Week 4 Digital Citizenship

 Before this class I had never heard the phrase "digital citizenship". So everything I have learned recently about it is brand new to me. I have heard certain phrases and key points before and understood what digital citizenship means but I had never actually heard of it. I think the most interesting thing I learned about was digital health and wellness. I know people have to be safe online with their identity and credit cards but I never thought of it as an element.  

I really think the whole concept of digital citizenship is really interesting. I like the fact that it is broken down into nine categories that are all sort of intertwined. I think teaching digital citizenship is important in today's age because technology is so important. Children are surrounded by technology and the internet and are probably on the internet a good portion of the day so they should know about digital citizenship. I don't think that all the student's parents are teaching them about the risks and different factors that go into being on the internet and I do think it is a teacher's job to make the children aware of the things that can go on a computer. They may not believe you at first or even take the information you are giving them seriously but it is our job as educators to make them aware of the risks that being on the internet has. 

 The digital footprint exercise didn't really surprise me. I am aware of how much internet I use and how much of my information is out there. I like the idea of being able to be connected with people around the world and I like using the internet to talk to people about things. I also use technology for many other things that I think are helpful to us. I have a jawbone that connects to an app on my phone that records the steps I take, how much I sleep and can also keep track of how much water I drink and my calorie intake. I think it is amazing how much we can do on the internet. 

We need to teach children about their digital footprint. If you are a K-3 teacher like I would like to be I think it could be a quick lesson one day but if you teach older grades I think it should definitely be something we talk about with our students and inform them of so they can make the best choices for them.