Why is Digital Citizenship Important? Even for Youngest Kids

Why is Digital Citizenship Important? Even for Youngest Kids
So, how do you teach your students digital citizenship? Just watch this video, I found it on Twitter, see how young kids are learning digital citizenship. I guess this is a great way to teach and learn Digital Citizenship.

Addressing the 21st century skill of digital citizenship is important; to help students to learn, communicate and collaborate safely and responsibly. Being a best digital citizen in the community includes having email etiquette, reporting and preventing cyber bullying, learning how to protect private information, etc.

Kathie Kanavel- Coordinator for Educational Tech, Santa Clara Unified School District, says, “Digital citizenship is really important for 21st century skills, because being a 21st century citizen means that you can collaborate and communicate, and you need to do that not only the people you face with but also those that you encounter in digital world.”

School are now shifting to BYOD (bring your own device) as a main move for tech integration in the classroom. So, when students are so close to the tech, they must know or examine the impact of their online activity. Here are few crucial reasons why school should make teaching digital citizenship to their students the first step in the tech integration process.
  • Due to the fact that a lot of young kids embrace technology every day without examining the consequence of implementation, we must bring digital citizenship lesson in the curriculum. Students continue to use devices whether the device has been embraced in their curriculum or not. They are in touch with technology even after the surveillance of teacher i.e after school. Therefore, there is a need to teach them digital citizenship.
  • Today, with digitalization, employers judge prospective students or employees for their social media profile. So, it is important to teach students how to create online personas that project positive and constructive image.
  • Cyber-bullying is another reason for teaching digital citizenship. We can only prevent cyber-bullying by educating students about digital citizenship. Lack of awareness about digital citizenship can lead to the cyber-bullying which has grave consequences at times.
  • Information Search and Analysis is an important aspect of Digital Citizenship. There are lots of resources available over the Internet and not all is authentic. Digital citizenship teaches students how to look out, select, and streamline information and how to choose a real and authentic source of information.
Teaching digital citizenship to primary students is crucial. So if you are a primary teacher then here are some tips that might help you while teaching digital citizenship to your kids.
Stay informed and safe:
  • Whatever students do keep their parents inform.   
  • Ensure that their parents understand what their kids are doing.
  • Include parents as well in their kid online activities.
  • Things only get posted after teacher’s approval of it.
Be Respectful
Talk to your students about compassion, respect and being kind over the Internet. Make the student understand leave comment that they wanted to receive in their blogs. Help them to understand how to just focus on good things and not on bad things and how to make ensure that only their “good work” online.

Be a good learner
In all your classes make your student understand that web is a place to learn and gain things. Keep their focus only on good place over the web where they can learn good things.

Today, the engagement of students with technology is more in this digital world, and most of them do not make right choice, in fact they don’t really know what they are doing and what is its affect. Therefore, digital citizenship lessons are mandatory to teach.

Source
http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/1331-why-is-digital-citizenship-important-even-for-youngest-kids

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