The ADED 1P32 Learning in Digital Contexts course was a lot of work, but a rewarding and valuable learning experience. While I was familiar with some of the tools we used in this course (i.e. Twitter, Google Docs, Prezi, and others), I learned new features that I didn't have an opportunity to explore before. Likewise, there were many new tools that I had a chance to check-out and start using in academic, professional, or personal situations.
Aside from learning about all these cool and useful tools, what I appreciated the most from the course was learning about Digital Citizenship. Learning about the significance of this concept for citizens participating in a digital world and understanding how we leave our digital footprint as we get involved in the various social platforms and interact with all these digital tools was very enlightening. The primary purpose of Digital Citizenship is to provide users with the proper framework of how digital technology should be used, not only in a social setting but also in an academic and professional environments (Ribble, 2015).
Learning about the nine elements of digital citizenship: access, commerce, communication, literacy, etiquette, law, rights and responsibilities, health and wellness, and security, also helped me put into perspective how we should all be interacting with technology. Being aware of how these interconnected elements relate to technology, we can become better at using these tools in a way that is enjoyable for everyone.
I believe in teaching by example, and now that I have learned quite a bit about digital citizenship, I see it as my responsibility to teach those close to me first (e.g. family members, friends, co-workers) by modelling a behaviour that is illustrative of the characteristics of a good digital citizen. For example, teaching others the correct way of incorporating the work of others when including it in their projects or presentations; learn how to identify copyrighted material, and teach them how to cite it correctly. I think it's also important for me to spread the word about understanding everyone's rights and responsibilities when using technology. And I know that many of the tools that I have learned about in this course will assist me in disseminating this information within my social network.
Overall, digital responsibility is a two-way street. I will do my part in educating others what I have learned, but they also need to do their and
begin applying what they are learning and start becoming more aware of their digital footprint whether negative or positive (hopefully more positive than negative!)
*****************
References
Ribble, M. (2015). Digital Citizenship in Schools (3rd ed.). Arlington, VA: International Society for Technology in Education.
Venspired.com. Retrieved from http://venspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/digcit1.jpg
No comments:
Post a Comment