Digital Citizenship Journal

This is a running journal of my learning in digital citizenship. Through journaling about my learning experience in digital citizenship I hope to be able to trace my learning to its origins so that I may create a solid foundation for learning and continue to add to it. This journal will run for four weekly installments of my learning progress. Follow along with my learning and contribute by commenting below!

Week 1

This week began our course in digital citizenship. Through our class readings, assignments, lectures, and discussions I was able to determine key elements of digital citizenship in order to prepare me for the rest of the course. This week’s important concepts are: digital citizenship is very similar to citizenship, digital citizenship is comprised of nine elements, and digital citizenship can be taught to all grade levels in order to produce happy, active digital citizens. In this journal response we will evaluate sources from this week’s class to detail and outline these key concepts and draw personal reflections upon them.

This week began by drawing connections between citizenship and digital citizenship. As I learned more about digital citizenship I began to see that the two should actually be one in the same, because both are statuses given to its members (Marshal, 1950) (class lecture).  Citizenship requires civil (personal freedoms- speech, assembly, property, etc.), political (voting, being informed), and social (your right to live) responsibilities, and digital citizenship expands to these same areas: civil (personal freedoms of speech, group forums, and digital content), political (participation, campaign support), and social (your right to access and explore the internet). Therefore, while the physicality might be different, both provide ways its members can actively participate.

After learning this I turned to Ribble’s nine elements of digital citizenship to better understand what digital citizenship is comprised of (Ribble, 2015). Ribble has come to identify nine components of digital citizenship as: digital access, digital commerce, digital communication, digital literacy, digital etiquette, digital law, digital rights and responsibilities, digital health and wellness, and digital security. Each of the nine elements are important for digital citizens to be familiar with, however three items stand out to me: digital access- ensuring everyone has the opportunity to enjoy digital tools and the internet,  digital etiquette- how to behave when online, and digital security- how to protect oneself on the internet. These items are of particular interest because I teach 9th grade world geography in a Title 1 school. I want to help every student gain access to the internet, ensure they behave ethically while on it, and I want to make sure they are safe while doing so.

Ribble (2015) further breaks down these nine elements into three categories: respect, educate, and protect. Ribble groups together etiquette, access, and law under respect; communicate, literacy, commerce for educate; and rights and responsibilities, security, and health and wellness (2017). By grouping these together Ribble aims to educate students beginning in kindergarten in order for them to become well adjusted digital citizens by the time they graduate (2017).  I believe this is a great idea as I am witness to students undeveloped digital citizenship skills as freshman. I try to compensate for this by addressing key issues such as digital etiquette and security. However, if students were able to begin learning and practicing these skills at an earlier age I believe they would be in much better shape by the time they reach high school, let alone graduate.

To review, this week was an introductory lesson into digital citizenship. From this lesson I derived key findings including: digital citizenship is not so different than ordinary citizenship, digital citizenship is made up of nine essential elements, and that digital citizenship can be taught to all grade levels in order to produce happy, active digital citizens. As I move forward in this class I look forward to building on these foundational ideas. Particularly, I am interested in digital access, digital etiquette, and digital security as they pertain to my role as a teacher in a Title 1 school.

Sources:

Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools (3rd ed.). Eugene, OR: International Society of Technology in Education. ISBN: 978-1-56484-364-7.

Ribble, M. (2017). Nine elements. Found at http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/nine-elements.html.

Marshall, T. H. (1950). Citizenship and social class: And other essays. Cambridge [England: University Press.

 

Additional Week 1 Resources:

Curran, M. (2012, June). iCitizen: Are you a socially responsible digital citizen. Paper presented at the International Society for Technology Education Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX. Retrieved from http://www.gonevirtual.org/uploads/6/0/8/6/6086473/icitizen_iste12_paper.pdf

Heick, T. (2018). The definition of digital citizenship. TeachThought. Found at https://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/the-definition-of-digital-citzenship/

Kuropatwa, D. (July 16, 2015). Digital ethics and digital citizenship #blc15. Brainwaves Video Anthology. Found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbMsbxYvr4E.

