What is meant by responsible digital citizenship? By Gina M. Dunn What is responsible digital citizenship?

Who does it affect and why? The new NETS*S defines digital citizenship as students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. According to www.digitalcitizenship.nsw.edu.au/Sec_Splash/index.htm, digital citizenship can best be defined as using the internet to share information about you or others, communicate with friends, and comment on what you see online, play games, get material for an assignment or buy stuff online. Partaking in digital citizenship is easy to accomplish in the digital age we live in as long as an individual has access to the internet. Being a responsible digital citizen is an entirely different element to the digital age. As educators, we need to rethink our approach to teaching social skills with our students. We need to educate ourselves so we can better educate and support our students as they navigate the virtual playgrounds of the 21st century childhood. The hazards to the digital age we live in are numerous and very easy to fall prey to. A joke or comment may initially be intended harmless but digitally takes on a new meaning because there is the lack of face to face interaction. Cyber bullying is an epidemic that primarily affects school aged individuals while Cyber harassment is more commonly an adult epidemic. 1. Cyberbullying. Cyber bullying can be defined as a child, preteen or teen that is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the internet or digital devise. No one is immune to 1

cyber bullying. Cyber bullying affects individuals under the age of 18 and the boundaries are unlimited due to the imagination of the bully. The bullying can range from countless humiliating posts on the internet to legitimate death threats. There is a very high rate of suicide among individuals that have been cyber bullied. Cyber bullies can be charged with misdemeanor cyberharrassment charges in the court system. Schools become involved from a disciplinarian perspective when the harassment occurs on campus or during school hours. Schools are in a tight position when the harassment occurs off campus and/or off school hours and run the risk of being sued for exceeding their authority. www.stopcyberbulling.org is an amazing resource that educators may access to teach responsible digital citizenship in the school system. This website walks concerned adults, educators and school administrators through the process of defining how to identify, prevent, and take action and what the state and federal laws are pertaining to cyber bullying. Community workshops on utilizing this website would be beneficial in reducing, and hopefully eliminating, cyber bullying. Teaching students what cyber bullying is, what the consequences are for all involved and how to be a responsible citizen in our digital age can have a long term positive affect on our world we live in. 2. Cyber Harassment. The internet is an invaluable resource but also a venue where mayhem can occur in the form of digital harassment. This may occur between friends, family, co-workers, and/or peers from school. Adults over the age of 18 are primarily the victims of this form of harassment. Soraida Hicks of Virginia sued her ex-boyfriend, Bruce Stimon, for cyber harassment. Stimon plead guilty in December 2012 to stalking, felony identity theft and

extortion. On January 25, 2013 he was sentenced to three years in prison. Stimon tormented Hicks and her teenaged daughter by posting their pictures on prostitution sites, sending men to the house for sex and distributing nude pictures of the adult woman to community members. Stimon did some of his harassment through an I phone he provided Hicks as a gift. When Hicks found out (while on vacation outside the country) about what Stimon had done she terminated their relationship, obtained a restraining order and worked with law enforcement. Hicks were arrested for violating the restraining order and his digital equipment which was in his possession at the time was seized as evidence. There is a pending civil lawsuit that will be ruled on. Case in point, no one is immune from cyber harassment. This story was featured on www.ABCNews.com. Cyber Harassment can be stopped and/or eliminated by individuals acting responsibly through their actions when they access the internet via Iphones, Ipads, Ipods, laptops and/or desktop computers. Often thinking before one acts can stop a lot of actions. As educators, it is imperative that we teach our students to put themselves in the other persons shoes prior to posting anything on the internet. Simply asking, how would I feel if I found this on the internet about me? can instill some responsibility. The internet does not need to strip our social conscious just because we live in the digital age. 3. Stolen Identity. Stolen identities can have many impacts on a life regardless of how it is done. In reading about digital citizenship on www.coalcrackerclassroom.wordpress.com, I came across another digital hazard. There was case scenario that took place in Pennsylvania but that could honestly occur anywhere. In the dead of winter there was a severe snow storm that caused a snow day in

