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Digital Citizenship 5316: Culminating Project Essay

Kelsi Edgell

Lamar University
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Digital Citizenship

“What you post online speaks VOLUME about who you really are. POST with intention.

REPOST with caution.” ― Germany Kent. Digital Citizenship is so important, especially in

today’s world. You can do almost anything online. The crazy thing is, is you are not held to a

physical social standard. You can be ANYONE you want to be when you are online… You have

to be able to hold yourself accountable when you are sitting in front of a computer screen, smart

phone, or tablet. It is extremely easy to lose your cool, or even be someone who you are not

when you enter the online world. I knew how important it was to always watch what you post on

social media or the internet. I have always been told that it will never go away. I am very

thankful I had someone who reminded me of that daily. Digital Citizenship is not only about who

you are online but it is also about what digital footprint you decide to leave on the digital world.

Before taking the Digital Citizenship 5316 course, I genuinely thought that EVERYONE knew

how important it was to watch what you post online. After doing research and attending class, I

realized that that was not the case. This course allowed me to dive deep into the importance of

Digital Citizenship. I am elated to learn more about how I am able to make a positive impact and

difference in my classroom. My students are 1 to 1 this year, which means their Digital

Citizenship is THAT much more important. Over the past five weeks I was able to get a deeper

understanding of just what Digital Citizenship is and it all started with me studying Dr. Mark

Ribble. He introduces his readers to what he calls “The 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship”. These

9 Elements allow readers to truly see a breakdown of the importance of being an outstanding

Digital Citizen. Below is an overview of each of the 9 Elements the Dr. Ribble discusses.
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๏ Digital Access: This element makes sure that everyone everywhere has access to

technology and all of the necessary tools to use it. This also includes disadvantaged individuals,

those that are disabled, and live in rural areas where technology and the internet are limited.

(Ribble, 2015)

๏ Digital commerce: The buying and selling of goods electronically. This element speaks

on teaching people who to sell to or shop online. It goes over how to be safe while

purchasing items from distinguished vendors, recognizing scammers, and protecting

personal and sensitive information. It includes selling on secure sites, educates

individuals on how to remain vigilant when listing fees, advertising, comparing account

fees, and shipping options. (Ribble, 2015)

๏ Digital communication: This element refers to exchanging information electronically. It

goes overusing technology to text, email, and use a cellular device to communicate. Some

problems to keep in mind with digital communication is the appropriate use of any

technology to communicate with others. Individuals must make sure they are properly

and responsibly using technology to communicate. Individuals must understand that you

leave a digital footprint behind when communicating through email or text; nothing is

truly deleted. It can still be found somehow. (Ribble, 2015)

๏ Digital Literacy: This is the learning and ability to use technology. Technology is

continually changing and evolving, and we have to make sure we keep up with the

changes. Research, learn, and keep ourselves updated on technological advances. (Ribble, 2015)
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๏ Digital Etiquette: It touches on a set of standards or rules about behavior that must be

followed in the digital community. The behaviors include treating one another with

kindness and respect. It includes behaviors such as flaming, cyberbullying, posting

inappropriate photos, language, and texts on the internet. (Ribble, 2015)

๏ Digital law: It involves the electronic responsibilities of using online resources

appropriately. It includes things such as plagiarism, identity theft, pirating, and hacking.

(Ribble, 2015)

๏ Digital Rights and Responsibilities: Refers to the rights of being able to use all

technology appropriately. We must follow the rules and be responsible for reporting

anyone who is abusing anyone’s rights. It also includes properly citing other people’s

work when used. (Ribble, 2015)

๏ Digital Health and Wellness: This pertains to the psychological and physical health in the

digital community. This particular element of digital citizenship surprised me. When thinking

of technology or digital work, health does not come to mind. This element covers internet

addiction and physical health issues due to the use of technology, for

example, carpal tunnel and eyestrain. (Ribble, 2015)

๏ Digital Security: This element refers to precautions that need to be taken to ensure

people’s safety and well-being. It includes protecting your password and personal

information, scammers, hackers, and phishing. (Ribble, 2015)

Seeing as the majority of the world has some type of smart phone, tablet, or computer,

these 9 Elements provide an outline of what is takes to be a positive Digital Citizen.

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With technology being a big part in almost everyone’s day to day life, it is important that we

address any issues that could potentially arise. There are many advantages to having technology

but there are also many disadvantages. Being able to have the world at your fingertips is pretty

convenient. You can tell what time it is, what the weather is going to be like, and even check in

on your grandparents that live 500 miles away. On the flip side, logging into the digital world

can be somewhat scary and dangerous. Being vulnerable online can lead to some very pressing

issues, such as hackers and predators. If you are unaware of the lengths people can go to, you

may be more at risk of putting yourself in danger. It is also very important that individuals know

what their “digital footprint” is and what impact it is leaving in the digital world.

A “digital footprint” is the information about a particular person that exists on the Internet

as a result of their online activity. Again, this can be a positive or negative. When you out

yourself out there on the internet, it is important that you know that you will ALWAYS be there.

Whatever you post or repost will never truly go away. It is vital that you comb through

everything before you post or repost ANYTHING. You need to ask yourself, “Would I be okay

with my boss seeing this?”, “Would I be okay with this being put on large screen for an audience

to look at?”, “Is this putting me in harms way?”. These questions can help someone decide

whether or not they should be posting the content at hand. Having the ability to be apart of the

digital world is such an amazing opportunity, but we have to be able to fully accept what we are

putting out there and we should be proud of what we post. If there is any doubt before posting

something, the rule of thumb is to just not post it. Your reputation, your job, your family, your

life … it is just NOT worth a small social media post/repost. You need to make sure that is

always in your mind when you are deciding whether or not you should post something.
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Over the past 5 weeks I had the time to think about how I wanted to make this course

apart of my everyday life/lessons in my classroom. I decided that I wanted to make it relevant for

my students. Most students always have the question “why?” and I wanted to be able to provide

that for them. I want to set them up for success in their future lives. I am going to incorporate

mini lessons every-time we log online that I am drilling it into their heads. It is so important that

this new generation knows that a “digital footprint” is a real thing and the way they act online

can dictate what their future will/will not hold.

This past week I was able to make a presentation that includes what Digital Citizenship

is, why Digital Citizenship is important, the 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship, as well as, what

we can do to to make sure we are becoming model Digital Citizens. I am so excited to be

presenting this overview of “Digital Citizenship” to my class in the following weeks. I also plan

on sharing this presentation with my freshman English team that way they can spread the

importance of becoming a positive “Digital Citizen”.

In summary, my biggest take away from this course was how important it is to dive deep

in the understanding of what “Digital Citizenship” really is and why it is so important. I am so

excited to have the opportunity the implement my findings into our curriculum and give each

student the tools they need to become a model “Digital Citizen”.

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References

Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools: Nine elements all students should know.

Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.