Element One: Access
You Tube Video: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/learning/schools/the-new-digital-divide.html?play
According to Ribble and Bailey (2007), digital access is defined as “full electronic participation in society” (p. 14). Unfortunately, as those authors point out, a variety of factors prevent many people worldwide from having full access to the internet. Location, economics, special needs, age, and gender are all issues which can impede an individual’s ability to participate fully as a digital citizen.
As Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, explains in this video from PBS, this inequity of digital access is commonly known as the digital divide. Duncan explains that the digital divide creates an opportunity gap which exacerbates our nation’s achievement gap. Providing every child with opportunities to learn and use digital technology in meaningful educational activities has the potential to end both poverty and “cycles of social failure” (Duncan, 2010). Access to technology, and to teachers who know how to use the technology can help disadvantaged students to get caught up with their more affluent peers, this equalizing opportunity for all students (Duncan, 2010).
This video presents a case to teachers who are reluctant to learn new educational technologies; school boards who might be reluctant to fund technology initiatives; and taxpayers who ultimately foot the bill for those initiatives. Duncan makes very clear the the importance of providing appropriate technology to students along with training for educators in the integration of educational technology in the classroom. His belief that ensuring digital access for all students can ultimately bridge not only the digital divide but also the achievement gap is a strong message for all stakeholders in educating the youth of the world.
Element Two: Digital Commerce
Online Quiz: http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/avoiding-online-dangers-quiz.htm
Ribble & Bailey (2007) define digital commerce as “the buying and selling of goods online” (p. 16). The dangers of uninformed or irresponsible digital commerce practices include, according to Ribble & Bailey, accumulating debt and falling victim to scams or identity theft. The ability to safely buy and sell items online, as Ribble & Bailey state, is an integral part of digital citizenship. Students may spend a lot of time on the internet, however, they may not necessarily understand the potential risks posed by participating in digital commerce.
The quiz at this website addresses some of the more subtle ways that thieves can take advantage of unwary consumers. It addresses some of the more well-known scams and schemes, however, it also demonstrates less publicized methods thieves use to divest people of their hard-earned money, or indeed their identity. This quiz should be a prerequisite for any person who is considering making an online purchase. The few minutes it takes to complete could save hours, days, months, or even years of aggravation and economic troubles if one becomes ensnared in the trap of a scammer or an identity thief.
Element Three: Digital Communication
familyeducation blog: http://life.familyeducation.com/cellular-telephones/school/51264.html?page=2&detoured=1
Digital communication, as defined by Ribble & Bailey (2007) is “the electronic exchange of information” (p. 20). This article discusses the pro’s and con’s of allowing cell phones in schools. According to this article, the main reason parents want their children to have a cell phone at school is the ability to communicate with their child throughout the day if necessary. That is reasonable; the number of school shootings in recent years would lessen the trust parents used to have in schools to keep their children safe. Unfortunately, these electronic umbilical cords come with a cost. Cell phones in class can be a disruption, lead to cheating or cyberbullying, and tend to create more confusion should a dangerous situation occur.
This article might be a good one to share with parents, in an effort to encourage them to be more proactive about teaching their children appropriate cell phone etiquette for educational settings. The parents’ desire to be continuously connected to their child or children should not-and does not have to-disrupt the education of every other child in the classroom. By creating partnerships with parents, schools can garner much-needed help with finding ways to teach students how to responsibly use digital communications.
Element Four: Digital Literacy
PDF file accessed via a website: https://www.iste.org/standards/standards-for-students
(Click on the first blue link for ISTE Standards●S PDF)
A digitally literate person will know:
- that the blue, underlined print above is a link to the internet;
- that double clicking (or control-clicking) the above website will bring him/her to that website;
- that by double clicking (or control-clicking) the indicated link (ISTE Standards●S PDF), he/she will open the PDF file and be able to read the document being shared;
- what a PDF file is and whether or not he/she has Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat on his/her device;
- that a PDF file is generally text heavy and will require time to read, so he/she should set aside time to read the text; in other words, this is not a link to follow and read to kill time in that super long grocery line on Saturday morning.
The digitally literate person will know all of these things, because digital literacy means “the capability to use digital technology and knowing when and how to use it” (Ribble & Bailey, 2007, p. 21). This PDF is a simple but thorough expression of the six digital standards the ISTE recommends all students master. These six standards could form the infrastructure of a course designed specifically to lead students to mastery of digital literacy skills.
Element 5: Digital Etiquette
Interactive Website: http://www.brainpop.com/technology/computersandinternet/digitaletiquette/
Brain Pop offers this great short video to explain digital etiquette at the website above. Ribble and Bailey (2007) define digital etiquette as “The standards of conduct expected by other digital technology users” (p. 24). The Brain Pop video explains what digital etiquette is, and elaborates by sharing examples of what not to do. Flaming is addressed, as is text “language,” and also not using all capital letters. Additionally, this video brings up the importance of double-checking texts, messages, and e-mails before hitting “send.”