the school district. As a harmless joke, a student created a facebook page posing as a teacher on the social networking website Facebook. The student was able to download a photo which made the page seem legitimate. The student proceeded to pose as the teacher and posted pretty lewd and crude messages on others facebook walls. Within hours the teacher began receiving phone calls from distressed parents demanding an explaination for his comments. After research, the teacher was able to discover who was behind the prank. Instead of the student facing punishment, the teacher convinced administration to use the experience as a teaching moment for all students in the school. The bogus webpage was reported and Facebook closed the page. This joke could have costed a lot of heartache and the loss of employment of the teacher. What may seem like a harmless joke to one person can have devastating consequences for many as the joke plays out. So what this means to educators is teaching how to use technology properly, safely and with meaning to their lives and the lives of others. Students learn that being responsible is key to lifelong learning. Lifelong learning with technology can unlock doors for a superior life. Most school districts have rules about educators friending students on social networking websites and it makes sense. It is wise for educators to be familiar with the social networks available. It should be up to the educator the amount of participation they choose to partake in social networking websites. With that said, it is appropriate that professionalism and participation rules apply for educators. A wise rule is for educators not to friend current students or the parents of current students on social networking websites and to be mindful what one posts on the internet.

An article I read on www.thejournal.com, 5 Tips for teaching digital citizienship in Elementary School, At my school last year, there were a few hairy moments and instances of either cyberbullying or "mean girls"-type chatter. These were great teachable moments in digital footprint, handling negativity, and removing our own comments and making virtual amends, all within a closed environment. I consider these experiences like training wheels on a bicycle. Eventually, training wheels on a bicycle, we learn from the lessons and won't need them anymore. Due to lack of access, many students, in particular, do not often have a chance to use these kinds of online social tools, so it is imperative that they learn them at school. I began to wonder who is responsible for teaching digital citizenship. Frankly, teaching students about digital citizenship is everyones responsibility. From the Principal to school administrators to classroom educators, to parents to mentors at the local YMCA afterschool program. Principals and school administrators may ensure that key competencies in the schools vision of e-learning are being followed. Principals and school administrators may further work with the entire community in demonstration digital citizenship. Classroom teachers, Parents and YMCA mentors may take an active role in demonstrating digital citizenship along with staying abreast the latest technology. To demonstrate the appropriate digital citizenship, adults should let their presence be known via the internet along with regular conversations with their students on the positive behaviors that should be utilized. How responsible are schools in regards digital citizenship? Schools are responsible for educating students and regulating those actions of students on school grounds. Schools may be likely to skirt tale around the issue and attempt to pass the

responsibility onto another party, such as the parent. Frankly, this is a huge undertaking for the education of our students that cannot be skirted around or shifted onto another responsible party. All adults fall into the interested party category and need to educate and ease our students along in the digital age and teach them to be responsible individuals. We are at the early stages of digital technology. How it will evolve in time is hard to predict but it is here to stay and will definitely change. As educators we need to stay abreast of the technology and take an active role in it so we may safely teach our students the technology and to use it responsibly over time. In conclusion, digital citizenship is individuals that understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Digital Citizenship education learning what is available technologically and becoming proficient in it so we may in turn educate our students. Educating students to be responsible for their actions and words will lead to a responsible generation. If students understand the ramifications of their negative actions via the computer then they will have an educated opportunity to prevent wrong doing on their behalf. It is the responsibility of all educators, parents and concerned community members to be educators to our students. We cannot continue to assume it is someone elses job to educate our students on what is the responsible action to take. We need to all step up to the plate and teach digital citizenship and make it a teachable priority in our communities and schools.

Bibliography www.ABCNews.com www.coalcrackerclassroom.wordpress.com. Why Teachers Need Digital Citizenship. Posted March 29, 2011 www.digitalcitizenship.nsw.edu.au/Sec_Splash/index.htm www.elearning.tki.org.nz. Digital Citizenship. www.heyjude.wordpress.com. Schools taking responsibility for digital citizenship. Posted March 22, 2011 www.stopcyberbulling.org www.thejournal.com. 5 Tips for teaching digital citizenship in Elementary School. Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.. Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. 5th Edition.