Digital Citizenship
Digital Citizenship is the norms of appropriate, responsibile technology use. It provides students the skills needed in a world filled with technology. Besides basic skills needed to interact with devices, students need to know what is and is not appropriate when using devices. Students and teachers also need to discuss responsible use of technology. Parents need to become involved in teaching appropriate, responsibile technology use. Raising a Digital Child is a good parent resource.
Netiquette
Netiquette is the correct or acceptable way of communicating on the internet. Here are some rules you might want to remember when using technology.
Core Rules of Netiquette
Excerpted from the book Netiquette by Virginia Shea
- Remember the Human. A real life person will be reading your message. Try to put yourself in their position.
- Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life. If you would not do or say something in person, do not do or say something on the internet.
- Know where you are in cyberspace. "Netiquette varies from domain to domain." (Shea, 1994). What is okay to send to a close friend may not be okay to send to a classmate or potential employer.
- Respect other people's time and bandwidth. Nobody wants to feel like their time is wasted. Use meaningful words and get to the point when sending messages.
- Make yourself look good online. You will be judged by the quality of your writing. Always double check for spelling and grammar errors, know what you are talking about and state it clearly, and be pleasant and polite.
- Share Expert Knowledge. When you have knowledge about a subject....share it!
- Help keep flame wars under control. "Flaming is what people do when they express a strongly held opinion without holding back any emotion." (Shea, 1994) When you see a discussion getting heated, try to extinguish flames by leading the discussion in a more productive direction.
- Respect other people's privacy. Not everyone wants their views or information given out freely on the internet. Consider what information is included before you forward any infomation or message.
- Don't abuse your power. Don't take advantage of others, remember there is a real person on the other side of your message.
- Be forgiving of other people's mistakes. When you feel compelled to draw attention to mistakes in content, grammar, spelling, etc., do so in a private email.
The Core Rules of Netiquette Shea, 1994.
Cyberbullying
Cyberbulling involves the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior. Since a lot of cyberbulling can be done anonymously, perpetrators may gain a sense of power increasing the bullying.
If you are a victim of cyberbullying, there are some actions you can take. Do not respond to any cyberbullying messages. Keep all records of the bullying action by saving and printing all emails, text messages or screenshots. Block the bully on all your electronic devices and media pages. With your documentation, you can report the activity to the Internet service provider. Report all threats to police, most states have laws relating to cyberbulling.
References: www.digitalcitizenship.net
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