K-12 Digital Citizenship

8/16/2019 K-12 Digital Citizenship

1/12

Volume 55, Number 4 TechTrends • July/August 2011 37

Abstract

Digital citizenship encompasses a wide rangeo behaviors with varying degrees o risk andpossible negative consequences. Lack o digitalcitizenship awareness and education can,and has, led to problematic, even dangerousstudent conduct. I our educational village doesnot address these issues, the digital cultureestablishes its own direction, potentially pushinga productive, long-term solution urther out oreach. By tapping into the experience of variouspractitioners and experts in the eld this articleprovides the reader with a number o suggestionsthat can help the proessional to help their

students become better digital citizens.Keywords: Digital Citizenship, SchoolLibrary Media

ccording to Wikipedia (2010), the NigerianIgbo proverb, “Ora na azu nwa”, translatesas “it takes a village to raise a child”

(Proverb Question section, para. 6). Whetherthis popular phrase derives rom internationalcultures or from one’s own experiences in life,it provides a ramework or our schools andsociety to meet a cultural shif in a global society.Creating awareness and enhancing digital

citizenship in our society could best be assessedas having reached a pivotal point. Weigel, James,and Gardner (2009) assert that, “the Internet’spotential or learning may be curtailed i youthlack key skills or navigating it, i they consistentlyengage with Internet resources in a shallowfashion, and/or if they limit their explorations toa narrow band o things they believe are worthknowing. Lef to their own devices and withoutsufficient scaffolding, student investigations may

turn out to be thoughtul and meaningul –orrustrating and ruitless” (p. 10). Te growing

level o Internet access and student use, both inand out o school, raises the question, ‘Who willown this challenge o guiding students towarda productive and sae technological society?’.Tat society will be defined by effective attitudesand practices in digital decision making,ethical and legal issues, online saety, consumersecurity, and technology related health issues.

As stated by Weigel, James, and Gardner(2009), “many American youth are introducedto digital media at relatively young ages andspend more time engaging with digital mediaat critical development stages than their older

counterparts did” (p. 8). According to thePete Blackshaw, an executive vice-presidento the Nielson Company (2009), the onlinepopulation o youth, grades 2-11, number“boys at 8,040,000 and girls at 7,927,000” (p. 1).As the Internet has gone mobile, the NielsonCompany reports that by age ten over hal oyouth own or borrow a cell phone, while six outo ten own a cell phone at age eleven, and three-ourths o youth age twelve own a cell phone(p.1). Te accessibility and use o student-based digital connectivity is inevitable both inK-12 and outside o school. Tus, returning

our thoughts to the question o who will takeon the challenge o supporting the growth oan effective digital society. Te goal o thispaper is to provide a shared understandingo the current state o digital citizenship. Iturther seeks to engage the proessionalmedia specialist/instructional technologist inassessing the state o digital citizenship in theiracademic and proessional environments.

Te term digital citizenship might create a

Digital Citizenship in K-12:It Takes a VillageRandy Hollandsworth, Lena Dowdy, and Judy Donovan

A

Students will require awareness that onlinebehaviors can impact people within their immediate circle

of friends but also outside of that circle.


2/12

38 TechTrends • July/August 2011 Volume 55, Number 4

conusing mental picture o what it representsin the K-12 classroom. I aligned with charactereducation, it would lend itsel to becominga good citizen in the digital community. Inmany of the projects and curriculums examinedthrough this article, the term represents a morecomprehensive view o technology usage. Inaddition, it would include considerationsor student saety and security, educational

enhancement, ethical and legal behaviors,and becoming an effective member o digitalcommunities. Mike Ribble (2010) defines digitalcitizenship as, “a concept, which helps teachers,technology leaders, and parents to understandwhat students/children/technology users shouldknow to use technology appropriately” (p. 1).He urther elaborates that, “it is a way to preparestudents, children, and technology users or asociety ull o technology” (p. 1).

In so many instances involving K-12,initiatives are defined less by what they do thanwhere unding originates. One initiative that has

driven the use o digital citizenship curriculumin K-12 is the “E-Rate” unding sponsored by theSchools and Libraries Program o the UniversalService Fund signed into law on October 10,2008. Tis unding provides discounts to assist

most schools and librariesin the United States inobtaining affordable tele-communications andInternet access and ismanaged by the UniversalService AdministrativeCompany and the Federal

C o m m u n i c a t i o n sCommission (USAC, 2010).Judi Repman, graduateprogram coordinator ormedia specialists at GeorgiaSouthern University states,“Given that accepting e-rateunding now requiresschools to teach digitalcitizenship, I think we’ll startto see lots o vendors who

will develop curricula to provide this requiredinstruction. Leadership is coming rom manyplaces, but mostly rom those in administrativeroles, including media specialists” (personalcommunication, August 19, 2010).