Mossberger, K., Tolbert, C., and McNeal, R. (2008). Digital citizenship: the internet, society, and participation. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge, Massachusetts. Found at http://kenanaonline.com/files/0096/96072/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B7%D9%86%D8%A9%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%82%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9%20-%20%D8%AB%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AB%D8%A9%20%D9%81%D9%8A%20%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AF.pdf.

NetRef. (April 4, 2016). White paper- digital natives: citizens of a changing world. Found at https://net-ref.com/white-paper-fostering-digital-citizenship-in-the-classroom/.

 

 

 

Week 2

Week two in our digital citizenship course digs deeper into the concepts of digital citizenship and the nine elements comprising it. This week’s lesson rang with overtones of digital access, digital security, and rights and responsibilities of internet users through the main idea of this week’s lesson, the openness of the internet. This week we discovered how the internet can be unequivocal, damaging, and rewarding through net neutrality and digital footprints. In this journal entry we will examine key points of net neutrality and digital footprints in order to promote better digital citizenship.

The highlight of this week was learning about digital access and the ways in which digital access can be restricted. Digital access can be restricted in many ways, especially when internet providers are allowed to provide preferences to various users, sites, and applications (F.C.C., 2014). This concept refers to the openness of the internet and whether or not the internet should be free from restrictions for its users, or net neutrality.

Net neutrality was a founding idea as the internet began to take off in the 1990’s (F.C.C., 2014). It was originally passed by congress under President Bill Clinton but was repealed in February 2017 under Donald Trump’s administration (F.C.C., 2014)(Kang, 2017). Net neutrality was originally created to create an even platform for users to navigate and create spaces within the internet. Foundational ideas of net neutrality are: equally delivered internet content, freedom of speech, protection against discrimination, no prioritization (of sites or users), no degradation of connectivity, and transparency to the consumer (National Afterschool Association, 2017). Proponents of net neutrality argue it helps cut down on ISP’s monopolies, provides equal access, and encourages advances in technology (Bassiouni Group, 2017). Opponents to net neutrality argue it restricts market competition and will encourages investments into networks and services provided by ISPs (Bassiouni Group, 2017). Net neutrality is still widely debated amongst consumers and stakeholders.

Another important concept we discussed was digital footprints. A digital footprint is a user’s information that is left on the internet. It can include purposely left information or unknowingly left information but either way the information is permanently left on the internet. Some examples of information left on the internet include: social media posts, internet browser searches, and IP addresses. As information like this is left behind it becomes possible for others to locate and link data to individuals, whether it be for good or for bad.

Given the possibility of digital footprints damaging an individual’s reputation it is necessary for people to understand how their internet use creates a digital footprint. One important concept for users to understand is they are not anonymously using the internet. This is an especially important concept to start teaching students. Students begin using the internet at a very young age and may leave negative or controversial information on the internet that later comes back to damage their identity. Increasingly more popular is the practice of employers researching job candidates to learn more about them (Johnson, 2009). If employees do not like what they find this can result in the not hiring of the individual.

One interesting thing I learned is digital footprints can live much longer than the actual user (digitalnatives, 2008). This is due to parents sharing and commenting about their pregnancy before the user is able to grow up and leave their own digital footprint, as well as postmortem comments other users share about the user after the user has passed away (digitalnatives, 2008). Considering this information, and the fact digital footprints are permanent, equates to a digital footprints living long past the life of the user. This further supports the idea that digital citizenship skills should be taught to our students in order for them to leave positive lasting legacies.

In review, this week we learned about key points of net neutrality and digital footprints in order to promote better digital citizenship. Our topics supported the digital citizenship elements of digital access, digital security, and rights and responsibilities of internet users. These lessons are necessary in that if we teach these ideas to our students we can promote higher standards for digital citizenship.

 

Sources:

Bassiouni Group. (November 28, 2017). Net neutrality policies: proponents and opponents. Found at http://bassiounigroup.com/net-neutrality-policies-proponents-and-opponents/.

Common Sense Educator. (August 12, 2013). Digital footprint: what digital footprint are you leaving behind. Found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P_gj3oRn8s

Digitalnatives. (August 13, 2008). Youth and media – ditial dossier. Found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79IYZVYIVLA.

