Thing 11 - Digital Citizenship

Digital Citizenship is something our district has really focused on this past year. This is something I already teach, but definitely have room to improve! This is such a huge issue. I loved what Cool Cat Teacher had to say:

"Too many teachers talk about how students are coming to them vastly uneducated about researching, validating sources, and using multiple sources of information. Students are believing everything they read. Where is the skepticism? The investigation? The desire to double check things?"

Of course it goes beyond not knowing how to validate sources, believing everything they read, and accepting the first source they come across. It also involves personal safety, netiquette, and legal issues associated with copyright and plagiarism.

Digiteen Digital Citizenship had a good overview of what digital citizenship involves including access, communication, safety and security, but also responsibilities and health and wellness.

Here are the five things I might use in regards to digital citizenship during library orientation:

1. Digital Literacy - rules and responsibilities for using the technology in the library. How to care for it and use it in such a way that respects other students' rights to use the equipment as well. I find that while most students have technology, few have learned how to properly care for it.
   
2. Digital Literacy - how to use technology in the library. Another article suggested that many times we leave students to figure out digital strategies on their own. Something that doesn't always work out so well! I am a big believer in direct instruction. Sometimes what is needed is for someone to simply give kids direct instruction on how to use certain pieces of technology or specific software. I find that once kids have been shown the basics, they are more confident then to explore on their own and then there explorations don't end with me trying to figure out how to "un-do" something they shouldn't have done!
   
3. Safety - Teaching them the importance of keeping their personal information safe.
   
4. Learning Strategies - Teaching students how to evaluate and critique websites and information obtained online. This is a BIGGIE and one that is not done just once, but something that is done all year long! I like the comment David Warlick made on Cool Cat Teacher's blog:
   
   David Warlick says, "Instead of starting with a web page, displayed on the whiteboard, they [teachers] should start with Google, demonstrate how they found the page, the considerations and decisions they applied to select that page, and include in the presentation, the evidence that what's being presented is valuable...When we model authority, we shouldn't be surprised when students look for authority in every piece of information."
   
5. Fair Use Guidelines - Going over the legal issues of copyrighted material and giving proper credit for media obtained on the Internet.