Vicki Davis, co-ounder o Digiteen.orgstates, “digital citizenship has just come onthe radar and it changes rapidly” (personalcommunication, July 19, 2010). Davis urtherdenotes that digital citizenship will have to beless o an educational program and more o a

social action, a student centered approach thatbecomes part o what students believe (personalcommunication). In reerence to the negativeevents associated with the K-12 digital usage,Davis states, “this is an opportunity to empowera new generation o students who will standup and speak out when they see these thingshappening” (personal communication).

Ron Clark, well-known author and

director o the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta,acknowledges that “we must take a lead andbecome advocates o good digital citizenship, wemust know what is out there, and parents andkids must be involved together to ensure success”(personal communication, July 19, 2010).

So, the inevitable question must be asked:Who represents the village or our youth, as itrelates to digital citizenship? Will it be parents,teachers, administrators, academics, technologyproessionals, media specialists, or students? Teanswer, although complex, becomes somewhatobvious that or a successul cultural shif, it

will require all o us. Te implementation othis type o program will require an establishedand shared curriculum, an establishmento middle ground between reactionary andproactive actions in the K-12 environment.Hilton Smith, program coordinator in northeastGeorgia for the Foxre initiatives, encouragesthat or program success there must be studentinvolvement (personal communications, August19, 2010). Te group that can most influencedigital behavior, and misbehavior, are our youth.As noted by Carrie James rom the Good PlayProject states, “One o the strongest takeaways

rom our studies o digital youth is that theymost ofen think and act in individualistic waysonline” (personal communication, August1, 2010). Students will require awarenessthat online behaviors can impact people withintheir immediate circle o riends but also outsideo that circle. Additionally, student digitalbehaviors can impact their own personal socialdynamics, personal resources, careers, andsaety. In an eort to establish positive rolemodels, the K-12 proessional community mustcome together to provide a proactive approachto this cultural challenge. Te ultimate goalsby local school administrations, inormationtechnology directors, media specialists, teachers,parents, and students must be aligned to realizethe potential or developing good global anddigital citizens. Mike Ribble states, “Educatorsand technology people need to both be involved– the technology people tend to go or a techsolution (firewall) and want things very secure.

Tey do not understand why curriculum

The growing level ofInternet access andstudent use, both in

and out of school,

raises the question,‘Who will own this

challenge of guidingstudents toward a

productive and safetechnological society?


3/12


is needed. Educators want things wide openor their students research needs. Tere is adisconnect between the groups” (personalcommunication, August 11, 2010). Vicki Davishighlights that a very special effort and approachwill be required to impact student belie systemson the use o digital tools, both in and out o theclassroom (personal communication, July 19,2010). In many instances, the responses rom

the survey or this article and personal contactsreflect a picture where many o the vestedparties are seeking their own answers and theirown goals, which would explain why many ofour students are ending or themselves in thiscultural and technological playground.

Like a village, the K-12 proessionalcommunity must develop common ground thatadvocates the use o technology in the classroomwhile preparing the student to make soundchoices both or themselves and or others inthe digital world. A constant thread, throughoutall the interviews, points to a proactive

approach or effective digital practices. Teseopportunities will consist o effective digitalcitizenship curriculum, peer mentor programs,effective role models, educational aculty/staff awareness, enhanced awareness o the risks,and most importantly - a proactive versusreactive approach. Sturgeon (2008) writes, “Iwe filter out everything in a school, we lose thatteaching moment. Filters are not oolproo; weneed to educate students on the sae use o theInternet” (p. 5). Te cultures around gaming,social networking, cell phone connectivity, andthe immediacy o inormation raise significant

questions or the proessional media specialistin K-12. Tese questions begin with: Whendo we begin?; Which proactive approach isbest?; What resources are viable?; Who shouldbe engaged rst: peers or the next generation?;What resources are available right now? Inan effort to address some o these questions,a list o resources on national initiatives, saeweb sites, digital citizenship curriculum, andongoing research are provided in the appendix.A snapshot o the nation has been sought onthis topic through a series o interviews, currentliterature, and an online survey or K-12 mediaspecialists in fify state organizations. As notedby the GoodPlay Project Report (2009), Meetingo the Minds: Cross Generational Dialogue on theEthics o Digital Lie, “Parents and educators offerwhat guidance they can, yet struggle to makesense o it all” (p. 2). With the inormation gainedin this article, it is hoped that like a ‘village’, theAEC proessional community, might offer thebridges necessary or proactive initiatives indigital citizenship.