F.C.C. An introduction to net neutrality. (2014) Retrieved from http://www.marshalldata.com/2014/05/an-introduction-to-net-neutrality-what-it-is-what-it-means-for-you-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/

Johnson, S. (Noember, 9, 2009). Digital footprints – your new first impression. Found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZjmrJvL_eg

Kang, C. (December 14, 2017). F.C.C. Repeals net neutrality rules. Found at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/technology/net-neutrality-repeal-vote.html
National AfterSchool Association. (November 7, 2017). 6 principles of net neutrality and how they support stem. Found at https://naaweb.org/professional-development/item/762-6-principles-of-net-neutrality-and-how-they-support-stem

 

Week 3

Week three’s focus is to understand the principles of copyright law and how they pertain to digital citizenship. In reading and viewing the many sources provided in this weeks lesson I can say I am much more comfortable in explaining various aspects of copyright law, but I am by no means an expert. However, one thing I am certain of is how understanding copyright law will impact me as I graduate and become a leader of digital learning. In order to better prepare me for life after graduation, this journal reflection will examine ways copyright law will impact me as an educator.

To begin, I am no stranger to copyright law. As I pursued my Bachelor degree in History I had plans of continuing my education to study intellectual property law. I saw this route as a combination of my love of music and debating and began making preparations to pursue this dream. As I neared graduation however, I realized the immense financial burden I would have and how many other people were also competing to become copyright lawyers. This realization forced me to reconsider my dream, and I decided to become a teacher. What is interesting is how copyright law has come back around. I generally hold an interest in copyright law as I see it is a protection of personal property, and have long been an advocate for protection of individual rights.

Having a basic understanding of copyright law coming into this course, I was excited to learn new ideas about it. This week allowed me this opportunity through our reading and video assignments. This week I was able to learn about: the difference between plagiarism and copyright infringement; the history of the U.S. Copyright Office; the similarities and differences between fair use, creative commons, and public domain; and most importantly the issues of intellectual property in the digital age.

An important topic I will need in becoming a leader of digital learning is understanding the difference between plagiarism and copyright infringement. Both are similar, but the two have nuanced meanings to separate them from the other. Plagiarism is failing to submit attribution (citation) of a source and thus tries to pass the idea off as their own (Bailey, 2013). Plagiarism may infringe upon intellectual property rights but is generally considered unethical (Morrow, 2009). Copyright infringement is when a person does not get permission or follow the laws specifying how to use a copyrighted source. Understanding these two concepts will help me differentiate these ideas to the students I teach. I will better be able to explain plagiarism and how to properly cite its sources, as well as teach students how to avoid copyright infringement.

Another topic I was fascinated by was the history of the U.S. Copyright Office. In a detailed paper arguing for the removal of the U.S. Copyright Office from the Library of Congress, Tepp and Oman discuss the heritage of the U.S. Copyright office in order to show how it has outgrown its antiquated methods (Tepp and Oman, 2015). In this reading it was interesting to learn about how copyrights are issued; the originator needs to register their work by submitting a form and a copy for preservation and reference and the work must be an original idea worthy of copyright (U.S. Copyright Office) (Tepp and Oman, 2015). This is particularly useful if I am to explain to students why it is important to obey copyright laws, as it is procedural safeguards to the time and work of individuals. Copyrights protect people’s property and it is up to us to properly follow the rules of use by the author.

One last thing I learned this week that will greatly impact me as a digital learning instructor is the differences between fair use, Creative Commons, and public domain. All of these are ways one can use another author’s work without fear of copyright infringement. Fair use is an acceptable way to use an author’s work if the work undergoes transformation. This includes if the work is to be commented on, criticized, or parodied, and may also include a segmented portion of the work if it is for nonprofit educational use (Common Sense Education, 2014). Creative Commons is an organization that is trying to simplify digital piracy by doing away with copyrighted restrictions with digital material (Creative Commons, 2008). Creative Commons has created a networked organization where authors can submit their works and allow users to freely use their work (Creative Commons, 2008). This is similar to public domain, as public domain allows anyone to freely use the material because it is not protected by copyright, trademark, or any patenting laws (Stim, 2018). Once a work enters public domain it can never be copyrighted again, and is free to use. For this reason the U.S. government places a contemporary rule of a copyright lasting the author’s life plus seventy years (Stim, 2018). These concepts are important for a digital educator to understand because they help clarify what is acceptable to use as digital content. If digital material is fair use, found through the Creative Commons, or is public domain than it is acceptable for teachers and students to use. This is essential to understand as it will allow me to better instruct students on what is acceptable use in copyright law.

