Module 7: Social, Ethical and Legal Responsibilities in the Use of Technology Tools and Resources

“Five Tenets of Global Digital Citizenship”

The roles and responsibilities of the global digital citizen are many and diverse. As a future educator in
this modern time, it is a must to practice innovation in teaching and learning in order to become a
globally effective and globally competent digital teacher.

Furthermore, teachers don’t just teach anymore; they’ve been much more than that for a long time. In
our digital world, teachers have become guides, mentors, role models, counselors, and facilitators. They
practice to be global citizens, ethics experts, and divergent critical thinkers. It’s time to shine a light on
what it takes to be a global digital teacher.

So much for that, now let’s look at this remarkable figure through the eyes of Global Digital Citizenship
itself. The 5 tenets of the global digital citizen are:

As a future global digital teacher these tenets holds very crucial roles in the modern innovative
classroom . They include things like:

-an understanding of technology and its benefits/dangers to students

-knowledge and appreciation of the diverse cultures of our globe

-an awareness of local, community, and global environments

-moral and ethical modelling that helps students achieve success and safety in online and offline
environments

-experience with many mediums of technology and communication

-adaptability and creativity

-life-long learning capability

Now it’s time to explore each tenet in a little more depth, and see how it connects to what teachers do.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
In order for a teacher to practice personal responsibility one must move around the classroom directing
and facilitating learning. In doing so, they are modelling ethical practice. They’re shaping the moral and
ethical mindsets of students by what they do and what they don’t do. Our learners’ time in school is
formative and developmental. They are discovering and learning about themselves by asking questions,
making choices, and breaking mental and physical boundaries. Students are exploring, taking risks and
experimenting.

“Teaching is about building relationships. In such a culturally abundant world, global citizenship is the
business of every teacher.”

We can’t expect students will simply become global digital citizens on their own. They need observation,
encouragement, and supervision. This is the personal responsibility we practice and that they
experience firsthand. What about responding to questionable behavior? This isn’t something we can
approach from emotion. We must be fair, even- handed and understanding. Also we must be able to
turn such situations into learning and growth opportunities, both for ourselves and our students. The
global digital teacher values tolerance and mindful action and demonstrates this in their own classroom
practices.

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

Teaching is about building relationships. In such a culturally abundant world, global citizenship is the
business of every teacher. Fostering productive connections with colleagues and students is part of any
educator’s success. Schools are home to different personalities, cultures, and beliefs. Sometimes these
conflict with each other, and unfortunately this is inevitable. The role of the global digital teacher is to
bring understanding and harmony into such situations. Such strategies include those that work to
resolve conflict, mediate disputes, and show understanding. Over time, this responsibility shifts to the
students. They learn, through their teachers, to be tolerant of difference while standing up for their own
beliefs. They respect their rights and the rights of others to feel safe to be who they are. They celebrate
the colours of culture, and the interconnectedness of everyone. But it’s the global digital teacher who
leads the way in this.

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
Technology is at the forefront of many aspects of teaching and learning. It’s refreshing to see more and
more teachers getting on board with its applications. The potential for positive use, though, is still
matched by the potential for misuse. Our learners often emulate those they admire, and that includes
teachers.

“Kids today are more aware and concerned about the world and about others than ever.“

If teachers don’t cite sources or respect copyright and intellectual property, we oppose the example we
want to set for students. It works the same way if we act inappropriately in any online environments—
its like giving our students a green light to do the exact same thing.

Alongside parents, we are the guides young digital learners have for an exciting and perilous online
world. If we’re going to enforce guidelines for ethical behaviour, we must do first by example.

ALTRUISTIC SERVICE

Many educators believe that teaching compassion and service are the key to higher student
engagement. But the hectic nature of the educational field can make compassion and altruism a
challenge sometimes. In the article Nothing is More Important Than Teaching Compassion,

Vinciane Rycroft wrote:

“With the ups and downs of every day circumstances, it is not easy to stay inspired and be true to our
initial motivation as educators. It is tempting to look for professional satisfaction in outside praise,
instead of tapping into the genuine well being that comes from being fully present to those around us
and to ourselves.”