Safety in Numbers

Te challenges aced by many localeducational administrations are how tobalance online accessibility by studentswith effective pedagogy, student saetyand security, and a manageable learningenvironment. Many systems haveapplied various approaches includingstudent/aculty/parent educationalapproaches, student Internet operator’slicenses, Internet filters, accessible usepolicies (AUP), and absolute banningo cell phones, to name a ew. oexplore the level of digital connectivityin K-12, consider 2005 reports by theNational Center or Education Statistics(NCES), noting that 66.1% o studentsuse the Internet both in and out oschool, while 48.8% use the Internet inschool (2010, p. 1). NCES also reportsthat students use the Internet, both in

and out o school, at a rate o 23.2%or three and our year olds, ollowedby ages five-nine at 42.7%, ages ten-ourteen at 69.5%, and age fifeen andolder at a rate o 79.5%, with littledifferentiation by gender (p. 1). TeNational Center or Education Statistics(NCES) reports 70.1% o students use theInternet or email and messaging, as comparedto 49.8% using the Internet or purchases andinormation, 59.3% or playing games, and 82%using the Internet, both in school and outsideo school, or school assignments (2005, p.

1). Te Nielson Company (2009) reports,“o adults, cell phones are a communicationsdevice. o children, cellphones are a lieline.Consider that the average thirteen-seventeenyear old sends more than 2,000 text messagesper month. Compared with the total mobileInternet population, teens are much biggerconsumers o social media, music, games, videos/movies and technology/science. iSAFE,a non-profit organization promoting childInternet saety, reports “that 58% o kids admitsomeone has said mean or hurtul things tothem online; 53% o kids admit having said

something mean or hurtul things to anotheronline; 42% o kids have been bullied whileonline; and 58% have not told their parentsor any adult about something mean or hurtulthat had happened” (2010).

In a final report by Harvard Universityor State Attorneys (2008), the Internet Saetyechnical ask Force (ISF) denotes, “Temajority (59%) o parents say the Internet isa “positive influence” in their children’s lives

Figure 1.


4/12


(Rideout 2007, as cited in ISF), but manyhave grave concerns about the dangers posed bythe Internet” (p. 17).

One does not have to venture too arthese days to hear about these dangers or topersonally experience an online event that issuspect o raud or questionable intent. Parentsseek protection or their sons and daughters, asdo K-12 administrators, school boards, parent

associations, teachers, and even students insome cases. Additionally, it is not unusual tosee or hear research findings, news events, andreality-based television scenarios prolieratingthe risks o the Internet. In the types o threatsidentified by the Internet Saety echnical askForce (ISTTF), students are exposed to variedrisks at varied levels in categories definedas, “sexual solicitation, online harassment,and problematic content” (p. 39). Te ISFencourages readers to critically evaluate thereal data and issues. One example noted by theISF was in a reerence to the Crimes Against

Children’s Research Center Report, stating, “thatone-in-ve or one-in-seven minors are sexually

solicited online” (as cited by ISF,2009, p. 13). Te ask Force urtherstates, “without context, thiscitation implies massive solicitationo minors by older adults” (p. 13).Te ask Force report continuesto deine that or this type ocriminal event, “other peers andyoung adults account or 90-94% osolicitations in which approximateage is known” (p. 13).

Findings by the GoodPlayProject indicated in a cyber-bullyingscenario presented to students, thatmost elected to handle it effectively,but a third o the students electedto disregard the bullying and notreport it (Santo, James, Davis, Katz,Burch, & Joesph, 2009). Jamesurther relects that, “While thebulk o youth’s online activities areconducted beyond the school day,educators oten have to deal witheects in school – e.g., conlicts

between students due to online bullying orgossiping. Moreover, some parents may expectteachers and administrators to address digitalcitizenship issues. For a number o legitimatereasons, many schools tend to be reactive, ratherthan proactive, about such issues. However,the groundwork or digital citizenship is bestlaid in a proactive way, beore problems arise”(personal communication, August 1, 2010).

Developing a Digital Community

As the statistics show, students usetechnology ofen, and use is increasing at a rapidgrowth rate. Although schools and parents try toensure the saety o our students, it is imperativethat students accept responsibility or usingcurrent and uture technology in an ethical andlegal way.

