I created a guide for students’ online behaviour in the digital learning environment. This guide promotes digital citizenship skills at my current school. I realised the guide required prior discussion with the teacher who is delivering the lesson, and differentiation for Stage 2. Having experienced a classroom setting, seeking students’ prior knowledge is important to know how extensive one should be in explaining the topic to the class.
I have learnt that a teacher’s experience and understanding of the online environment are crucial to successfully delivering the topic (Hakim, 2015). For instance, if the teacher does not have in-depth experience of the online environment, then students will only touch the surface of the topic. In a low socio-economic area like my school, students will require more visual and hands-on activities to cater for individual learning needs. I know the key lies with building positive relationships with the students to successfully deliver the material (Martin & Collie, 2019).
When creating this guide, I found it challenging to produce a guide within the word limit for students’ online behaviour and stay on topic because digital citizenship has many parts. There are so many aspects of online behaviour that students are required to learn to be proficient as responsible and smart digital citizens. For example, students need to understand and learn the importance of online etiquette and how to contribute positively to the digital community.
To me as a practitioner, I understand students need to be made mindful that actions attract consequences. They need to learn to respect the rights and privacy of others in order to contribute positively to the digital community and become a healthy society (Lowell & Moore, 2020). I want to pose the issue that schools are increasingly monitoring students’ online activities, which sparks controversy over privacy issues.
Schools are also restricting too much content, which becomes a barrier to learning. It will be interesting to see how democracy in technology develops in future for all schools. As mobile phones are part of everyday lives, students who use devices at home need to be vigilant when communicating online. Parents do not install filters on these phones, and students can access content without any blockages. As educators cannot monitor these devices at home, the ultimate goal is to empower students to be their own guides.
References:
Hakim, A. (2015). Contribution of competence teacher (pedagogical, personality, professional competence and social) on the performance of learning. The International Journal of Engineering and Science, 4(2), 1-12. https://www.theijes.com/papers/v4-i2/Version-3/A42301012.pdf
Lowell, V. L., & Moore, R. L. (2020). Developing practical knowledge and skills of online instructional design students through authentic learning and real-world activities. TechTrends, 64(4), 581-590. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-020-00518-z
Martin, A. J., & Collie, R. J. (2019). Teacher–student relationships and students’ engagement in high school: Does the number of negative and positive relationships with teachers matter?. Journal of Educational Psychology, 111(5), 861. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000317
Tree. (n.d.). The Future Of Metaverse Digitally Immersed With Vr And Virtual Reality Technology 3d Rendering Background [Stock image]. Pngtree. https://pngtree.com/free-backgrounds-photos/digital-future-pictures