Today’s generation of students is unique because they are the first to completely grow up with technology,Ìýmaking them known asÌý»å¾±²µ¾±³Ù²¹±ôÌý²Ô²¹³Ù¾±±¹±ð²õ. Technology is tied not only into their educationÌýbutÌýalsoÌýtheir personalÌýlives,Ìýwith many kids havingÌýaccess toÌýsmartphones and tablets atÌýaÌýyoung age.ÌýNot only thatÌý–ÌýÌýtheirÌýsocial lives areÌýheavily influenced by technology due toÌýtheÌýuse of various social mediaÌýplatforms,Ìýmessaging appsÌýand more.ÌýBecause of this,Ìýit’sÌýcrucial students are well-versed inÌýdigital citizenship, orÌýhow to behave responsibly online.Ìý
WhatÌýIs Digital Citizenship?
Digital citizenship refers to the responsible use of technology.ÌýBy teachingÌýdigitalÌýcitizenship, youngÌýstudentsÌýlearnÌýhow to connectÌýand empathizeÌýwith one another,Ìýmake smart decisionsÌýand protectÌýthemselves andÌýtheir reputationÌýwhen interacting online.ÌýWithoutÌýproper guidanceÌýon what it means to be a good digital citizen, studentsÌýmayÌýengageÌýinÌýharmful behavior online,ÌýincludingÌýcyberbullying, irresponsible social media usageÌýorÌýsharing of private, personal or sensitive information.ÌýThis can lead toÌýpotentiallyÌýdangerous situations andÌýhaveÌýnegative effects on students’ mental health.ÌýHere are some ways in which we can help students become better digital citizens:
Encourage Digital Empathy
Students should be taught to treat othersÌýrespectfully and with kindness,Ìýboth in person and online. Skills that are ingrained in us likeÌýempathyÌýandÌýrespectfulnessÌýfor in-person interactions should also be used whenÌýinteractingÌýonline. It’s often easier to say negative or hurtful things whenÌýstudents areÌýbehind a screen. ThisÌýcan lead to harmful behaviorÌýand/or interactionsÌýlike cyberbullying, which can greatlyÌýaffect a student’s mental health for the worst.ÌýÌýÌý
By teaching digital empathy through a social-emotional learning curriculum, educators can help students recognize their feelings and make it easier for them to consider the feelings of other online users. It’s important to educate students about their digital footprint, which represents their digital identity. While their online communications through channels like social media and email may seem fleeting, students must be taught that this content is nearly impossible to remove, lasting forever and potentially following them into their offline lives.
Protect Students’ Privacy and Security Ìý
Aside from negative and harmfulÌýcontent,Ìýstudents shouldÌýbe taught toÌýavoidÌýsharingÌýpersonal informationÌýonline.ÌýUnfortunately, there are numerous examples of dangerous onlineÌýopportunists, including predators,ÌýhackersÌýand stalkers. While this isn’t meant to scare students, it should make them cautious about sharing personal details like their address, phone number, the school they attend,Ìýpictures of themselves,Ìýonline passwordsÌýandÌýotherÌýpersonalÌýinformation.ÌýAdditionally, it may be helpful to advise students to not share their location on social media platforms and to set their profiles to private, accepting requests from only people they know.Ìý
Teach Media Literacy
Another important way to promote digital citizenship among students is to teach them media literacy, orÌýthe ability to access, analyze, evaluate, createÌýand act using all forms of communication. Students need to be aware that not everything they read online isÌýtrue. TheyÌýneed to be taught ways to identify false or suspicious information, media biasÌýand phishing attempts. TeachersÌýshouldÌýshow studentsÌýhow to evaluate mediaÌýand provideÌýthemÌýwith reliable media sources.ÌýMedia literacy also includesÌýunderstanding andÌýfollowing the proper rules and regulations regarding copyrighted material, intellectual propertyÌýand creative commons.Ìý
Provide Guidance for Healthy Usage
Being raised with technologyÌý–ÌýandÌýfor many students,Ìýusing it for distanced learning –Ìýmeans that manyÌýchildren and teensÌýhave becomeÌýdependent onÌýdigital devices.ÌýEducatorsÌýshould not only teachÌýchildren to maintain aÌýhealthy balanceÌýbetweenÌýusingÌýtechnologyÌýandÌýbeingÌýoffline; they shouldÌýalso enforce itÌýwithin the walls of the school.ÌýAfter all, if studentsÌýwere toÌýspend all dayÌýin schoolÌýlearning on a screen, itÌýwouldÌýmake it that much more confusing or difficultÌýwhenÌýtrying to establishÌýboundaries andÌýhealthy usage.ÌýMany devicesÌýhave usage-tracking applicationsÌýthat are either built in or can be downloadedÌýsoÌýthatÌýstudents can useÌýitÌýto monitorÌýtheirÌýscreen time andÌýlimit their time spent online.  Ìý
TeachingÌýDigital CitizenshipÌýwithÌýSocial-EmotionalÌýLearningÌý Ìý
Educators are responsible for so much more than justÌýacademics.ÌýLiving inÌýa technology-dependentÌýsocietyÌýmeans that teachers and staff must also promote digital citizenship among students,Ìýrecognize signs of bad digitalÌýcitizenship andÌýinterveneÌýbefore it escalates.ÌýAs an educator, know that you’re not alone in dealing with situations like this.ÌýÌÒ×ÓÊÓƵ’sÌýsocial-emotional learningÌýcurriculumÌýfor school staff and studentsÌýincludes lessons on relevant topics likeÌýdigital citizenship.ÌýWith these resources,Ìýfaculty and staff canÌýimprove student behavior, foster mental healthÌýandÌýcreate a more positive school climate.ÌýÌý
Contact us today to get started.Ìý