When students are aced with difficultdecisions or questionable use or content, theymust have the tools in which to handle thesecircumstances. While school systems andparents are each attempting to address theseissues, common policies, standards and languageo digital citizenship must be developed.Awareness, education, and action are required inorder to give students a base o knowledge and acode o conduct, to support them in this digitalsociety. A citizen in this digital society is able toget an education, work, buy, sell, trade, interactwith others, and be entertained; all o the same

characteristics o a traditional society. It is notconsidered acceptable to send our childreninto traditional society without teaching themthe basic concepts o legal, ethical, and moralconduct. So why would it be okay to send themout into this digital society with little knowledgeabout these same concepts? As shared in apersonal interview with Vicki Davis, she reflectedon the responses o students to the news o thesedigital elements and that they were upset thatno one has told them or no had inormed theirriends to the risks and responsibilities (personalcommunication, July 19, 2010).

Students must be taught digital literacy.Digital Literacy and Citizenship in the 21stCentury offers a definition or digital literacyas “the ability to use technology competently,interpret and understand digital content, assessits credibility and create, and research andcommunicate with appropriate tools” (CommonSense Media, 2009, p. 1). Many new programsthat address digital citizenship are designedor students o middle school age and older.Research shows, however, that many studentshave already derived their own rules or use otechnology by this age. Students use technology

at home beore they start school, requiringparents to begin teaching their children digitalcitizenship as soon as they begin to use acomputer. Parents are the most vital part o a village approach. Tey must gain awareness,educate themselves and take action in order toprepare their children or this digital societybeore they enter the school doors. eachers,media specialists, and technology people must

Figure 2.


5/12


gain awareness, educate themselves, and beready to take action as soon as students enterthe school doors. As with other perormancestandards in addressing digital citizenship, the village must create a common set o policies,practices and curriculum with the end result inmind. What should a good digital citizen looklike as an adult member? Parents, educators,students and community should all have input

in creating policies, procedures, and curriculum;not only the content, but the timing as well. MikeRibble states that digital citizenship should be apart o the curriculum, begin in kindergarten,and build each year (personal communicationAugust 11, 2010).

Digital citizenship can be compared toAmerican citizenship in that all digital citizenshave the same basic rights: to privacy, reespeech, and creative work rights. eachingstudents how to protect their privacy is critical.Everyone has the right to ree speech butstudents need to be taught to think about what

is said and posted online, which has ar reachingeffects. Students should also understand thatwhen something is created it belongs to thecreator. It should not be copied or altered in anyway. Students do not ully understand copyrightlaws or how to legally obtain inormation, songs,pictures, etc. Te village must take responsibilityto ensure students know not only what is illegalbut also what is legal. Students must understandthat with rights also comes responsibility, theresponsibility to conduct themselves legally andethically, as well as to help their peersaccept responsibility.

Parents and educators have adifficult job in keeping up with thenewest technologies, their purposesand their effects on students. How-ever, it is important that parents andschools stay inormed, involved, andactually become advocates or thenewest technologies. Parents andschools cannot afford to ban, ignore,or stifle the use o technology at home,at school or in our communities. Asupporting example of this is thecurrent use o posting boards, suchas Facebook’s ‘bathroom wall’ eatureallowing students to post messageson other Facebook account holder’ssite anonymous ly. he potentia luse, and misuse, o this eature orstudents is indicative that you cannotbuild enough firewalls, policies, orrestrictions to prepare students tohandle problematic content or online

events. Students must be given the opportunityto accept, embrace and learn new ideas as theysurace, and how to be confident and responsibleusers o technology. Students should do morethan just survive in this digital society. Teyshould create, innovate, and thrive. It is theresponsibility o media specialist, teachers,administrators, and parents (the village), tobegin the discussion, gain awareness, educate

themselves, and begin the journey o preparingstudents or success in this new and differentdigital society.

Media Specialist Survey

o unde rstand how digital citizenshipis taught in schools, a survey examiningdigital citizenship in schools was created.Presidents o state library media andeducational technology associations wereemailed a request to invite their membership toparticipate in the survey. Te survey consistedof ten questions examining digital citizenship,available in Survey Monkey. Over 500 educationproessionals responded, primarily practicinglibrary media specialists (97% o respondents).

