Teaching Proper Digital Citizenship

     Times have changed and the way I see it, today's teachers have been given an extra responsibility. In the past, teachers were understood to only be responsible for teaching children things like science, math, reading, and social studies. From my past experiences as a student, the only thing I learned in computer class during my elementary school years were which were the parts of the computer and how to type as quick as you could. Today, with the rapidly evolving technology and the rate at which today's children are learning how to use them, teachers have now been given the task of teaching their students how to be safe on the internet. When students are not aware of the dangers of the internet and it's misuse, they can easily become victims to a number of pressing issues that are usually prominent in the school setting and can even carry on for the rest of their lives. These issues are cyberbullying, fair user practices/copyright issues, pharming and phishing, digital safety and privacy, and even more dangerous, textual harassment and sexting.

     As a future educator, all those issues pose as important topics to teacher my students. On the other hand and more specifically, as a future elementary school teacher, only a particular few stand out as imperative for me to teach: cyberbullying, digital safety and privacy, textual harassment, and sexting. I think copyright issues and pharming and phising are geared more towards the higher elementary school and middle school levels.

     In my technology in education class, my group was assigned to present on textual harassment and sexting. In all honesty, this topic is a very unsettling one but I accepted the fact that it was an important issue to be aware of. Here is a link to the website my group and I created; it contains definitions of textual harassment and sexting, a handful of YouTube videos that further define the two, a reference to a local bill here on Guam that discusses the consequences of textual harassment and sexting, a tab on statistics, and lastly a tab on tips and hotlines students should find useful.

Link: http://kierstinelim.wix.com/digital-safety

     If I were to teach a lesson on textual harassment to my students, I would make use of what they know and go from there; besides that is the best way to reach children nowadays! During my time looking for a new game in the iPhone App store, I came across a certain app that I thought was perfect in trying to help me create a classroom environment that was not only open and inviting, but also safe and secure.

It was called Remind.

I can begin this lesson by having my students take part in this online/handheld classroom community and inviting their parents as well. With this I can go on with what ever lesson I am conducting, be it science, reading, or math just so my students and their parents can have a feel for the app. I will have them communicate with one another on topics I discuss during class and ask for their input on it. By doing this, my students will see how easily information can be given out and shared with a large group of people and a simple tap of the finger.

     I also came across this website that can be used in the classroom. It is a chatroom; it is called Backchannel Chat.

 I think this is a great tool to use within the classroom because of it's features. It allows the teacher to post in what seems like a feed familiar to that of FaceBook and allows the students to chat with either each other or with the teacher. In this chat community, the teacher is the main administrator that oversees the behavior of the students. As it is pictured, the chat community is also controlled by the computer; there is a profanity filer. These days, it is unfortunate to hear young children picking up on the use of profanity. That is NOT going to be allowed in my classroom; this chat community does a great job at ensuring my students will not be using that even ONLINE.

     Because each students receives notifications on changes and replies on their chat community, I will make use of the computer lab and have them all together and have them see what textual harassment feels like. As the main administrator, I will send out multiple messages that all of them will receive in one time. I will ask them if they thought it was funny and if they say no, hopefully they say no, I will explain to them that that behavior is actually a no-no in the digital world.

     Students need to know how to be responsible for one another and themselves while they are online. I want my future students to know that, just because it's on a cellphone or in the computer, does not mean it or they are safe. There are ways to be safe online and I know that it is my responsibility as an educator to show them the right way to be a digital citizen.

REFERENCES
Remind: Safe Classroom Communication. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app.remind-safe-classroom-communication/id522829277?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo=4

Backchannel Chat Benefits. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://backchannelchat.com/Benefits