The global digital teacher must indeed remain present. This is true not only of the needs of students, but
to the needs of the school and the community. Thanks to technology, our connections and
communications have linked to us to a world in need. So the innovative classroom becomes the perfect
learning environment for fostering altruistic thoughts and actions. It begins with caring for each other,
and then expands outward.

It’s comforting to know that connection has brought awareness. Kids today are more aware and
concerned about the world and about others than ever. The charitable nature of our digital kids comes
through in school projects like the ones in our own case studies.
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

We stress in this tenet that we only have “one world to live in.” How we regard its welfare is congruent
with what kind of surroundings we want for ourselves and our students. That’s why the global digital
teacher demonstrates a healthy respect for the personal, communal, and global environments they and
their students are part of.

The educational initiatives being taken for environmental awareness are many. Here are some examples
of the work being done in regards to Environmental Stewardship:

Green Teacher—a non-profit organization helping educators promote environmental awareness among
young people aged 6-19.

SEEDS Schools—allows participants to track and report their projects online and to learn what others are
doing for environmental projects.

Maple Ridge Environmental School Project—a comprehensive environmental education project taking
place in Maple Ridge, BC.

Green Schools Initiative—founded in 2004 by parent-environmentalists to improve the environmental

health and ecological sustainability of schools across the U.S.

CONCLUSION

Every part of education and its virtues—respect, tolerance, understanding, accountability, responsibility,
fairness, and justice—are central to what makes this educator so incredibly important to our students.
Teaching is no longer about subject and knowledge. It is about developing the whole student, and
preparing them well for a future they will both create and sustain.

Credits to: wabisabi learning

Digital Citizenship: Elements, Lessons, and Importance

According to Digital Citizenship, digital citizenship is “how we should act when we are using digital tools,
interacting with others online, and what should be taught to help the next generation be better
stewards of this technology.” For schools and teachers, it is what and how we teach our students to
interact with the online world. Devices like tablets and laptops are in many school districts, so teachers
have the perfect opportunity to educate students about the digital world around them and how to be a
good digital citizen.

9 Elements of Digital Citizenship

There are 9 elements to address when discussing and teaching digital citizenship. These are pillars of
knowledge that teachers, administrators, parents, and students need to be aware of as technology
becomes more and more available to students.
1.Access refers to the amount of access students have to technology. Not every child will have a
personal device or internet at home, so schools should be aware of this as they require students to use
more technology.

2.Commerce refers to the buying and selling of items online. These could be actual items or expertise
through courses. This is an important aspect to share with parents and students because it can affect
their future job choices.

3.Community and Collaboration includes digital relationships. Teaching students how to appropriately
interact on the internet is a huge part of digital citizenship.

4. Etiquette covers the rules of conduct when interacting with the digital world. Knowing the rules
before jumping online helps students be more aware of their digital footprint.

5.Fluency or literacy refers to the process of using technology and its benefits. Students make better
decisions when they are online if they are digitally fluent. This also refers to fact-checking and being able
to determine fact from fiction when reading an online source.

6. Health and Welfare looks at the physical and psychological side of technology. Is there such a thing as
too much screen time? This aspect also covers cyber bullying and helping students be aware of what
they say and post online.

7.Law consists of the responsibility of using technology. Laws are there to protect the people who use
devices like smartphones, laptops, and tablets. These laws also govern topics like cyberbullying and
sexting topics.

8.Rights and Responsibilities refers to the freedoms that people have in the digital world as well as the
real world. Everyone is entitled to their own ideas and opinions, but helping students use technology
responsibly is a huge part of digital citizenship so that they can have continued access to it.

9.Security and Privacy consists of not only protecting technology from viruses and other “bugs” that
threaten the use of a piece of technology, but also protecting personal information. Teaching students
to discern fraudulent websites and users is a huge key to keeping them safe.

These 9 elements cover all aspects of digital citizenship. Teaching these different aspects to students,
and even parents, can help everyone have a positive and safe interaction with the digital world.

Why is digital citizenship important?