Survey responders were asked i teachersand administrators in their districts are awareo and teach about digital citizenship issues.Tey rated the level o awareness o teachersand administrators rom most very aware odigital citizenship issues to no awareness bythese educators.

able 1. Digital Citizenship Awareness


6/12


Te results indicate that about hal o thelibrary media specialists believe teachers areaware o digital citizenship issues (49.4%), 8.2%think teachers are very aware o these issues,and about a third (35%) believe some teachersare aware o digital citizenship issues but mostteachers are not. About 7% o the respondentsreport only a ew or no teachers are aware o theseissues. Administrators were rated somewhat

higher than teachers by the respondents, with55% indicating their administrators are awareo digital citizenship issues and about 20%reporting that their administrators possess ahigh level o awareness o issues surroundingdigital citizenship. Te results show thatcognizance o digital citizenship issues is notuniversal, and that more administrators appearto have a greater attentiveness toward digitalcitizenship concerns than many teachers.

Te library media specialists were asked ispecific digital citizenship skills are taught intheir schools, and i the same skills are included

in state educational standards. Te results arebelow.

Respondents rom ourteen states repliedto the survey. Teir replies indicate over 90%o schools teach students to avoid plagiarism,respect copyright, and to evaluate electronicinormation. About three quarters o schoolsteach students about the dangers o sharingpersonal inormation online and about online

saety. Over hal teach about cyber-bullying,getting more than one perspective, and respectingcreative rights, as well as communication issuesinvolving electronic communication. Less thanhal o schools teach about social networkingsites, cell phone etiquette, or ergonomics.

State standards did not are as well, as lessthan hal o the respondents indicated digitalcitizenship skills are included in state standards.Even issues such as plagiarism, taught in 95% oschools as indicated by survey respondents, areincluded in only 44% o state standards. Someo the biggest gaps were in Internet saety issues,

Figure 3.

able 2. Extent to which digital citizenship skills are taught in schools / included in state standards


7/12


such as cyber-bullying and online saety. Whilethese topics are widely taught in schools, lessthan a quarter o the participants indicate theseto be included in state standards. One surveyrespondent commented, “Digital citizenship isnot very well addressed because it is not tested asa state standard”.

Survey respondents were asked aboutcopyright and creative rights to assess how

digital citizenship is being taught in schools.An understanding was sought to uncover ithis topic was integrated into the curriculum ortaught primarily in one class or grade.

Te results show almost hal o the schools(47%) are teaching this example issue throughseveral grades and subject areas, and 18.5%are teaching the digital citizenship issue inone specific class. 35% o respondents repliedthat these issues are not taught as part o thecurriculum, and a low 3.5% do not teach aboutcopyright/creative rights at all. Educators whoresponded to the survey were asked when

students should begin learning about digitalcitizenship issues.

Most respondents believe digital citizen- shipeducation needs to begin in the early grades, withless than 15% choosing 5th grade and higher,21% answered preschool and kindergarten,33% 1st and 2nd grade, and 32% believe digitalcitizenship education should begin in 3rd and4th grade. We asked responding educators toshare how they kept students sae while using theInternet. Te specific question asked “Which othese does your school have in place to monitor/protect students using the Internet?”

Nearly all schools reerenced in the surveyuse filtering and firewalls to control access tothe Internet. Most (86%) rely on AcceptableUse Policies, and observation (93%). While 86%teach students proper behavior on the Internet,only about a third (37%) continue this educationto include the home.

Survey respondents were asked ortheir general comments concerning DigitalCitizenship to enhance the understanding ohow different states are addressing this area withstudents. Some o these comments illuminatestatewide efforts and show a wide variety oefforts in this area.

Comments fromSurvey Respondents

General survey comments on how digitalcitizenship is being applied in K-12 in variousstates:• Massachusetts has just passed a cyber bullying

law.

Figure 4. Indicate how copyright/creative right issues are taught in your school.

Figure 5. Grade when digital citizenship should irst be taught in school.

able 3. Internet Saety.


8/12


• he State o Missouri has developedInormation Literacy Standards that dealswith Digital Citizenship issues. Tis works verywell with our library instruction since many oour databases are on the WWW.

• Virginia has an Internet Safety Program forall schools to ollow. Tis is separate rom ourStandards o Learning, but it is still requiredcurriculum.

• Kentucky is in the oreront o DigitalCitizenship education. We teach these skillsand train on usage at every grade level.

• Maine has had 1-1 laptops in all schools, in grades 7&8, or 8+ years. Ongoing teacher proessional development has been a strongand important part o the laptop program.

• Arkansas has no organized state-wide programother than the echnology Inused Education(IE) group--train the trainer initiative.