This week has been a walk down memory lane but has afforded me the opportunity to clarify my understanding of copyright law. Through my understanding of copyright law I will better be able to instruct students on acceptable use of digital content. This week’s learning centered around what constitutes as a copyright violation, how to achieve a copyright, and how to avoid copyright infringement. By understanding these concepts I will be able to instruct my students and foster them to become productive digital citizens through obeying and respecting digital law.

 

Sources:

Bailey, J. (2013, October 7). http://www.plagiarismtoday.com. Retrieved from https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2013/10/07/difference-copyright-infringement-plagiarism/

Common Sense Education. (September 5, 2014). Copyright and fair use. Found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suMza6Q8J08.

Creative Commons. (2008, July 30). A shared culture. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DKm96Ftfko

Creative Commons. (2014, March). Best practices for attribution. Creative Commons. Retrieved from https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/Best_practices_for_attribution#Examples
_of_attribution

Morrow, Stephanie. (December, 2009). Plagiarism: what is it, exactly? Legalzoom.com. Found at https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/plagiarism-what-is-it-exactly.

Stim, R. (2018). Copyright basics faqs. Stanford.edu. Retrieved from https://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/faqs/copyright-basics/

Stim, R. (2018). What is fair use? Stanford.edu. Retrieved from https://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/fair-use/what-is-fair-use/

Stim, R. (2018). Welcome to the public domain. Stanford.edu. Retrieved from
https://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/public-domain/welcome/.

Tepp, S. & Oman, R. (2015, October). A 21st century copyright office: The conservative case for reform. Hudson Institute. Center for the economics of the Internet. Found at https://www.hudson.org/research/11772-a-21st-century-copyright-office-the-conservative-case-for-reform

U.S. Copyright Office. Registering a work. Found at https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-register.html#register.

 

Week 4

This week our learning in digital citizenship took a dark turn, focusing on the cruelty of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is bullying that occurs online, however, it is different in that it has the ability to reach the victim 24 hours a day, can be virally spread to many users almost instantaneously, and can be permanently displayed (Hinduja & Patchin, 2015) (Brewer & Kerslake, 2015). Cyberbullying has had far reaching impact on our society as numerous stories have emerged of young people being driven into depression and even suicide (Hinduja & Patchin, 2015). Cyberbullying presents many issues to consider including but not limited to:  the effect technology has had on bullying, cyberbullying impact on the individual, its impact on our society, and the legal issues which include school law. In this journal response we will narrate the issues of cyberbullying to show evidence of learning through this week’s resources.

Technology has had a massive impact on bullying. Bullying has long been an issue amongst children and young adults, however, bullying has transformed to fit in the digital age; we call it cyberbullying. Technology has played a crucial part in increasing the ability and effects of bullying. Through social media and the internet users are able to spread malicious content rapidly and to seemingly a limitless number of people (Hinduja & Patchin, 2015)(TED, 2015). This is made worse by portable technologies such as smart phones as bullies and victims have 24 hours of access to each other (Hinduja & Patchin, 2015)(TED, 2015). This has amplified the effects of bullying as it has increased the rate and scale at which bullying is done (Hinduja & Patchin, 2015) (TED, 2015) (Cyberbullying Statistics, 2014).

While technology has had a major impact on cyberbullying, cyberbullying has had major effects on its’ victims. One of the most common effects in victims of cyberbullying is an increase in depression and self hate (Hinduja & Patchin, 2015) (TED, 2015) (Ybarra & Mitchell, 2004) (LifeWithGrace, 2016). Signs of cyberbullying in victims may appear as increased loneliness, anger, shame, and loss of trust (Hinduja & Patchin, 2015) (Ryan’s Story Presentation LTD, 2017).  These effects have led to physical violence against the perpetrators by the victim and as far as victim suicide (Ryan’s Story Presentation LTD, 2017) (Hinduja & Patchin, 2015). The results of cyberbullying can have a drastic impact on the victim’s life and it generally takes a lot of time and the support of family, friends, strangers and therapists to help cyberbullied victims return to a healthy state of being (TED, 2015) (Ryan’s Story Presentation LTD, 2017).

