Blog 2-2 Reflection

Your digital footprint or dossier is every online interaction that you have ever had accounts, posts, emails, and much more. Some of this information is protected by security programs, but not all and the security is limited based on who is trying to access your digital footprint. With my personal digital footprint I try to limit what I place online and make sure that what I do is appropriate. There have been so many scandals with teachers and what they have posted online; this made me not want to be extra careful. It’s important to “remember that what you share with your friends may also be viewed by people you don’t know. And once it’s online, it could be there forever, so think before you post,” (Commonwealth of Australia, 2015).  Students also need to be aware of their personal digital footprint and what is in the online world with their name attached to it.

Digital citizenship is “the norms of appropriate, responsible technology use,” (Ribble, 2015). For me this was really not talked about until I went to college, and I took a criminal justice course that informed me on the amount of crime that is given evidence through online posts. When I was going through middle and high school technology started to be used more frequently in school, but not in the way that it is used today. Social media websites have drastically increased in usage in the past decade (Pew Research Center, 2015). Also, from my experience, when Facebook first came out many people were unaware of accessibility to the posts or pictures they were putting online. This resulted in career and legal problems for many young people who were naive of the appropriate digital citizenship. Having appropriate use of technology is important for all who use it, not just students

Throughout the years, the importance for digital citizenship has been essential to teach in schools. Often times many schools offer an introductory lesson at the beginning of each school year about expectations, rules and regulations that go along with technology in and out of school. “With the growth of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and 1:1 initiatives in schools there is much more of a need to talk about responsible use of technology,” (Ribble, 2015). By doing this it will prepare out students to be more informed on how to act and what the consequences could be if they have poor digital citizenship. I think that the appropriate age to teach about digital citizenship is when someone uses technology independently, and this age is becoming younger and younger each year. If a student is going to have the ability to work alone on an assignment involving technology they need to be made aware of expected appropriate behaviors.  As they become more independent the student will continue to learn more digital citizenship as it applies to social and personal uses.

Technology has made a positive impact in education, but there is risk in the use of it. Therefore it is necessary that teachers prepare their students for the effective use of the equipment especially in their classroom and at home as well. Making sure that our students are learning skills to appropriately use technology will help them now and in their future. Some of these skills will include digital security (self-protection), law, responsibilities, etiquette, literacy, communication, and rights (Ribble, 2015). Technology provides new ways to learn and exciting opportunities for all, making smart choices allows for success.

Resources:

Commonwealth of Australia. (2015). Digital Footprint. Retrieved from http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/Kids/Get%20the%20facts/Digital%20footprint.aspx

Davis, V. & Lindsay, J. (2010) Navigate. Retrieved from http://www.flatclassroomproject.org/file/view/DigitalCitizenship_Mar2010.pdf

Pew Research Center. (2015). Social Networking Fact Sheet.  Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/

Ribble, M. (2015). Digital Citizenship. Retrieved from http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/