• Georgia needs Informationliteracy skills in the GPS[GeorgiaPerormance Standards]. I it is not

in the GPS it will not get taught.• Tennessee has no Library Media

Standards but will be adoptingthe Common Core Curriculumwith Race to the op. eachersneed training in teaching DigitalCitizenship at the lower grades,but unless it’s going to be tested, thetraining and teaching won’t happen.

• Depends on the school and districtin New Hampshire. Our district isreactive rather than proactive withregard to technology use; much

o the equipment and sofware isoutdated.

• Sadly, the state of Missouri seemsnot to care much about what reallyhappens in our public schools otherthan test scores. Little to no supportin the area o technology at all.

Tere is widespread agreement as tothe importance o practicing digitalcitizenship. Survey respondents notethat, “Tis is a very important conceptto begin teaching students as they will

use technology and the Internet more and more inthe uture. I don’t think the students understandhow the inormation they present to the world canbe used against them - now or in the uture”.

Te International Society or echnologyin Education (ISE) National Educationalechnology Standards (NES) or Students,eachers and Administrators lists digitalcitizenship as the one common theme across all

three sets o standards (ISE, 2010). Te ISENES standards clearly spell out the need orresponsible use o technology by all users. Inaddition, the American Association o SchoolLibrarians (AASL) standards list over 20 itemsrelated to digital citizenship. Te responsibilitieslisted below are very close to the NES standards(AASL, 2010, p. 4).

1.3 Responsibilities1.3.1 Respect copyright/ intellectual propertyrights o creators and producers.

1.3.2 Seek divergent perspectives duringinormation gathering and assessment.

1.3.3 Follow ethical and legal guidelines ingathering and using inormation.

1.3.4 Contribute to the exchange of ideas withinthe learning community.

1.3.5 Use inormation technology responsibly.

Experts interviewed believe that if educatorsand parents do not address issues o digital

citizenship in school and at home, externalsuppliers o curriculum will attempt to meetthe gap with curriculums o varying quality. Asurvey comment addresses this lack; “I wouldlike to find a Digital Citizenship curriculum

program that is positive and pro-active ratherthan “scare tactic”-based. As o yet, I have not

ound such a program to use in my instruction”.Most who have studied this area believe

that while a comprehensive curriculumis a necessary beginning, it will take thecollaborative eorts o students, teachers,Library Media Specialists, administrators, all

educators, parents, and community membersto effectively teach and consistently practice thetenets o digital citizenship. Some schools areembracing collaborative efforts, as illustrated bythis comment on the survey; “I don’t know howdifferent states are handling it but in our district itis a collaborative effort with technology specialists,librarians and classroom educators”.

However, some challenges to a collaborativeapproach were described in the surveycomments:• No one in the technology department in our

district holds any sort o degree in education and yet makes constricting decisions about access.Tey are reactionary and earul in their policy-making choices. We need to teach students howto be savvy users o this incredible technology.

• ere seems to be a lot of fear by adults of accessby students to digital channels. I think it has todo with loss o control and accountability.

• We are in the react-to-crisis mode on instructionon Digital Citizenship.

Figure 6.


9/12


• Cobb County is becoming more restrictive incomputer and Internet usage. A number o sitesthat would be useul to students and aculty areblocked

• Our county protects the students well with our filter system but it also keeps the students out osome great sites and teaching tools.

Conclusion

So, does the solution resolve in buildinga wall around the village or seeking to prepareour youth to protect themselves and others?Te Internet Saety echnical ask Force (2009)denotes that “these risks are not radicallydifferent in nature or scope than the risks minorshave long aced offline, and minors who are mostat risk in the offline world continue to be mostat risk online” (p. 13). In addition to the risksand implications or individual students, CarrieJames, eam Leader or the GoodPlay Project,establishes that “we find youth only rarelythinking beyond their circle o close relationsto broader responsibilities or to the impacto their choices on the communities to whichthey belong online” (personal communication,August 1, 2010).

