Growing up in the 90's citizenship was a subject that was taught in school. It still is but has evolved from strictly being the proper ways to uphold the duties of the country and society, to including the duties of being a digital user. The internet and other technology has become much more available today than it was while I was going up. The increase of technology definitely has pros, especially in the field of education but it also has many cons as well. Knowing about digital citizenship can eliminate some of the negative side effects of technology. So that brings me to today's topic: "What is digital citizenship?"
Being a citizen in the digital community.
Using the internet and technology makes everyone around the world easily connected and a part of a whole group, no matter their nationality. This makes everyone who uses the internet or technology a citizen of the digital community. The definition of citizenship according to dictionary.com is "the character of an individual viewed as a member of society; behavior in terms of the duties, obligations, and functions of a citizen". Being a citizen of the digital world means that we have duties and obligations to uphold in order to use technology. As a person in the education field, we are already held under a microscope in the outside world, whether it be our life choices, what we wear or how we act in our personal lives. These expectations carry over to the digital world. Not only do we have to model digital citizenship, we are also expected to correct and encourage young minds the correct use of technology and the proper digital citizenship as well.
What is digital citizenship?
To me, digital citizenship is using technology as a tool and maintaining a positive and professional digital footprint. This means that when posting online I must be mindful that anyone can access what I am posting. A general rule for me is to ask myself, "If I were a parent and saw my child's teacher post this, what would I think?", if I feel that it is something that could potentially go against my district rules or make a parent question my morality, I never post it. Even though I have opinions about important issues, if I feel that it could be more offensive than helpful, I do not express them in the online world. I may have conversations with those who are close to me but not in a space so public and easily accessed.
Another part of being a digital citizen in the digital world is who you let inside that "private circle". Many online communities have options to make the important parts of your profiles or blogs private. This can be great for the parts of your personal life that you don't want the whole world to know about, such as vacations or other important moments of your life. The only thing to remember is that nothing is really that private. I have a rule that I don't allow parents to be in my personal circle. If you are like me, on Facebook I have a lot of my coworkers as my friends. Many of my coworkers are in fact parents of some of my students, so with that being said my personal life and professional life cross paths. This is why I make sure that even behind my privacy locks I am still mindful of what I post. Also, coworkers know what is expected of you in your job as well and will probably form their opinions of you based on how you act online.
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