This week’s article, Digital Citizenship: Addressing Appropriate Technology Behavior by Ribble, Bailey, and Ross (2004) definitely addresses a need that exists not only in today’s schools, but also in society. Ribble, Bailey, and Ross (2004, p. 7) define digital citizenship, a fairly new concept, “as the norms of behavior with regard to technology use.” Not only do students need to learn the appropriate manner of using technology, but adults out in the “real world” need to as well. While it may be quite difficult to teach all of society how to behave when it comes to technology, we can implement a sort of grandfather-effect, if you will, and begin now with students. Hopefully in the process, adults will catch on. The authors define nine areas to define digital citizenship: etiquette, communication, education, access, commerce, responsibility, safety, and security (Ribble, Bailey, & Ross, 2004, p. 7). These nine components encourage the use of technology in ways that encourage technological use without interrupting or interfering with the rest of life. This is especially important in the classroom where there are already so many interruptions throughout the day to distract from the learning (granted, not all of them are bad). Especially now at the secondary level where students are constantly texting and using the Internet on their phones during class, teaching them the appropriate manner of using technology is especially important. Ribble, Bailey, and Ross (2004, p.8 ) understand that cell phones are beneficial though often used inappropriately: “encourage students to use digital communication, but correct them when they are doing something inappropriate.” In my youth ministry experience I have seen so many students using their cell phones at inappropriate times (ex: texting at the dinner table) without correction from the parents, but the authors believe we have a responsibility to correct these wrongs. Educators have the responsibility to “prepare students to be members of a digital society or digital citizens” (Ribble, Bailey, & Ross, 2004, p. 7). Good citizenship in today’s society includes the use of technology, teacher s and schools must adapt to this new reality and begin to implement it in their teaching.
It is difficult to say how I will specifically incorporate the use of technology into my own curriculum once I am a social science teacher. I think the possibilities are ample if I teach a high school economics class because there are ways to tie technology use around economics. As far as history goes I think it is definitely possible to discuss a person’s natural rights and discuss with the students how that applies today and how it extends into the online world. Students will have to think about technology in a way that they probably have not before—how it ties in with their constitutional rights. I think that this topic of digital citizenship will be an exciting component to tie into my teaching because it is something that students are constantly interacting with.
Ribble, M. S., Bailey, G.D., & Ross, T. W. (2004). Digital Citizenship: Addressing Appropriate Technology Behavior, Learning & Leading with Technology 32(1), p. 6-12.