From the perspective o the GoodPlayProject, much work needs to be done in order toscaffold youth to think o themselves as digitalcitizens” (personal communication, August 1,2010). It appears that proessional educators,and specifically media specialists, need toknow more about digital citizenship to be ableto guide district efforts and model appropriate

behavior. A survey comment reflects this, “oomany educators “fight” aspects o the digital agerather than teaching students how to saely useit or their education”. Te survey results showthat, in general, administrators were rankedas having higher levels o awareness o digitalcitizenship issues than teachers. Forty-twopercent o respondents indicated teachers or themost part, are unaware o DC issues, with 25% oadministrators mostly unaware. When it came tothe highest level o awareness, and perhaps alsoteaching about DC issues, administrators againwere rated more highly, at 20%, as compared to a

low percentage o respondents (8.2%) who ratedteachers as highly aware. Te results in this areaindicate that while the majority o teachers (58%)and administrators (75%) are aware o issuessurrounding digital citizenship, there are manyeducators who need to be educated about theseissues, as well as students.

One respondent notes the advantages oteaching the aculty first:

Every senior is required to ollow a rubric thatclearly covers ollowing copyright law or theirresearch papers and presentations. Te acultyis in-serviced on how to teach copyright law tothe students. By teachingthe teachers how to teachcopyright law, the teachershave come to understandthe law, how to teach it to

the students, and has takenownership o preparing thestudents or understandingthis issue in relationship totechnology.

Library media special-ists are a natural to take thelead on integrating a digitalcitizenship curri culum aspart o the inormationliteracy curriculum theyalready teach. Commentsby respondents address

this and indicate manylibrary media specialists areleaders when it comes toteaching digital literacy:• The l ibrar y/media

specialists have beenaddressing this or atleast 10 years. Tere isa push to integrate across content areas and

grade levels more ully this year. It’s the main goal or my school district this year.

• e media specialist is the main person inmost schools to teach digital responsibility.

• We are in the process of serious revision ofour library/inormation literacy curriculum.“Digital Citizenship” will be an essentialcomponent o our revised curriculum.

• As I librarian, I include all aspects of thistopic in two electives that I teach: InormationProblem Solving and Critical Reading. I alsostress them when doing collaborative lessonswith teachers.

• When teaching how to research in the thirdthrough fifh grades, the media specialist stressconcerns with using technology and how touse it properly. She uses ISae curricula andother programs that deal with such issues. Te

problem has been that the teachers are notalways cooperative in ollow through and re-teaching as necessary.

Digital citizenship encompasses a widerange o behavior with varying degrees o riskand possible negative consequences. Lack odigital citizenship awareness and education

Like a village, theK-12 professional

community mustdevelop common ground thatadvocates the useof technology in theclassroom while

preparing the studentto make sound

choices both forthemselves and forothers in thedigital world.


10/12


can, and has led to problematic, even dangerousstudent conduct. I we do not address theseissues, others will, pushing a productive, long-term solution urther out o reach.

It is not to say that no efforts have beenmade to teach digital citizenship, as reportedby media specialist program coordinator, Dr.Judy Repman, “Most acceptable use policiesrequired some level o instruction about digital

citizenship but until recently this was not donesystematically (personal communications,August 19, 2010). Ron Clark adds, “that althoughour Academy teaches fifh through eighthgrades, digital citizenship should be addressedin first and second grade. I we don’t take a leadon this issue, they will take the lead. We cannotafford to assume this won’t happen (personalcommunications, July 19, 2010). Repman adds,“Te media center is the laboratory or teaching21st century skills. It would be difficult to seewhy a media specialist wouldn’t take the leadhere. I they don’t, they risk becoming even

more marginalized” (personal communications,August 19, 2010). It is clear that acceptable usepolicies (AUPs) are not enough. It will requirediscussion and dialogue between students,parents, and educators to advance the conceptso digital citizenship on topics such as saety,security, and problematic content (Ribble &Bailey, 2004). Carrie posits that, “schools shouldaim to develop a culture in which reflection onwhat it means to be a good person and a goodcitizen – offline and online – is a routine part ohomeroom, advisory, or wellness courses i notintegrated throughout the curriculum” (personal

communication, August 1, 2010). Mike Ribblestates that, “Te hard part is changing attitudes.Students have to see how digital citizenshiprelates to them – it has to strike home. By thetime students are twelve years old, their behaviorin how they use technology has already been set.So digital citizenship in schools rom grades8-12 is starting too late. It needs to start in K-1grades and build on topics each year (personalcommunication, August 11, 2010).