Cyberbullying has also had a far reaching impact on our society, so much so the term cyberbullying is now in the Oxford dictionary (iKeepSafe, 2012). One study reports 52% of all young people have experienced cyberbullying and 55% of teens using social media report having witnessed cyberbullying (NoBullying.com, 2017). Attention to cyberbullying has peaked over the last decade as teen suicide due to cyberbullying increases in number and news outlets increase their coverage. This has caused an outpouring of our society resulting in increased anti-bullying groups, support groups, and the passing of public law designed to protect cyberbully victims and hold perpetrators accountable. Currently, 49 states have bullying laws and a few states specify and restrict cyberbullying, making it punishable by fine or jail time (Hinduja & Patchin, 2015).

Because of many states legal recognition of bullying and cyberbullying, schools are now being forced to remedy cyberbullying and its effects. This has caused schools to develop implementation plans for bullying and cyberbullying (Ansary, Elias, Greene, & Green, 2015). A typical bullying plan includes: defining what bullying is, in-classroom prevention and awareness lessons, a protocol for dealing with bullying, staff trainings, and resources provided by administration (Ansary, Elias, Greene, & Green, 2015). By having a clear plan for bullying schools are hoping to prevent and intervene with bullying as fast as possible, even if it occurs off school property. Legally schools are able to extend their authority to bullying when it disrupts the learning environment, this includes bullying and cyberbullying that has occured off school property but has effects that reach within the learning environment. This has helped schools address bullying issues much more quickly.

In review, cyberbullying is a dark and ugly act because it has the ability to have constant contact, can be virally spread, and permanently displayed (Hinduja & Patchin, 2015) (Brewer & Kerslake, 2015). Cyberbullying has led victims to severe depression and even suicide; this has shocked our society leading us to be more aware of cyberbullying and has sparked new efforts in trying to prevent cyberbullying (Hinduja & Patchin, 2015). In this weeks learning we focused on the effect technology has had on bullying, cyberbullying’s impact on the individual, its impact on our society, and legal and school issues involving cyberbullying. Through this week’s resources I have gained a new understanding of cyberbullying including its impact on victims and why we need to stop it. After learning about this I know I will make more of an effort to prevent and reduce bullying through my teaching.

 

Sources:

Ansary, N. S., Elias, M. J., Greene, M. B., & Green, S. (2015). Best practices to address or reduce bullying in schools. Kappan, 97(2), 30-35.

Brewer, G., & Kerslake, J. (2015). Cyberbullying, self-esteem, empathy and loneliness. Computers in Human Behavior, 48, 255-260. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/24360618/Cyberbullying_self-esteem_empathy_and_loneliness

Cyberbullying Statistics. (2014). Retrieved from  http://nobullying.com/cyber-bullying-statistics-2014/

Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. W. (2015). Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying (2nd edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2015). Cyberbullying legislation and case law: Implications for school policy and practice. Retrieved from https://cyberbullying.org/cyberbullying-fact-sheet-a-brief-review-of-relevant-legal-and-policy-issues.

iKeepsafe. (February 29, 2012). Generation Safe™ quick tips, episode 4 – digital drama, guidelines for teachers. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekWgOie6evU.

Ryan’s Story Presentation LTD. (2017). Ryan’s story: in memory of Ryan Patrick Halligan 1989-2003. Retrieved from http://www.ryanpatrickhalligan.org/

TED. (March 20, 2015). The price of shame | Monica Lewinsky. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_8y0WLm78U.

Ybarra, M. L., & Mitchell. J. K. (2004). Online aggressor/targets, aggressors and targets: A comparison of associated youth characteristics. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45, 1308-1316. Retrieved from http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/jvq/CV75.pdf   

LifeWithGrace. (April 24, 2016). Cyberbully short film. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=129&v=oYjDQfnCXOU

 

Additional Resources:

Stopbullying.gov. What is cyberbullying? Retrieved from https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/index.html  

Cyberbullying Research Center. Responding to cyberbullying: top ten tips for educators. Retrieved from https://cyberbullying.org/responding-to-cyberbullying-top-ten-tips-for-educators.