Children now have access to personal devices before they leave elementary school. Schools are also
giving students technology to use or requiring them to bring their own device to use for school
purposes. It is important to teach students how to use their technology appropriately so that it doesn’t
have a negative impact on their future.

There are consequences to all of our actions, including digital ones. Students need to know and
understand these so they can make good choices. The use of social media has skyrocketed. Students
now live their lives digitally. Some of them post about every aspect of their lives directly to social media
using Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and even Tik Tok, which is a short video involving music that they can
record.

Employers now check social media sites, including Facebook, to see what kind of person they are hiring
during the interview process. Teaching children today the do’s and don’ts of posting information and
photographs online is beneficial for their future.

Cyberbullying is using technology to badger another person via social media, texting, and personal
messages like direct messages (DM) and email. While bullying has been an issue in schools for a long
time, cyberbullying is on the rise. Many children find it easier to be cruel to others digitally because
there is a disconnect in the relationship with that person. The bully doesn’t have to look at the victim
anymore. They can post a message and be done with it. Teaching students how to handle cyberbullying
and how to avoid it is crucial to their mental well-being and safety.
Digital Citizenship for Students

Digital citizenship for students is all about teaching them how to be good stewards of the digital world.
As probably the highest priority is teaching them to protect themselves. This means showing them the
difference between their personal and public life. Teach them what an appropriate photo to post is.
How to respond to a friend when they are angry, and it’s probably not posting on social media about it.
Not everything that happens to them needs to be published online, so teaching them what should and
shouldn’t be posted is very beneficial.

Students also need to learn about digital relationships. The internet is a great place to meet new people.
Students can interact with favorite authors and follow their favorite celebrities. It can also be a
dangerous world where people who seek to harm them can exist. Children are usually trusting, so
teaching them how to discern good relationships versus bad relationships online is very important, even
from a young age.

A great acronym for students to use and even see posted in classrooms and hallways around school is
“THINK”. Before they post something online, whether it is information, a photo, or a post of any kind,
they should ask themselves if it is true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, and kind. If the answer to any of the
questions is no, then they probably shouldn’t post or share the information. Is it kind to post about how
a friend hurt your feelings? Is it necessary for someone to ask where you live? Is it inspiring to post a
motivational picture? Many students think with their emotions, so if teachers and other staff can help
them stop and think about their actions before the student does something rash, it can be very
beneficial to the student. That’s why signs like the image can be posted all through the school to remind
students to make wise choices in what they share with the digital world.

Digital Citizenship for Teachers

Digital citizenship for teachers starts with the teachers themselves. They need to be educated on what
digital citizenship is, why it is important, and how to address it with students and parents. Having
professional development over digital citizenship to make sure all staff is knowledgeable about this topic
is a great place to start.

Another asset to use and even educate is parents. Many times parents aren’t even aware of how to
teach their children how to be good stewards of the digital world and information. Schools can host
informational nights where parents can learn more about it and how to help their children at home. This
is also a great way to get families on board with teaching digital citizenship to students. If the parents
find the information important as well as the staff at school, students are more likely to see its
importance, too.

Digital Citizenship Lessons

Teachers can implement daily lessons on how to interact with technology appropriately. These lessons
can be simple and shouldn’t take up a lot of class time. The first option is to integrate more technology
so that students have to engage with it. This would involve using something like a learning management
system (LMS). An LMS can be used to set up a space where students can practice numerous digital skills.
Maybe they have to write a blog where they can learn about good information to include online as well
as writing skills. They could write emails to each other. They could post photos or create an album. An
LMS is a very useful tool to have in schools to build knowledge of technology as well as digital
citizenship.

Gamification can also be a useful way to teach digital citizenship. Minecraft is a beloved video game for
all different age groups, even adults. Minecraft: Education Edition is now available for classroom use.
Teachers can use a fun tech tool to help accomplish learning tasks while students enjoy the game-based
medium.

While an LMS and gamification are great tools, there are just basic skills that students need to know.

How to create and save strong passwords

How to address cyberbullying

How to determine if a website is safe to visit

How to protect from identity theft

How to use a search engine most effectively

How to avoid plagiarism

There are many websites that offer ideas for lessons and curriculum. Common Sense has free digital
citizen lessons for each grade level.

