In this digital age, the world is running non-stop; accessing the net connects people from across the globe, with various cultural backgrounds, whether you are playing online games or communicating and collaborating with others. This connectivity necessitates respectful and responsible attitudes when interacting with others online, and inadvertently forms global relationships (Harris & Johns, 2021).
Fostering digital citizenship at schools contributes to a healthier, more productive online global community, and is crucial to enable students to navigate the complexities of digital platforms ethically and safely. Technology will continue to evolve, and teaching digital citizenship at schools is the first step in bracing the next generation to build a healthy community (Harris & Johns, 2021).
I am looking at teaching students digital citizenship and the concept of building their professional personal brand. I will start with primary settings and help them understand the importance of their digital footprint when they access the Internet. From that discussion, I will guide students in discovering how they want the public to view them, and make sure they are well-informed that any information they upload to the web will remain there for the rest of their lives (Ribble & Park, 2022).
The balance between educational and social networking for students is challenging. It is difficult to monitor whether students are actually collaborating and communicating for educational purposes, as opposed to socialising. However, I would argue that it is better for students to use educational networking, even for informal catch-ups during or outside of school, because schools have an infrastructure in place to monitor inappropriate activities. Schools could take immediate action to bring students back on track, minimising negative effects like cyberbullying and misinformation (Giannikas, 2020).
References:
Cornelius20. (2019). Digital world [Stock image]. Open Access Government. https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/connected-growth-new-digital-world/73849/
Giannikas, C. (2020). Facebook in tertiary education: The impact of social media in e-learning. Journal of university teaching & learning practice, 17(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.53761/1.17.1.3
Harris, A., & Johns, A. (2021). Youth, social cohesion and digital life: From risk and resilience to a global digital citizenship approach. Journal of Sociology, 57(2), 394-411. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1440783320919173
Ribble, M., & Park, M. (2022). The digital citizenship handbook for school leaders: Fostering positive interactions online. International Society for Technology in Education. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/CSUAU/detail.action?docID=6009895