building to focus on something that might technically fall under the CATE umbrella. Shouldn’t those who teach with technology every single day be responsible for pushing digital citizenship out to the masses? One would think it aligns better with the State’s requirements for their curriculum, but unfortunately, I feel this thinking is quite antiquated. In the current technological age we reside in, technology education (including etiquette) is the responsibility of EVERYONE. But making all stakeholders feel the urgency and the responsibility to be a part of it and carry a torch for our students is going to require the right campaign. The value and the greater good has to be delicately expressed.

The next item to consider is where to go from here. We need to find the best way to incite a sense of urgency and importance among all major players in our corner of this education game. The best way to accomplish this is through the one commonality that we all possess, the one reason we are all here: our hunger for knowledge; our thirst for the exploration of the unknown. Maybe the best place to start is by giving them required readings and making them follow through. Through the reading, they will experience the potentially fatal epidemic that has evolved from what is believed to be old-fashioned school yard teasing, but some students aren’t having much fun anymore. In fact, many are taking their lives because of the lack of knowledge and the failed punishment of those guilty of inflicting digital torment on another human being. This needs to stop, and it need to start with us. Organizations as a whole need to take a stand and make digital citizenship a priority. If we don’t carry the torch, then we may be faced with a generation of individuals who are immersed in a world of digital anarchy, and as we know, anarchy brings violence, suffering, and destruction. These are all tragedies that can be avoided with one simple precaution: education.

References

Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools: Nine elements all students should know. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.