Based on my research and understanding, during my most recent class (5316) in the DLL program at Lamar University, I learned that there is a difference between citizenship and digital citizenship. From where I sit, I believe that citizenship reflects your status within a nation, while digital citizenship is a choice regarding behavior online. Considering all of the elements that go into digital citizenship, the one that is most important to me is digital access since equity is at its core. Beyond having an actual device, consideration should also include access to lessons as well have resources on how to use digital resources. Based on my experience, digital equity appears to be a major concern centered around most school districts.
If we are able to address digital access, it will be a lot easier to allow students to understand their Intentional or unintentional digital footprint. According to The Case for Teaching Digital Citizenship, youth today are growing up with technology as ever-present facet of their lives (Shapiro, 2014). This constant exposure is having major impact on students and teachers, alike. While it’s great to have information at our fingertip, literally; it is also important to recognize the fact that these small devices have taken over our lives and have greatly affect our learning, relations as well as our mental health.
As I’ve progressed through the DLL program, one of the lessons I’ll take with me is that students are consumers of media and treat information they see and receive as well as their devices as such. Teaching students to become producers of media is the best way to mitigate the learning loss as it relates to digital consumption. I often refer to my students as the TikTok generation. The information is presented to them so quickly and disappears even faster.
As stated earlier, allowing students to become producers of media, it is also important that they understand copyright laws and how if affects what is being produced. There are a few terms that everyone should learn as they related to digital media.
· Plagiarism – Plagiarism is when a person uses another’s spoken or written words and passes them off as if they were their own words.
· Copyright infringement – Copyright infringement is similar to plagiarism in that a person uses someone else’s creative works and does not give proper credit.
· Attribution – Attribution is similar to copyright in that its works must be cited. However, there are several differences, including the author had given advanced permission to change their work (Aesoph, 2018).
· Transformation – Transformation is when someone takes copyrighted material and creates something new for a different purpose.
While I knew about copyright, copyright infringement, and plagiarism; I had never really heard of transformation. Each term is important and should be included in learning especially when centered around digital learning.
The most impactful part of this course specifically was the information regarding cyberbullying. As a secondary school educator, I have heard my fair share of cyber bullying stories. Students are often devastated. I also experienced my son being cyberbullied while he was in high school. The students went as far as creating a website dedicated to talking about my son. It was a painful experience and one I would not wish on anyone.
As I continue my educational career, I will do all I can to teach students how to create human-centered solutions. When we are consistently being taught to think of others first, the need for empathy is being reinforced.
Resources
Shapiro, D. E. (2014, January 23). The case for Teaching Digital Citizenship. The Jewish Press JewishPresscom. Retrieved November 23, 2021, from https://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/the-case-for-teaching-digital-citizenship/2014/01/23/.
Aesoph, L. M. (2018, February 20). Citation vs. attribution. SelfPublishing Guide. Retrieved November 24, 2021, from https://opentextbc.ca/selfpublishguide/chapter/citation-vs-attribution/.
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