What Is Digital Citizenship?

Digital citizenship refers to the responsible use of technology by anyone who uses computers, the
Internet, and digital devices to engage with society on any level.

This is why digital citizenship is such a crucial topic to teach today’s students.

As the rate of technological advancement continues to increase, the world as a whole is becoming more
dependent on the Internet for day-to-day activities.

That can mean checking a bank account, purchasing a product, or simply keeping in touch with a friend.

As a result, there’s a major difference between good digital citizenship and bad digital citizenship.

Good digital citizenship engages young students and shows them how to connect with one another,
empathize with each other, and create lasting relationships through digital tools.

Bad digital citizenship, on the other hand, entails cyberbullying, irresponsible social media usage, and a
general lack of knowledge about how to safely use the Internet.

Fortunately, almost all of the requirements to be a good digital citizen can be taught in the classroom.

What Concepts Does Digital Citizenship Include?

If you want to teach digital citizenship, you'll want to focus on seven key concepts:

1.Empathy

2.How the Internet works

3.Understanding user data

4.Practicing digital literacy

5.Acknowledging the digital divide

6.Practicing digital wellness

7.Securing digital devices

These seven topics may sound complex, but they’re surprisingly simple once you start planning.

1. Empathy

When you want to teach students how to be good digital citizens, teaching empathy is a great starting
point.This is because empathy is crucial to understanding how people talk and behave online.Because
Internet use relies largely on text-based communications, it’s impossible to hear someone’s vocal tone,
see their facial expressions, or understand other non-verbal cues that you get when you’re speaking to
someone face-to-face.As a result, it’s incredibly easy for Internet users to make quick, harsh judgments
about someone’s statements online.That means Internet users (including your students) can trade quick
verbal or text-based blows that are intended to hurt someone’s feelings instead of carrying on a typical
conversation that you may hear over a phone call or face to face.In the worst cases, this kind of behavior
can devolve into cyberbullying, which has been documented as an especially bad problem for younger
Internet users.This is why teaching empathy has the potential to make an enormous difference in your
students’ lives.

How Do You Teach Empathy?

Teaching empathy is a challenge. After all, how do you teach something that many still consider to be an
inborn factor of someone’s psyche and attitude?In fact, empathy is as simple to teach as any other
concept.At AES, we developed a module of lessons, activities, and assessments about customer service.
In that collection, we created an entire unit on empathy!We did this because we believe it’s important
for students to have a firm grasp of empathy as a concept, but we know that they also need to practice
it in order for empathy to stick with them.Plus, they can start learning valuable career skills at the same
time!With our module in your repertoire of lessons, you’ll be off to a strong start in teaching your
students how to empathize with others online!However, this is just the start.After you teach empathy,
you have to teach students how the Internet works.

2. How the Internet Works

The Internet is an incredible network of interconnected servers and computers that direct web browser
requests through a network of wired and wireless connections.While that’s a vague explanation, the fact
is that the Internet has gotten so large and complex that it’s a challenge to be any more specific about it!

Fortunately, you can view a simplified explanation of the Internet in this infographic from WebFX.

So why is this important for students to understand?

The Internet is so fast and responsive that it’s almost mind-blowing to consider all of the processes that
have to happen behind the scenes just for someone to check their email.But only a small percentage of
people in the world — including students — actually understand what those processes are.Even fewer
understand how those processes work!When you show students that the Internet works via a
sophisticated interconnection of digital tools, you set the stage to help them understand the next key
elements of digital citizenship as well.
How Do You Teach How the Internet Works?

Study.com has a great lesson on how the Internet works, and it’s specifically designed for younger
students. This lesson focuses on networking (digital machines all linked together by the Internet) and
hardware (the actual machines themselves).It also includes concepts such as communication, central
processing units, hard drives, computers, and more. With this lesson, you can show students the basics
of how the Internet functions so that they can more easily understand the next elements of digital
citizenship!

