Group items tagged

"For most young people today, engagement with new digital media is a routine aspect of life. Through computers, mobile phones, and other handheld devices, youth can blog, tweet, participate in social networks like Facebook, play massive multi-player games, use online information sources, and share videos, stories, music, and art they've created. Important skills and knowledge can be gained from such activities, but there are also risks. For example, young people may only rarely consider what it means to be an ethical, socially responsible "citizen" on the Internet. Our Space is a set of curricular materials designed to encourage high school students to reflect on the ethical dimensions of their participation in new media environments. "

Global perspective: Schools Japan are redoubling their efforts to teach students rules and ethics for their use of the Internet. Until recently, this kind of education mainly focused on preventing minors from accessing harmful websites. Nowadays, however, education experts agree on the importance of instilling a sense of online ethics early on, to prevent young people from engaging in behavior such as inappropriate use of documents, academic papers and other sources, as well as the questionable posting of photos to the Internet.

"Let's face it: Technology and etiquette have been colliding for some time now, and things have finally boiled over if the recent spate of media criticisms is anything to go by. There's the voicemail, not to be left unless you're "dying." There's the e-mail signoff that we need to "kill." And then there's the observation that what was once normal - like asking someone for directions - is now considered "uncivilized." Cyber-savvy folks are arguing for such new etiquette rules because in an information-overloaded world, time-wasting communication is not just outdated - it's rude. But while living according to the gospel of technological efficiency and frictionless sharing is fine as a Silicon Valley innovation ethos, it makes for a downright depressing social ethic."

"In a recent post I described how Social Media is About Nodes and Connections and explained "the importance [of] the network effect, with a growth in the number of nodes (the bloggers, the contributors, the Twitter users) leading to a growth in the number of connections (the posts, the comments, the tweets, the retweets) which help in the development of new insights and new ideas". But whilst many users of social media, including those working in higher education, are making use of such network effects to support their professional activities in legitimate and ethical ways others are seeking to exploit network effects in ways which may be considered unethical."

Developing Ethical Direction in Digital Citizenship. Ribble & Bailey 2005.

Explore the concept and practice of digital citizenship, from social, economic, political, ethical and technological perspectives, and consider how a knowledge of new media strategies and activities coupled with information policies in schools can develop the capacity of students and teachers as digital citizens. This page is inspired by and curated for ETL523 at Charles Sturt University

"Robyn Treyvaud is the founder and director of CyberSafeWorld, a website that addresses the whole spectrum of online safety issues, including cyberbullying, risks, security, ethics and addiction.Her trail-blazing efforts have provided an essential resource for schools and parents to protect and educate the world's first generation of kids to 'grow up digital' in an environment where computers, the Internet, video games and mobile phones are ubiquitous. In addition to her work as director of CyberSafeWorld, Robyn is a senior ICT consultant at Australia's Center for Strategic Education."

"Words are powerful. We should use words with care. We need to help people of all ages understand the power of words, and the responsibilities we have as citizens in our face-to-face communities as well as online communities. These are conversations about citizenship, digital citizenship, ethics and respect. These are conversations we need to have in our homes, in our schools, in our churches, and in other contexts where we have opportunities to dialog and reflect about behavior."

"The Cybercitizen Awareness Program educates children and young adults on the danger and consequences of cyber crime. By reaching out to parents and teachers, the program is designed to establish a broad sense of responsibility and community in an effort to develop smart, ethical and socially conscious online behavior in young people."

Twenty years ago, good citizenship took place in the microcosm of the classroom and was simply rewarded with a certificate of merit. Today, with its millennial twist, global digital citizenship reaches far beyond the playground fence. And its stewards are enriched with a much deeper understanding of how their actions affect their own lives as well as those of their peers - at home and around the world. That's why students must take an active role in identifying and establishing ethical digital use. They need to be involved in the critical thinking and policy creation that affects ultimate change. It's called "buy-in" … and these days, our savvy students require it if they'll be expected to have a healthy relationship with technology.

"Essential Question: What are the norms of appropriate, responsible, ethical behavior with regards to technology use?"

"East Noble expects digital citizenship to be taught specifically during academic lab in the high school and middle school. In the elementary schools teachers will take teachable moments and short instructional times when it fits best in their day to present information. Also elementary schools may take some time in the beginning of the year to target some specific areas of digital citizenship to lay some ground rules. Digital citizenship will not be in place of social studies or any other content area. The core curriculum will continue to include math, science, reading, writing, social studies. None of that will change. All staff members will reinforce the proper use of digital media, and the citizenship to use information responsibly. Students will need to learn online ethics. They will need to learn when to communicate, how to communicate, and when not to respond or initiate communication on a public platform such as Facebook or other social network."

This is an interesting document designed by M. Schlemok, administrator of an elementary school in Alberta, that resembles Stephen Covey's best-known book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. All digital citizens should familarize themselves with Covey's teachings, in particular, his series of habits. Covey advocates what he calls "The Character Ethic", that is aligning one's values with "universal and timeless principles". He see principles as "external natural laws" while "values are internal and subjective". He believes that values govern people's behaviour and principles ultimately determine the consequences.

"The online environment is an integral part of modern economic and social activities, and a vast resource of education, information, communication and entertainment. Further, the evolution of new technologies is diversifying the ways in which Australians connect with each other and the world. As part of the Government's comprehensive commitment to cyber-safety, the Australian Parliament established this Committee in March 2010. This report focuses on how young people can be empowered and connect to the Internet, and use new technologies with confidence, knowing that they can use them safely, ethically and with full awareness of risks and benefits. The facilitation of safer online environments requires government, industry and the broader community to work together to realise the benefits of the online environment while also protecting Australians from dangers and enabling them to use existing and emerging tools to mitigate risks.  

It is sometimes difficult to remember that technology is neutral. It's neither evil nor holy. The same hammer that builds a cathedral can be efficiently used to break the cathedral's windows.

Friedman identified a problem that education systems are only now beginning to wrestle with. Life is largely lived online, and schools do not prepare children for it. It's not just about keeping them safe from predators, cyberbullies, porn and identity theft: it's also about having an ethical framework, and the skills to assess the reliability of information.

"When we are active online we are creating our own digital footprints. This area of the website will help you understand what that means and will link you to tools and resources for the ethical use of online media." This Library Learning Commons provides good information on Digital Conduct, Copyright and more

Essential aspects of incorporating digital citizenship in education. 

Essential aspects of incorporating digital citizenship in education.

"Digital citizenship can be defined as the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use"