Digital Citizenship Resources

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP RESOURCES

Below are three helpful, useful resources that I found on the topics of; safe use of the web, responsible use of the web and ethical use of the web.
My area of teaching when I complete my degree will be Primary school, so in finding these resources, I have ensured that a primary school teacher (like myself) would be able to convert these resources into teaching tools for the classroom that primary ages children would benefit from.

Safe use of the web:

I find "safe use of the web" to be a broad, overview of how to behave on the internet in a way that protects both yourself and others. This link ( http://primarytech.global2.vic.edu.au/2012/10/12/10-internet-safety-tips-for-students/ ) will take you to the blog of a primary school teacher based in Victoria, Australia. She has listed 10 internet safety tips for students. Such as; remember not to believe everything you read on the internet, always make sure your parents know what you are doing on the internet, always treat others online the way that you would want to be treated etc. These are easy to follow and cover the basics of using the web safely. This would be a perfect starting point in introducing the internet to primary school children. The authors blog also includes a related, helpful YouTube video, hyperlinks to related information on safe use of the web and a section of "tags" that can lead to even further information again.

Responsible use of the web:

This website ( http://primarytech.global2.vic.edu.au/2012/10/12/10-internet-safety-tips-for-students/ ) is more in-depth and informative than the blog above, which was more like guidelines and tips. The author of this website outlines the importance of empowering students with the knowledge to make their own positive, correct decisions whilst using the web. It introduces laws i.e. copyright and plagiarism. Netiquette, cyberbullying and self-image is also a large part of this article. Discussing the importance of how you treat others and how you portray yourself, eg, "would you want your parents to see or read what's online about you? Will this affect your future career?".

The author has provided a list of references that may also be useful.

Ethical use of the web:

After finding and reading this article, I would say that this topic is more to do with law than the two topics above. The article mentions the phrase, "cyber criminals" and explains that we 'need to nip this in the bud' by "establishing a culture of proper use of the technology". Teaching school children that it's the same world online and off, "just because there is a sense of anonymity online, doesn't mean the rules change". This article points out there is a much needed boost of education in the technology department by including stories of children/teens that have found themselves in trouble due their online decisions. There are some useful hyperlinks on this page that I have pasted below.

http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech044.shtml

http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech043.shtml

http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech036.shtml