“... Young people as a whole have enthusiastically integrated
a variety of networked media into their daily lives, and can text, upload
photos and blog with relative ease. However, using media effortlessly isn’t necessarily
the same thing as using it well. Young people are mistakenly considered experts
in digital technologies because they’re so highly connected, but they are still
lacking many essential digital literacy skills.”[1]
Classrooms are now filled with students that, from a generational standpoint, are
coined, digital natives; born into
the age of digital technology and familiar with computers and the internet from
an early age.[2] Does an increase in digital
experiences, however, directly translate to a strong understanding of digital
literacy and citizenship? Unfortunately, many teachers are assuming yes.
Internet access has increased exponentially over the past
decade and statistics are reporting that, within Canada, only 7% of students
have no form of internet access while at home; 6% find access through a library
or other community center and 1% only have access while attending school.[3]
With such high frequency of internet availability students are able to spend
increasing amounts of time online with Canadians logging an average of 4 hours
53 minutes of internet use each day, with up to 1 hour 51 minutes of this being
through a mobile device.[4]
With increased availability, however, comes increased challenges with 37% of
students reporting that they have had something mean or cruel done to them
online that has made them feel badly about themselves.[5]
Furthermore, 73% of students admit to using the internet to commit at least one
act of academic dishonesty at the high school level.[6]
If the prevalence of digital experiences is a vast as the statistics imply,
then why are students lacking in the areas of digital citizenship and literacy?
I argue that it is the responsibility of the classroom teacher to incorporate
digital citizenship and literacy outcomes into their curriculums at all grade
levels. To support this study I will identify four critical spheres of
understanding that I believe need to be implemented by classroom teachers at
all grade levels and subject-areas.
Many hours of professional
development are spent on strategies and programs designed to help educators incorporate
technology into curriculum outcomes; even more time is spent discussing and
installing various types of hardware and software into schools. While the
actual technology and appropriate professional development for teachers are
incredibly important as we move forward with 21st century education,
I believe that there are four critical spheres of digital understanding that
our education system is failing to address appropriately: the creation and
management of an online identity, netiquette, how to assess the quality and
authenticity of online information, and referencing and digital copyright laws.
The first of these areas, the
creation and management of an online identity, is essential for helping
students understand that their online time is not anonymous and that the
information stakeholders can find about them online can help determine future
job offers, program acceptances, scholarship offers, sports drafts, and
etcetera. The term digital footprint refers to the traces or footprints one
leaves online through active actions (social media profiles, blogs, comments)
and passive actions (cookies stored by web browsers, technology use statistics)[7].
Students should be familiar with the term digital footprint and aware of their
own unique digital footprint from an early age. As students reach an age where
they are participating in social media they need to be taught the importance of
appropriate usernames, an identity required for everything from email and
Facebook to Instagram, Kik, and Snapchat. Not only should students be taught
how to create an appropriate username that suitably represents them but they
should also be aware of how using the same username across multiple platforms
assists them in creating a stronger, more tailored online identity. It is
important to note, however, that utilizing the same username is not the same as
incorporating the same password for multiple platforms. A major component of
ones online identity has to do with online privacy and how to effectively
navigate and customize the privacy settings for various programs. Students need
to be taught how to access a program’s privacy settings, on both computer and
mobile interfaces, and how to customize them to appropriately meet the needs of
the program’s purpose. For example, a student may host a public blog to
showcase their personal writing pieces but have a private Instagram profile
where they share personal photos with close friends. By learning how to create
and manage their own online identity, students are forced to become more cognizant
of what they are posting online and can help prevent embarrassment and
disappointment as they mature.
The second sphere focuses on
netiquette, the term used to refer to appropriate etiquette for online and
digital platforms.[8] Educators, parents, and law-enforcement officials,
have all spent time discussing and/or addressing issues such as cyberbullying,
sexting, and online defamation, which all stem directly from lack of
netiquette. Virginia Shea, author of “Netiquette”, identifies as many as ten
online netiquette rules that should be adhered to by any person who is using
online platforms of any design. Of the
ten, I believe a minimum of four should be taught by educators to students beginning
in their elementary years;
1.
Remember that the person on the receiving end of an
interaction is another
human and that
all real-life regulations
and courtesies apply.
2.
There is a time and place for different interactions; what
works in a private
text to a friend
does not always work in an
email to a relative.
3.
Everything you write/post/share should be a positive
representation of yourself.
4.
