February 2023 – Mrs G's Masters Musings

In the very first module of this subject, we were asked the think about the following questions:

What is your definition of a ‘Digital Learning Environment’? Can you think of examples from your school and/or working/professional life to support this.
What are some of the changes created by our digital lifestyle that you need to be aware of as an educator?
What has been the impact of social networking on teaching and learning?

I think of a digital learning environment as an online space where students go to learn, collaborate, discuss topics submit assignments and receive feedback. I have worked in a variety of schools that use different platforms for this to occur. Some examples include Google classroom, Schoolbox, Canvas and Blackboard.

Teachers need to be aware of the use of these online platforms so that we are giving our students the best opportunities to improve their skills in the digital world. A big change as part of the digital learning environment is the 24/7 accessibility. Teachers need to ensure that the learning materials are available so that students can access them when they want to.

Social networking has had an impact in that students are getting their information from a large range of sources, not just from school. Students need to be taught how to sort the trash from the treasure.

Once again, I find myself at the beginning of another semester of study, but this one has a different feel about it for a few reasons. Firstly, this is an elective unit to I feel that I have a more focused interest in this topic. Secondly, this is my final unit of study and thirdly, I am also undertaking ETL512 (Professional practice and portfolio) concurrently with ETL523 (Digital Citizenship in Schools). What an exciting time!

I chose this elective because I feel that it is such a poignant topic in this world of non-stop information. I also chose to study this elective at this time because my school is currently undertaking a laptop rollout for years 7-11 and the school is going through the process of what the use of these devices looks like in classrooms and the expectations around their use.

What is digital citizenship and why is it important?

To me, digital citizenship is participating online in a responsible and positive manner. So, what does that look like? According to Council of Europe (2023), “digital citizens can be described as individuals able to use digital tools to create, consume, communicate and engage positively and responsibly with others”. I prefer this definition when compared with the one provided by the NSW Department of Education (n.d.) which states that “a digital citizen is a person with the skills and knowledge to effectively use digital technologies to participate in society, communicate with others and create and consume digital content”. I prefer the first definition because of the inclusion of the word ‘positively’. Ribble (2015) also agrees that the term ‘positive’ is an important aspect of digital citizenship so that everyone can engage in the digital world.

Digital citizenship is important in the fast-paced world of information overload. Being discerning about what we are consuming and engaging with online is so important. Having skills to determine the trash from the treasure is invaluable to our ability to engage with and function in society.

Is digital citizenship different to digital literacy?

This seems to be a bit of a grey area, but according to Pangrazio and Sefton-Greene (2021), digital literacy is the foundation of digital citizenship. We must be competent in the literacies before we can fully participate. Digital literacy is broken down into separate skills that each need to be mastered in order to be competent in the online world. These skills include managing online safety, locating and evaluating information and problem solving (ACARA, 2022).

I am looking forward to learning more about digital citizenship and its role in the school environment.

References

Australian Curriculum And Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2022). Digital literacy. The Australian Curriculum. https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/teacher-resources/understand-this-general-capability/digital-literacy

Council of Europe. (2023). Digital citizenship. Digital Citizenship in Education https://www.coe.int/en/web/digital-citizenship-education/digital-citizenship

NSW Department of Education (n.d.). About digital citizenship. Digital Citizenship. https://www.digitalcitizenship.nsw.edu.au/about

Pangrazio, L. and Sefton-Green, J. (2021). Digital Rights, Digital Citizenship and Digital Literacy: What’s the Difference?. Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research 10(1), p.15-27.

Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools (3rd ed.) International Society for Technology in Education.

Mrs G's Masters Musings

Month: February 2023

Digital Citizenship – Initial thoughts