If there is anything the COVID-19 pandemic has provided me while being a university student, it is familiarizing myself and improving my skills and knowledge within the digital world. I reflect quite often on the digital footprint I am leaving behind, especially on social media as an emerging young professional. The amount of time I spend on my computer these days definitely makes me feel like a proper digital citizen. Digital citizenship has been defined as “the quality of habits, actions, and consumption patterns that impact the ecology of digital content and communities” (Heick, “The Definition of Digital”, 2020). In simpler terms, being a digital citizen means you engage and use digital mediums or consume them through viewing or reading. Nowadays, it is very unfamiliar to come across a young student who does not know their way around a cellphone or I-pad device. Throughout my observations this semester, I have seen kids as young as kindergarten entertain themselves with I-pad lessons in the classroom. Digital citizenship plays an important role in most of our lives and is an important subject to discuss and question with students.

Like most things, there are good sides and bad sides to the digital world. On the positive side, digital platforms foster communication, resourcefulness, creativity and persistence (Heick, “63 Things Every Student”, 2018). How true this is depends on the individual using and consuming mediums within the digital world and what their purpose and intent is. It will be important for me to discuss with my students what we would define as a ‘good’ digital citizen, and a ‘bad’ digital citizen. Some examples of a ‘good ‘digital citizen would be members who contribute to research, provide meaningful feedback, and support one another online. Examples of a ‘bad’ digital citizen could include individuals who engage in cyberbullying, those who seek out and exploit private information and those who take advantage of others online, especially minors. These are important conversations to have with all students. Other ways to incorporate safety and awareness of digital citizenship could include inviting a local RCMP officer in to discuss charges laid for cyberbullying, since that is the most common occurrence of negative digital use among students.

Overall, it is important to recognize the importance of students being connected to the digital world and how to navigate and use it appropriately. Digital information provides us with opportunity to distinguish fact from fiction, create opinions, find information as well as think critically and carefully about that information (Heick, “63 Things Every Student”, 2018). Being a digital citizen “applies to [all] who use the internet regularly and effectively”, not just computer technicians. As a teacher candidate it will be my responsibility to model myself as a ‘good’ digital citizen who “engages young students and shows them how to connect with one another, empathize with each other, and create lasting relationships through digital tools” (Zook, 2019). There are many resources available online providing teachers with the right tools to teach students digital citizenship that I plan to incorporate into my future classrooms. I want to create happy, successful human beings but also humans who can safely navigate all the worm holes the digital world contains.

References

Heick, T. (2020, September 8). The Definition of Digital Citizenship. Teach Thought; We Grow Teachers. https://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/the-definition-of-digital-citzenship

Heick, T. (2018, August 12). 63 Things Every Student Should Know in a Digital World. Teach Thought; We Grow Teachers. https://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/63-things-every-student-should-know-in-a-digital-world/

Zook, C. (2019, December 10). What is Digital Citizenship & How do you Teach it?. Applied Educational Systems. https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/what-is-digital-citizenship