Digital Citizenship

The first article talks about the digital citizenship and citizenship. It discussed the nine elements of digital citizenship (digital access, digital commerce, digital communication, digital literacy, digital etiquette, digital law, digital rights and responsibilities, digital health and wellness, and digital security) where it serves as a foundation for educating a digital society of the appropriate uses for technology and help the user understand the basics of his/her technology needs. Not only that by becoming more aware of the issues related to technology, users become better citizen by modeling appropriate usage and helping prevent its misuse.

The second article is a guide for parents on digital citizenship where it says that this guide helps prepare us for the conversation we need to have with kids when they first start using digital devices, as they grow and their online activities changes when things go wrong. This guides mentioned five key tips to guiding kids to safe and responsible digital lives which includes don’t be scared, talk to the kids, be a part of kids media lives be the person your kids come to when they have problem online, and set rules and communicate values.  It also talks about the following key elements of digital citizenship: Respecting People’s Feelings: covers topics such as “drama”, cyberbullying, healthy romantic relationships, and how to be a positive influence online,  Respecting Privacy: conveys the importance of protecting your child’s privacy online and how to help your child be safe and secure while social networking online, Respecting Property: provides information on serious matters, like illegal downloading, plagiarism, and how to access legitimate content.

The take away from these articles, the importance of knowing digital citizenship is a very important topic, and implementing some kind of curriculum gives students the opportunity to become digitally informed citizens. It also provides conversation starters on a variety of different topics to help parents talk about these issues with their kids in a constructive and meaningful way, and offers tips for creating household Internet rules.