Creating Positive and Responsible Digital Citizens

In the last Matrix post, I wrote about Academic Honesty When Using Images, Music, and Video. The ideas discussed in that post revolve around an ethical mindset students and teachers need to have when acquiring and using media in their school and professional work.

Another important mindset we need to develop with our students is that of positive and responsible Internet and social media use. When they practice this mindset effectively, students demonstrate upstanding behavior, do not use technology to the detriment of others, and know how to protect themselves online. Ethical, positive, and responsible mindsets are critical elements of digital citizenship education and the social-emotional qualities we have to instill in our students.

In two upcoming Grade 9 advisory sessions, the advisory teachers will be leading students through a lesson to develop their positive and responsible Internet and social media use. They will consider Internet safety topics such risky online behavior; what can and shouldn’t be posted; sexting; grooming, and cyber-bulling.

The media for the lesson can be viewed here. Please take a look when you get a chance.

Along with general knowledge about what and what not to do as they navigate the online world, students need to take away two main ideas from these lessons:

• THINK before you post
  
• Be an upstander, not a bystander
  

These two ideas will go a long way to help our students be positive and responsible digital citizens.

If you get the opportunity in your classes and/or advisories, please discuss these mindsets with your students, even if it’s only for a couple of minutes. The decision-making part of the teenage brain is still developing, so our students need continual exposure to these ideas and advice about how to best handle the situations they will inevitably face. In collaboration with parents, it is our responsibility to help our students to become positive and responsible digital citizens.

If you would like to know more about digital citizenship in general, please check out the great resources from Common Sense Media.

If you would like to link digital citizenship ideas to any of your lessons, let me know and we can co-plan a lesson.