Everyone, including students, has an increasing amount of access to different technologies. They have the ability to use these technologies in a variety of ways which can cause harm if they are not used safely. Digital citizenship is the “ability to use technology responsibly, safely, and respectfully. It refers to the ability to protect private information online, mitigate risks associated with cyberthreats or online threats and utilizing information and media in a respectful, knowledgeable and legal way” (Lcom Team, 2023). Students need to have the tools to navigate online spaces safely because access to technologies is only growing.
My view of digital citizenship aligns with the points discussed in the above paragraph. I need to be using technologies safely and respectfully so that I can model these practices to my students and hopefully be able to answer any questions they might have. I know which sites are appropriate for my use and which ones I should stay away from. Another aspect of being safe online is not putting all of your personal information online or giving personal information to other people online. We have these blogs online but the URL does not have to be your name and you can change the settings so that your blog does not come up if someone googles you. Social media can impact your online presence in a big way. It is easy to look up people or share things instantly. Again, I would advise not giving out any information on social media and you do not even have to put your full name in your profile.
Digital citizenship matters for teachers because technology is being used every day in so many ways and our students use it too. It is important to monitor what our students do online in schools by vetting the sites they use beforehand and having them play school appropriate online games if they have free time. Teachers need to watch videos that they plan to show in class fully beforehand in case any inappropriate ads come up on the screen. It is important to teach students about digital citizenship at their grade level so that they can be aware of how to be responsible online. Another aspect of modelling being respectful and safe online is teaching students the risks of cyber threats and making sure they know they can go to a trusted adult for help. Digital citizenship will be a part of students’ lives no matter how old they are so it is important they know how to use technologies responsibly and safely.
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