Respect the privacy of others and think before you
These
are skills that can be incorporated at the elementary level by having students
email newsletters home to relatives, interact with their peers through an
online classroom community, create digital portfolios, or connect with an
online pen-pal from another area of the school or world. As students mature
they can transfer their netiquette skills to their personal social media
interactions, email correspondences, and online activities.
The third of these areas, assessing
the quality and authenticity of online information, is not only an area of
concern for educators, but for students as well. In fact, 35% of students
identify that they wish their school would teach them how to search for information
online and an additional 51% wish they knew how to tell if the information they
found was factual and appropriate.[10]
Of the four spheres, assessing the quality and authenticity of online
information is the most closely related to pre-existing curriculum outcomes as
educators ask students to find subject-specific information for every class
offered, yet this is still an area of concern for many students. Edutopia column
author, Julie Coiro, identifies four dimensions in which students need to focus
on when presented with online information. In order to effectively critique
information from online sources students first need to be able to assess the
relevance of a particular piece in relation to their purpose. Students should
then be comfortable cross-checking information with additional websites and
primary sources to evaluate if the information they have found is factual. Lastly,
students should learn how to determine what personal bias the author may
possess and how reliable they might be in relation to the context in which the
information is found.[11]
While 45% of students identify that they do learn this information from their
teachers, the remaining majority of 55% needs to be addressed.[12]
By introducing these skills at an early
age and solidifying them as students progress through high school, educators
are assisting students in thinking critically about information presented to
them.
The fourth and last
sphere, referencing and digital copyright laws, is essential for
ensuring students are giving credit where credit is due and preventing
copyright infringements that are commonly occurring by accident. The assumption
is that if it is found online it is free for the taking, and this misconception
is held for everything from intellectual property and images to video and music
files. Students are regularly posting material for educational and personal
uses that includes information and various forms of media that were found
online. Within the school, educators not only have to teach students how to
understand digital copyright legislations and how to reference appropriately,
but they also need to model it themselves within their classrooms. Teachers are
commonly finding information, videos, images, and activities online for their
students and, while educational copyright does have some differences, students
do not fall under this umbrella once they leave the classroom. It is imperative
that students see educators modeling the appropriate use of references in their
work as it will help solidify this skill for students. By educating students on
the legality of digital copyright and how to reference work in multiple
contexts there is a decreased chance of students inadvertently committing
plagiarism.
By addressing each of these four
spheres within the classroom context, educators help ensure that students are
representing themselves appropriately online, thinking critically about
information being presented to them, and utilizing online resources within the
context of copyright legislations. While digital natives can definitely be
considered the experts when it comes to navigating certain online platforms and
connecting via digital worlds, they require guidance and support to navigate
many of the critical components of digital citizenship and literacy. Without
the incorporation of these skills it is as if, “our kids are growing up on a
digital playground and no one is on recess duty.”[13]
Bibliography
Burt, Ronnie. (2012). “The
Educator’s Guide to Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons.”The Edublogger.
Available online at: http://www.theedublogger.com/2012/02/09/the- educators-guide-to-copyright-fair-use-and-creative-commons/
Coiro, Julie. (2014). “Teaching
Adolescents How To Evaluate the Quality of Online Information.” Edutopia.
Available online at: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/evaluating- quality-of-online-info-julie-coiro
Honeycutt, Kevin. (2014). “Personal Tweet”.
Available online at: https://twitter.com/adnanedtech/status/521042568528670720
Kharbach, Med. (2011-2014). “A Great Guide on
Teaching Students About Digital Footprint.” Educational Technology and Mobile Learning.
Available online at: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/04/a-great-guide-on-teaching-students.html
Lessons in Learning. (Accessed on 2014). “Liars,
fraudsters and cheats: Dealing with the growth of
academic dishonesty”. Canadian Council on
Learning. Available online at: http://www.cclcca.ca/CCL/Reports/LessonsInLearning/LinL20100707AcademicDishone sty.html
Oxford Dictionary.