One perspective on this current snapshot,gained rom this collection o thoughtsfrom experts in the eld and survey resultsrom over 500 media specialists, is that nosingle entity can tackle this challenge alone.Digital citizenship issues concern media andtechnology, which are constantly evolving, withnew applications added regularly. Tus, a one-time class, or waiting until 8th or 9th grade doesnot adequately address the issues. A one-timeclass becomes obsolete or digital citizenship,while students use various media in different

ways in different grades. Te school mediaspecialist will need to interact with all grades,have a curriculum in place (inormation skills)to which digital citizenship can be added, andkeep current with educational technologyas part o their responsibilities. Tey are inthe ideal position to teach digital citizenship,beginning in kindergarten and continuingthrough high school. As media specialists, you

are encouraged to do the ollowing in regards todigital citizenship initiatives:• Establish appropriate policies and practices

or digital practices in K-12.• Educate all stakeholders, including admini-

strators, teachers, students, parents, librarymedia specialists, technology coordinatorsand community members

• Evaluate digital citizenship curriculumscritically.

• Explore references and feedback from pre- vious users o commercial ly developeddigital citizenship curriculum.

• Emulate eective digital citizenship initiatives.• Emphasize a collaborative approach to digital

citizenship by all k-12 stakeholders, includingparents and students.

• Equip students through proactive efforts versus reactive responses.

It is going to require involvement withoutoverreaction to problems or oversight o potentialrisks. Parents have to be more involved andstudents must become the role models. Studentswill need guidance, accountability, and theopportunities to make mistakes and learn rom

them. Media specialists must become advocatesor this delicate process o shaping a digitalculture in collaboration with administrators,teachers, and technology proessionals. It willtake a village!

Lena Dowdy ([email protected]) is a media specialist or Jack P. Nix Primary School, White County SchoolSystems, Cleveland, Georgia. She holds a Masters inEducation - Instructional echnology rom the Universityo Georgia and has participated in the development andimplementation o various technology-based projects and avideo grant or her school.

Judy Donovan, Ed.D. ([email protected]) taught Math, English and Social Studies, and served as a Library Media Specialist or many years beore moving to highereducation. She teaches and researches in the areas otechnology integration in learning, technology and the role othe library media specialist, and online learning.

Randy Hollandsworth, Ph.D. ([email protected]) is an Assistant Proessor in Instructional Design and


11/12


echnology with Piedmont College, Demorest,GA. He has worked in the fields o e-learning,

perormance improvement, instructional design,and instructional technology or over 20 years. Hehas served on the Executive Board or the North American Simulation and Gaming Associationand is the current president o the Division o

School Media and echnology or AEC.

References

AASL (2010). Standards or the 21stcentury learner . Retrieved rom http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/standards.cm

Blackshaw, P.(2009, November 2). A pocketguide to social media and kids. [Web logcomment]. Retrieved rom http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/a-pocket-guide-to-social-media-and-kids/

Common Sense Media. (2009, June) DigitalLiteracy and Citizenship in the 21stCentury: Educating, Empowering, and

Protecting America’s Kids. Retrievedrom http://www.commonsensemedia.

org/digital-literacy-and-citizenship-21st-century

Internet Saety echnical ask Force (2008,December 31). Enhancing child saety& online technologies: Final report othe Internet Saety echnical ask Force. Harvard University. Retrieved rom http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/research/istt

iSAFE. (2000). Cyber bullying . Retrieved romhttp://www.isae.org/imgs/pd/education/CyberBullying.pd

ISE (2010). National Education echnology

Standards. Retrieved rom http://www.iste.org/AM/emplate.cm?Section=NES

National Center Education Statistics.(2005). Use o the Internet by persons3 years old and over, by type o use andselected characteristics o students andother users: 2003. able 414.Washington,DC: Retrieved rom http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_414.asp

Ribble, M. (2010) Welcome to the digitalcitizenship website. Retrieved rom http://www.digitalcitizenship.net

Ribble, M. & Bailey, G. (2004) Point of viewon technology driver’s licenses. Retrieved

rom http://www. DistrictAdministration.com (p. 85).

Santo, James, Davis, Katz, Burch, & Joesph(2009) Meeting o the minds: Cross- generational dialogue on the ethics odigital lie. Harvard University’s ProjectZero. Retrieved rom http://www.commonsensemedia.org

Sturgeon, J. (2008) Raising good digitalcitizens. Cable in the Classroom. November2008, (pp. 5-9), Retrieved rom http://www.ciconline.org/cicmagazine

Weigel, M., James, C., & Gardner, H. (2009)Learning: Peering backward and lookingorward in the digital era. International Journal o Learning and Media. (1)1.(1-18).

Wikipedia (2010) It takes a village. Retrievedrom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itakes_a_Village


12/12

Copyright of TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning is the property of Springer Science

& Business Media B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv

without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email

articles for individual use.

Documents

K-12 Digital Citizenship