Home: Digital Literacy

Plagiarism, personal conduct, privacy. These are just a few of the complex issues related to responsible digital citizenship and ethics that students wade through every day on social media sites. But what exactly are these social media ethics, and how should kids learn them?

What is digital literacy?  "the skills, knowledge, and ethical sensibilities that we feel young people need to participate successfully in new media environments."

• Self-expression and identity
• Privacy
• Ownership and authorship
• Personal and information credibility
• Participation or conduct in online spaces

Digital Citizenship consists of basic web literacy skills: how to distinguish between information that is credible and deceptive; how to manage information (and how to determine, for instance, if it is private and secure); and how to understand the difference between synchronous communication (chat, Skype, instant messaging) and asynchronous communication (e-mail, VoiceThread).  Basic web skills should include how to create a web presence beyond Facebook (blogs, wikis, Twitter, web sites, etc.); how to tell the difference between personal and professional presence online (Facebook vs. LinkedIn); and how to use online collaboration tools.  Advanced skills include the ability to make the leap from consumer use of the web to using communication and collaboration tools as enterprise tools and how to use search engine optimization (SEO).

Turning Students into Good Digital Citizens, THE Journal, April 09, 2012

http://thejournal.com/Articles/2012/04/09/Rethinking-digital-citizenship.aspx?m=1&Page=1

Our Space: Being a Responsible Citizen of the Digital World  http://www.goodworkproject.org/practice/our-space/ 

Leawood Police Department (913) 642-7700

Overland Park Police Department (913) 895-6300

Think before you post or text -- a bad reputation could be just a click away. Before you press the "send" button, imagine the last person in the world that you’d want seeing what you post.  The Internet’s not written in pencil. It’s written in pen. What teens do online spreads fast and lasts long. Remind them to think before they post.

What goes around comes around. If you want your privacy respected, respect others' privacy. Posting an embarrassing photo or forwarding a friend’s private text without asking can cause unintended hurt or damage to others.  Nothing is as private as they think. Anything teens say or do can be copied, pasted, and sent to gazillions of people in a heartbeat. Make sure kids use privacy settings and that they understand that the best way to protect their secrets is not to post personal stuff.

Spread heart, not hurt. If you wouldn’t say it in person, don’t say it online. Stand up for those who are bullied or harassed, and let them know that you’re there for them.  Kindness counts. The anonymity of the digital world can lead kids to say and do things online that they wouldn’t in person. Encourage them to communicate kindly, stand up for others, and build positive online relationships rooted in respect.

Give and get credit. We’re all proud of what we create. Illegal downloading, digital cheating, and cutting and pasting other people’s stuff may be easy, but that doesn’t make it right. You have the responsibility to respect other people’s creative work -- and the right to have your own work respected.  Digital cheating is still cheating. Right and wrong extend to online and mobile life. Impart your values, and tell kids not to plagiarize, download illegally, or use technology to cheat in school.

Make this a world you want to live in. Spread the good stuff. Create, share, tag, comment, and contribute to the online world in positive ways.  Embrace their world. None of us wants technology to isolate us from our kids. Do some homework, and ask kids to share the sites they visit, the songs they download, the gadgets they love. It’s up to us to join the fun and help them seize the potential.

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents/be-good-digital-citizen-tips-teens-and-parents

All students have a student email account.  If you do not wish for your student to have a school email, please download the email permission form in the box below and return it to the school library.  There is a space to indicate that you do not wish to have the school email activated.

If your child is the victim:

• STOP interacting with the bully — they’re usually looking for a reaction.
• BLOCK all channels of communication — so the bully can’t get in contact with your child.
• SAVE all communications — it will support your se if you report the matter to the authorities.

When you see it happening:

• TELL the bully to stop — they usually will when someone stands up to them.
• REPORT the bully to the site or social network it’s happening on — there are usually internal operations that can remove harmful information.
• SAVE all communications — it will support your case if you report it to the authorities.

If you think you or your child is in immediate physical danger, report the cyberbullying to your local law enforcement authorities right away.

http://learning.internetessentials.com/protect-your-family-online

Digital Citizenship ISTE NETS Standard #5
Students understand human, cultural, and societal
issues related to technology and practice legal and
ethical behavior.
a. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible
use of information and technology
b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology
that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity
c. Demonstrate personal responsibility for
lifelong learning
d. Exhibit leadership for digital citizenship

http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students.aspx