3. Understanding User Data

User data is one of the most complex and concerning concepts in the digital age.Just about every
company with a website collects data on the people who visit it. That data may be as simple as the
pages that someone views, and it could be as complex as someone’s home address.Most of the websites
on the Internet use this information for marketing purposes. It helps them understand their customers a
little bit better, and it helps companies connect with people in a meaningful way.However, other
websites use this opportunity maliciously. They may “mine” someone’s web browser for their search
history. They might also attach a “cookie,” or unique identifier, to someone’s web browser to see the
other websites they visit. Then, many of these companies take this data, package it together, and sell it
to the highest bidder.While almost every country has laws dictating that companies can’t collect data on
individuals younger than 18 (or 13 in some places), the fact of the matter is that it happens anyway.As a
result, your students need to know about personal data — and they need to know how they can protect
themselves

How Do You Teach Students About User Data?

Teaching user data is hard because very few outlets actually address user data in the first place.It’s such
a new phenomenon — and its use is typically a closely-guarded secret — that many teachers may not
even know about it, much less be in a position to teach students.Fortunately, can teach students about
user data by focusing on your students’ digital footprints.A “digital footprint” is the mark that someone’s
web browser leaves on the Internet.Whenever you go to any website, you’re tracked by some software
that sees your “footprint.”Then, when you return, that same software matches up your previous
footprint with your current website visit.The result is that websites know who you are, how many times
you’ve visited their website, and what you’ve done while visiting.Some organizations — like Facebook
and Google — may even track your Internet behavior outside of their websites.Whether it’s legal,
ethical, or practical is unfortunately not currently debated in mainstream society.However, that’s all the
more reason to teach your students that they’re almost always being watched by someone when
they’re using the Internet.

4. Practicing Digital Literacy

Digital literacy is the practice of reading information online and understanding what it means, where it
originated, and whether it’s accurate.As a result, digital literacy is one of the hardest concepts to teach
to students. It’s also one of the most important qualities for students to become good digital citizens!
After all, how can they practice good digital citizenship if they can’t discern accurate information from
misinformation online?Digital literacy also includes learning about ethics, protecting yourself online, and
even preventing cyberbullying.It’s a lot to pack into a single subject — but it’s essential for students in
21st Century classrooms.

How Do You Practice Digital Literacy?

Teaching digital literacy requires a lot of planning, finesse, and review to ensure your students
understand what they need to know about the digital world.Fortunately, companies from around the
world offer lessons, activities, assessments, and ideas for how you can teach digital literacy.Still, if you’re
looking for the summary version of digital literacy, you can wrap it up in three concepts.

Clickbait
Clickbait refers to any text, headline, video title, etc. that’s deliberately written to pique someone’s
interest and get them to click.Generally speaking, clickbait is written by organizations that want to get
people to their website so they can show ads and earn revenue.It’s also used by malicious website
owners who want to infect individuals’ computers with malware. So when it comes down to brass tacks,
the rule of thumb is not to click a link or a video with a title that makes someone feel outrage.This is a
hard urge to fight.But it can make the difference between students’ being responsible digital citizens or
having their computers infected with viruses! Even worse, your students could click an article that
delivers fake news to them.

Fake News

Fake news is a relatively new phenomenon in 2019. It refers to any media outlet publishing severely
biased or intentionally false information.Fake news is most often used with clickbait titles to get readers
and alter people’s opinions with ineffective claims or straight-up lies. It’s also a key part of any
information literacy curriculum.In essence, if students ever readsomething that sounds incredibly
skewed to one ideology over another, it’s fake news.

The same goes for any piece that’s written by admittedly biased entertainment sources, tabloids, gossip
websites, rumor mills, or social media posts.As a rule of thumb, if your students ever see an unflattering
image of someone with text plastered at the top and / or bottom, you can safely assume it’s fake news
and best left ignored.

Empathy

It may look a little funny to talk about this again, but empathy is actually a big part of digital literacy and
digital citizenship.Because digital literacy requires students to think beneath the face-value text that
they’re reading online, they need empathy to truly understand the information they’re absorbing.This
makes students question a writer’s motivations behind something they see posted on social media. It
may also prompt students to reach out with words of comfort to someone who they see in distress
online.Regardless of how it’s applied, there’s no wrong way to go when you’re teaching
empathy.Incidentally, empathy is also key to the next element of teaching digital citizenship.