After viewing the video, the watcher can take a quiz on digital etiquette, do further reading on digital etiquette, complete an activity about digital etiquette, or read frequently asked questions with answers. This site is geared toward children, however, it is appropriate for persons of any age to learn about digital etiquette.
Element 6: Digital Law
Website: http://creativecommons.org/
Website: http://www.today.com/tech/how-you-break-digital-law-daily-what-do-about-it-313390
Digital law encompasses “the legal rights and restrictions governing technology use” (Ribble & Bailey, 2007, p. 26).
The article at the TODAY Tech website goes into great detail describing the near-impossible task of not committing piracy or copyright infringement on a daily basis. The article also delivers an in-depth overview of various copyright laws, as well as the similarly near-impossible task of stopping piracy and copyright infringement in the digital age. Choney (2012) makes it very clear that digital law can be confusing, and often less than clear, so that it becomes imperative for people to try to understand the laws to avoid potential penalties. Ignorance, in the case of digital piracy or copyright infringement, is anything but bliss.
While it is important to educate ourselves and our students as much as we possibly can about the laws that protect digital property, as Choney points out, the laws in many cases are unclear at best. In order to protect ourselves, we must make a habit of always citing our sources, as well as following fair use laws when using digital media for educational purposes. But we must also protect ourselves by teaching our students how to respect copyright laws as well; they need to learn how to cite sources and gain permission, if need be, to use digital items in projects or papers they create for school.
Element Seven: Digital Rights and Responsibilities
Website: http://creativecommons.org/
Digital rights and responsibilities include “the privileges and freedoms extended to all digital technology users, and the behavioral expectations that come with them” (Ribble & Bailey, 2007, p. 29).
The ease of copying and sharing digital information, multimedia, and files makes plagiarism and copyright issues a concern for educators. Educators who use images or other teaching materials they have found online may be committing plagiarism or copyright infringement. Students do not think twice about creating multi media presentations that have images, videos, and/or text included without correct citations. One remedy is to remember to use, and to teach students to use, images from Creative Commons, along with teaching students to always cite their sources.
Students should also be taught that Creative Commons warns users to verify the usability/sharability of any item they plan to make use of. Just because an item is found via the links at Creative Commons does not guarantee it can be used without the owner’s permission. It is the responsibility of the person using the item to ensure they are not pirating someone else’s work.
Element Eight: Digital Health and Wellness
Picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropometry
The picture at this website demonstrates correct angles for sitting and working at a computer work station. Digital health and wellness is “the elements of physical and psychological well-being related to digital technology use” (Ribble & Bailey, 2007, p. 31). As the picture at the Anthropometry wiki demonstrates, correct posture, foot, arm, and hand position, along with placement of the monitor at the correct height and distance are all important when working with a computer.
Unfortunately, not every person who uses a computer takes proper care to follow these guidelines. Careless work habits can lead to eye strain, back strain, wrist strain, and a host of other physical discomforts. Students need to be taught explicitly the correct way to place the various parts of their bodies when they work at computers. It does no good to provide them with appropriate furniture and equipment if they don’t understand how or why to use those items. The picture at the Anthropometry wiki would make a great poster to hang near student work stations to remind them how to sit and work correctly.
Element Nine: Digital Security
Website: https://survival.tacticaltech.org/computer
Digital security can be defined as “the precautions that all technology users must take to guarantee their personal safety and the security of their network” (Ribble & Bailey, 2007, p. 33). The Tactical Technology Collective created this informative website to teach the basics of how computers, the internet, and mobile phones work, along with practical advice about maintaining security when using computers and mobile phones. The language used in this guide is user-friendly; it is understandable for non-techies, making it useful for almost any digital device user.
This website could be used with high school students to teach them how to keep themselves, their devices, and their networks secure. It could also be used with adults who are just learning about computers, cell phones, and the internet. Large companies which make use of computer networks might benefit from having employees visit this site as well, in order to maintain network security. The site targets many common security issues, such as using virus protection software, updating regularly, firewalls, passwords, and SSL’s (secure socket layers). Sound advice regarding the particular privacy and security issues inherent in mobile phones can also be found at this website.
References
Choney, S. (2012, March 5). TODAY Tech. Today. Retrieved April 4, 2014, from
http://www.today.com/tech/how-you-break-digital-law-daily-what-do-about-it-313390
Ribble, M. & Bailey, G. (2007). Chapter One: Understanding Digital Citizenship. Found in
Digital Citizenship in Schools. International Society for Technology in Education.
Washington, D.C. ISBN: 9781564842329.