Parris, L., Varjas, K., Meyers, J., & Cutts H. (April 8, 2011). High school students’ perception of coping with cyberbullying. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0044118X11398881.

Cassidy, W., Faucher, C., Jackson M. (May 8, 2013). Cyberbullying among youth: a comprehensive review of current international research and its implications and application to policy and practice. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0143034313479697

 

Week 5

In my time in the digital citizenship course I have learned much. Most notable, I have learned about the 9 elements of digital citizenship and the importance of educating others about digital citizenship; how to respect digital copyright laws; and cyberbullying and sexting are real issues that need to be addressed. These components are critical in understanding our world and how digital technologies have shaped our lives. Through learning these ideas I have a greater appreciation for digital citizenship and its importance; I have already seen how my teaching and leadership have been impacted for the better. Therefore, in my last journal entry for digital citizenship I will share about the course, address key ideas, and share how I have been impacted by course topics.

The most useful thing I have learned in this course is Ribbles’ nine elements of digital citizenship (2015). Ribble identifies nine elements of digital citizenship in order to address all the components of what digital citizenship entails. The nine elements are: digital access, digital commerce, digital communication, digital literacy, digital law, digital rights and responsibilities, digital health, digital security (Ribble, 2015). Each of the nine elements of digital citizenship are perfect for chunking a broad topic like digital citizenship into smaller, more manageable bits of information. This makes it perfect for being able to teach students. Ribble further divides the nine elements into three principles: respect, educate, and protect (REPs) (2015). This is a perfect way to disseminate information to students; students complete and gradually develop each of the principles as they increase in grade level (Ribble, 2015).

This was the most important thing for me to learn in digital citizenship because I wish to teach digital citizenship to my ninth grade students. After learning about the nine elements and three principles, I feel I can better focus on teaching smaller portions of digital citizenship at a time, rather than trying to teach it all at once. This has impacted my teaching and leadership in a monumental way. In the classroom I can concentrate on teaching principles of digital citizenship as they align with activities I have students doing. For example, in a collaborative Google Slides presentation I would focus on Respect because it deals with proper etiquette, access, and law. I could teach students about proper etiquette of working with a partner online, discuss the availability of access and how it might be better for some rather than others, and teach the students about copyright law plagiarism to prevent law violations. As for leadership, the nine elements and three principles are the perfect for educating teachers about how to gradually develop digital citizenship skills in our students. This is essential in ensuring that all students have practice and experience in all nine elements; if teachers do no do their part by gradually developing and exposing these skills to students students will be at a disadvantage or the burden be placed on the next educator to do so. If I am able to share these ideas with teachers I can impact students by having teachers get on the same page and equally contribute to students’ digital citizenship development. Therefore, the lessons I have learned on digital citizenship have surely made me a stronger educator and leader.

What I have learned through the digital citizenship course has also impacted me in life outside of education as well. Lessons on copyright have given me greater respect for intellectual property and a greater consciousness to obey these rules. Before taking this course, digital tools made it all to easy to copy, paste, or download copyrighted material. However, with a greater understanding of how these may impact their creators I will be less likely to infringe upon copyrighted material.

Digital citizenship’s focus on cyberbullying and sexting also impacted my personal life as well. After reviewing these topics, my emotions were made aware at how damaging these actions can be to young people. After being impacted by these lessons I began to share with family and friends about what I had learned and how important it is for parents to talk to their kids about these topics and to create an open dialogue between parent and child. I hope by becoming an advocate for anti-cyberbullying and anti-sexting I can help friends and family around me be better able to understand and address these issues.

In conclusion, I have shared about the digital citizenship course by addressing key ideas and have shared how I have been impacted by the course. I have learned a great deal about digital citizenship including the 9 elements of digital citizenship, the importance of teaching digital citizenship skills, respecting digital law, and the effects of cyberbullying and sexting. Through addressing these issues we can effectively create a better digital environment for ourselves and our future. This is why I have a greater appreciation for digital citizenship.

Sources:

Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools (3rd ed.). Eugene, OR: International Society of Technology in Education. ISBN: 978-1-56484-364-7.

 

Image Source:

Garner, E. (December, 2014). Democracy chronicles. Found at https://www.flickr.com/photos/democracychronicles/15378138833.