5. Acknowledging the Digital Divide

05-understanding-the-digital-divide

The digital divide is the disparity between those who have access to modern digital tools (like computers
and the Internet) and those who don’t.This is important to recognize because the Internet is still very
much a luxury in the world, even in the United States!Access to computers and the Internet is still
restricted by finance in every part of the world, meaning that those in poverty don’t have the same level
of access as those who have disposable income.While Americans may think that this mostly applies to
individuals living in third-world countries, the truth is far grimmer.Only 75.23% of Americans have
Internet access, with a full 24.77% living without access.In addition, 20% of Americans live in the
Midwest where Internet access is most scarce, meaning that the infrastructure exists for a fair amount
of Americans in that 24.77% who don’t use the Internet.Unfortunately, that means the remaining
Americans in that percentage simply can’t afford Internet access.Some schools will have a
disproportionately high quantity of those students. Others may have none at all. But if your students
aren’t aware of the digital divide, then they may end up assuming that all students have equal access to
the Internet — which is patently false.At the same time, you don’t want to ask students who don’t have
home Internet access to identify themselves to illustrate this point. That’s embarrassing, and it could
end up having a negative impact on your classroom.So how can you introduce students to such a
strange topic without isolating students in your class?

How Do You Acknowledge the Digital Divide?

The International Publisher of Information Science and Technology Research supplies dozens of different
resources you can use to learn more about the digital divide.Some of these resources are appropriate
for the classroom. Others may only work for older students in high school.The key is to find the
information you need — even if it’s just informing your students that some people are fortunate enough
to have more than others — and bring it to the forefront of your class.

6. Practicing Digital Wellness

Digital wellness is the practice of refraining from indulging in the Internet and digital media for
unreasonable amounts of time.In other words, it’s the practice of knowing when to “take a break” from
screens.Digital wellness is important because too much screen time can have adverse effects on
students.Adrian F. Ward of the University of Colorado performed a full study on this topic and
discovered that screen time can impact transactive memory, empathy, and even grey matter
development in young minds.So, strangely enough, the best way to practice digital wellness is to leave
digital devices for a few hours every day!

How Do You Practice Digital Wellness?

When you teach digital wellness, you can use a combination of health information, psychology,
neurology, and current events to illustrate why it’s important to take time away from devices.Teaching
moderation, the importance of exercise, and even nutrition can all play a big role in helping students
understand why it’s important to practice digital wellness.

7. Securing Digital Devices

The final element of becoming a good digital citizen is securing digital devices.This is the perfect
capstone to digital citizenship classes because it takes everything students have learned and applies it to
real-life scenarios.You’ve shown students how the importance of empathy. You’ve shown them how the
Internet works. You’ve even shown them why they need to use digital devices in moderation.What’s left
in this equation?Students need to know how they can secure their computers, smartphones, and
more.You could fill an entire semester just talking about network security — which some schools do.So
how do you teach this?

How Do You Teach Digital Device Security?

The Tech Edvocate has a great how-to article on the ways you can teach digital security to K-12 students.
You can read this article and translate it to a point-by-point syllabus almost verbatim and you’ll have a
successful classroom unit.However, they miss a few things that you should talk about.First, there’s
smartphone security. Ensure your students know how to lock and change their smartphone codes or
identification patterns.If they use facial recognition, ensure they don’t post similar photos of their faces
online.(Yes, this can work. Facial recognition software is unfortunately imperfect.)Second, teach
students about VPNs. You can read a bit about VPNs from Teacher Indie, which has a nice list of ideas to
include for any VPN lesson.Basically, VPNs place a protective shell around your students’ data as it
travels throughout the Internet. Not even Internet service providers (ISPs) can crack it, although the VPN
provider can still decode what you’re doing.The principles of VPNs are based around security, privacy,
and the idea that companies aren’t entitled to steal your online data.When you and your students use
one, you’re adding an extra layer of protection to your online presence that can make the difference
between a carefree life online and identity theft. Finally, you can talk about antivirus software. Antivirus
software comes in many forms and names, but it all does the same general task — keeping your
possessions and information safe from those who would steal it.All of this information acts like an extra
padlock that you attach to a treasure chest.The more locks your students have on their personal
information, the harder it is for anyone to steal it!With all of this in mind, there’s one final question we
still have to answer.