(2014). “Digital Native”. Available online at:http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/digital-native
Tricider. (2011-2014). “What digital skills do
students need for the 21st century?” Available online
at: http://www.tricider.com/t/decide/?show=2gKE
Shea, Virginia. (1997). “Netiquette.” Albion
Books. Available online at: http://www.albion.com/bookNetiquette/0963702513p4.html
Springer Science & Business Media. (2014). “Digital
Native Fallacy: Teachers still know better when
it comes to using technology.” Science
Daily. Available online at: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141020104938.htm
Steeves, Valerie. (2014). “Young Canadians in a
Wired World, Phase III: Cyberbullying: Dealing
with Online Meanness, Cruelty and Threats.” Media
Smarts. Available online at: http://mediasmarts.ca/sites/mediasmarts/files/pdfs/publicationreport/full/YCWWIII_Cybe rbullying_FullReport_2.pdf
Steeves, Valerie. (2014). “Young Canadians in a
Wired World, Phase III: Experts or Amateurs? Gauging
Young Canadians’ Digital Literacy Skills.” Media
Smarts. Available online at: http://mediasmarts.ca/sites/mediasmarts/files/pdfs/publicationreport/full/YCWWIII_Expe rts_or_Amateurs.pdf
Steeves, Valerie. (2014). “Young Canadians in a Wired
World, Phase III: Life Online.” Media Smarts.
Available online at: http://mediasmarts.ca/sites/mediasmarts/files/pdfs/publicationreport/full/YCWWIII_Life _Online_FullReport_2.pdf
Steeves, Valerie. (2014). “Young Canadians in a Wired
World, Phase III: Online Privacy, Online Publicity.” Media Smarts. Available online at: http://mediasmarts.ca/sites/mediasmarts/files/pdfs/publicationreport/full/YCWWIII_Online_Privacy_Online_Publicity_FullReport.pdf
We Are Social. (2014). “Social, Digital & Mobile
Around the World”. Available online at: http://www.slideshare.net/wearesocialsg/social-digital-mobile-around-the-world-january- 2014/61
[1] Steeves,
Valerie. (2014). “Young Canadians in a Wired World, Phase III: Experts or Amateurs?
Gauging Young Canadians’ Digital Literacy Skills.” Media Smarts. Page 1.
[2]
Oxford Dictionary. (2014). Digital
Native. Available online at: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/digital-native
[3] Steeve, Valerie.
(2014). “Young Canadians in a Wired World, Phase III: Experts or Amateurs?
Gauging Young Canadians’ Digital Literacy Skills.” Media Smarts. Page 8.
[4] We Are Social.
(2014). “Social, Digital & Mobile Around the World”. Available online at: http://www.slideshare.net/wearesocialsg/social-digital-mobile-around-the-world-january-2014/61
[5] Steeves,
Valerie. (2014). “Young Canadians in a Wired World, Phase III: Cyberbullying:
Dealing with Online Meanness, Cruelty and Threats.” Media Smarts. Pg 2.
[6] Lessons
in Learning. (Accessed on 2014). “Liars, fraudsters and cheats: Dealing with
the growth of academic dishonesty”. Canadian Council on Learning. Available
online at: http://www.ccl-cca.ca/CCL/Reports/LessonsInLearning/LinL20100707AcademicDishonesty.html
[7] Kharbach, Med.
(2011-2014). “A Great Guide on Teaching Students About Digital Footprint.” Educational Technology and Mobile Learning.
Available online at: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/04/a-great-guide-on-teaching-students.html
[8]
Shea, Virginia. (1997). “Netiquette.”
Albion Books. Available online at: http://www.albion.com/bookNetiquette/0963702513p4.html
[9] lbid.,
[10] Steeves,
Valerie. (2014). “Young Canadians in a Wired World, Phase III: Experts or Amateurs?
Gauging Young Canadians’ Digital Literacy Skills.” Media Smarts. Page 46.
[11]
Coiro, Julie. (2014). “Teaching
Adolescents How To Evaluate the Quality of Online Information.” Edutopia.
Available online at: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/evaluating-quality-of-online-info-julie-coiro
[13] Honeycutt, Kevin.
(2014). “Personal Tweet”. Available online at: https://twitter.com/adnanedtech/status/521042568528670720
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.JPG "Interactive Notebook Front Cover - Teacher Version")
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.JPG "Interactive Notebook Give Me Five")
.JPG "Interactive Notebook - Multiple Intelligences Quiz")
.JPG "Interactive Notebook - Tips to Help Me Learn")
.JPG "Interactive Notebook - Math Goals")
.JPG "Interactive Notebook - Operations with Fractions")
.JPG "Interactive Notebook - Working with Fractions")
.JPG "Interactive Notebook - Operations with Integers")
.JPG "Interactive Notebook - Working with Integers")
.JPG "Interactive Notebook - Repeating Decimals as Fractions")
.JPG "Interactive Notebook - Equations with Repeating Decimals")
