Participate 1 - Character Traits

Image Credit: John Shandy
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33393184

"Given our already overcrowded curriculum, finding effective ways to integrate Digital Citizenship throughout the school day will be challenging. But it is a challenge we must take on."¹

The world in which we live, work, and play is now more connected than ever. As citizens in a global digital environment, digital citizenship has become as big a part of our curriculum (and pedagogy) as the content we teach. As we teach our students about the nine elements of digital citizenship, we must remember that as teachers we are digital citizens too; and not just digital citizens, but digital leaders. As described in the quote by Impero and Digital Citizenship Institute, teachers must recognize, respond to, and emulate appropriate digital citizenship.

Personally, as I read and think about teaching and modeling appropriate digital citizenship, I feel a little overwhelmed. There's Dr. Ribble's nine elements, ISTE's 7 standards, and much, much more out there. But as I have reflected on several digital citizenship resources, I've realized it essentially boils down to the three Rs. (And, no... I do not mean Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic.)

Three traits that summarize the behavior and attitude of an exemplary digital citizen are respectful, responsible, and resourceful.


Respectful
An exemplary digital citizen is respectful of boundaries, whether formal or informal, explicit or implied.

For example, an exemplary digital citizen understands and respects digital law, which includes but isn't limited to copyright and legal use, collection and sharing of information, and identity protection. An effective teacher and digital leader will foster this trait in his or her students by various intentional methods such as:

• modeling appropriate use of citations
• equipping students with strategies (and technologies such as apps and extensions) to avoid plagiarism²
• training students to use the Creative Commons and other such resources
• emphasizing the importance of protecting one's identity when creating or sharing content online in public forums, etc.

Exemplary digital citizens will also be respectful of the implied boundaries of social norms encompassed in digital etiquette. While self-expression is an important part of the educational process, it should include teaching students to consider how one's words or actions (whether in person or online) might affect oneself and others. For young minds (and even adults!) this often requires another set of eyes or ears, someone from the outside looking in who can help them see beyond their own perspective. We as teachers often find ourselves playing that role, so its important that we recognize and model this behavior. We must teach our students to respect others in their online life as well as in person.

Responsible
Exemplary digital citizens are also responsible persons in a number of different ways. They are personally responsible for their learning. As self-directed learners, they understand their learning styles and think critically as they evaluate information and seek tools to be used in their learning. This encompasses the important areas of digital and media literacy, training students to understand the nature of the different types of information used in the digital world today.³ Teachers should utilize student-guided inquiry and problem based learning that exposes students to relevant technologies and encourages students to become more self-guided.

Teachers must also realize that they are digital learners as well. The ISTE standards for Educators state that educators are to:

• Set professional learning goals to explore and apply pedagogical approaches made possible by technology and reflect on their effectiveness.
• Pursue professional interests by creating and actively participating in local and global learning networks.
• Stay current with research that supports improved student learning outcomes, including findings from the learning sciences.⁴

Additionally, exemplary digital citizens are responsible for their digital footprint. As with teaching students to respect others and their work, this is an area that will most likely require guidance and oversight of teachers, at least initially. Students must understand that they information they create, post, share, and utilize leaves a lasting mark on them and the digital world they are a part of. Teachers must model for students how to make responsible decisions when it comes to online learning and social media.

Resourceful
What sets exemplary digital citizens apart from others is their resourcefulness when it comes to creating and sharing information and educating others. They are digitally literate, understanding how to navigate, evaluate, and implement tools for learning. They curate and share their resources with others in practical and accessible ways, ensuring that others have equitable access to learning resources.

If there's one thing that we educators are good at, it's stealing (er... I mean, um... borrowing) resources from others. We are pros at scouring the internet to find labs or activities or new strategies. Pinterst, Teachers-Pay-Teachers, you name it and we've done it. But one thing we (or at least, I) are not so great at is sharing our own resources. What does that teach our students? Teachers must show students that when we find great resources and methods for learning that we should share those with others! This resourcefulness and openness teaches the importance of equitable access and equal opportunities for learning, a key factor in digital citizenship.

And finally, exemplary citizens are resourceful in educating others. They find practical and meaningful ways to teach and train others how to appropriately connect with the digital world around them. We find ourselves living in a hyper-connected, virutally limitless world where interaction with others isn't optional; it's the new norm. We must teach our students how to appropriately, safely, constructively do so and how to use the available tools (and those they've yet to dream up) for their good and the good of the world around them.

What a challenge!



Sources:
¹Impero Software, & Digitial Citizenship Institute. (October 2016). Digital citizenship: a holistic primer. Retrieved from http://www.digitalcitizenshipinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/digital-citizenship-a-holistic-primer-v2-1.pdf.
²Bogardus Cortez, Meghan. (April 24, 2017). "3 Basic digital citizenship standards all educators should know and teach." EdTech Magazine. Retrieved from https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2017/04/3-basic-digital-citizenship-standards-all-educators-should-know-teach?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral.
³Impero & DCI.
⁴International Society for Technology in Education. ISTE Standards for Educators. Retrived from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-educators.
⁵Crockett, Lee Watanabe. (January 11, 2017). "What is a global digital citizen and why does the world need them?" Global Digital Citizenship Foundation. Retrieved from: https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/global-digital-citizen-world-need.