There’s so much here, and there’s so much that you can teach your students about digital citizenship.So
where do you even start?

How Can You Teach Digital Citizenship?

Overall, there's no best way to teach digital citizenship. Some teachers pull digital citizenship lessons and
activities from various places to build their curriculum, while others prefer using a comprehensive
curriculum that includes content on digital citizenship and literacy.If you're looking for a few
supplemental resources, check out this list of digital citizenship lessons for middle school.If you're
interested in a more robust curriculum solution, consider checking out Business&ITCenter21It’s a digital
curriculum used by thousands of teachers to teach computer applications and digital literacy topics.One
of the most popular learning modules, used by thousands of students every year is Digital
Citizenship.The Digital Citizenship module provides an overview of personal responsibilities in respectful
and ethical behavior using digital resources as it pertains to personal and workplace digital
communications, cyberbullying, and digital footprint.Students learn about these topics through
classroom activities, interactive eLearning lessons, formative and summative assessments, and more.

Ethics for Technology Use in the Classroom

Children learn about ethics in school from their first day of kindergarten. The teacher tells them the
rules and the reasons for rules. They learn not to cheat or hurt each other. However, the advent of
technology in the classroom adds complexity to classroom ethics.

Many students begin playing with a device before entering elementary school. Every student's
experience with using the technology and the internet differs. Some parents may forbid online
interactions unless the child has permission. Some may not allow children to connect to the internet
without a parent around.

Technology brings ethical issues to the forefront long before students learn how to handle real-life
situations from an ethical standpoint. Children do not have much preparation for cyberbullying and
copyright issues. Teachers not only contend with students bringing devices to school but also their
various skill levels in using them and the internet.

Christopher McGilvery, an Angelo State University lecturer, recommends one approach that can help
teachers demonstrate and guide students in learning how to use technology ethically. He offers the
acronym TECH SMART as an option for helping students navigate the ethical waters of their digital
world.

Take care of technology equipment.

With malware and viruses running rampant, students must learn to watch what they download, click
and share.

Explore appropriate and safe sites for learning and research.

Many websites contain inaccurate or false information. Teachers can provide a list of approved
websites. Students need to learn how to evaluate websites and assess whether they can trust the
content.

Copyright law, Fair Use Act and Creative Commons matter.

Students learn how to copy and paste without realizing the copyright implications. Understanding
copyright and related laws will help ensure students follow the rules in using and sharing content.

Help prevent cyberbullying.

The anonymity of the internet and not seeing faces makes it easy to "say" things one would not utter in
person. Teaching students about cyberbullying requires discussing not only its definition but also how
hurtful and damaging it can be. Give examples of cyberbullying and encourage students to report any
cyberbullying incident to teachers, counselors, administrators or their parents.

Self-image is important.
Without seeing faces, people can easily overshare in a digital world. Kids need to learn how future
employers look up candidates' social media accounts to see how they represent themselves in public.

Make use of netiquette.

Netiquette comprises the rules of an online community. Sloppy writing in online forums, device
distraction while in conversation, and sending of unsolicited emails are a few examples of poor
netiquette. Learners need to understand what makes good and bad netiquette and why.

Always give credit to original source.

Like citing references in term papers, students learn about the importance of using online citations to
respect copyright laws and eschew plagiarism.

Remember to be effective, thoughtful and ethical digital creators.

Teachers can incorporate assignments that use digital tools in the classroom. This allows students to
learn how to use technology responsibly with teacher oversight.

Think.

Teachers can integrate TECH SMART into their lesson plans and encourage students to think about
technology's purpose in all digital interactions.

The rapid pace of technology advancement makes it challenging for people to evaluate the ethical
ramifications of their actions in the digital space. Understanding ethical issues of technology in the
classroom and remembering TECH SMART helps students become ethical citizens in a digital world