Salon Seven

Salon Seven discussed the article “Passport to Digital Citizenship” fromTeaching and Leading with Technology, December/January, 2009, p. 14-17 by Mike Ribble. This article talked about appropriate digital behavior and offered nine elements that “help to educate children on the issues that face them in an increasingly technological world”.
Being born in 1981, I fall under the Net-Generation umbrella. In reading the Digital Citizenship norms in this article I feel in general they are timeless. The language used for these nine elements is broad enough that you can mold these guidelines to suite the changing digital world. I am going to discuss three of these elements and see how I might change them to fit with the current time.
Digital Commerce Electronic buying and selling of goods. Do users have the knowledge and protection to buy and sell in a digital world?
I think this element is a valuable topic to consider when we talk about technology uses, however this element (more than the others) seems to have age restrictions. As discussed in our salon, I don’t think this is a topic to be introduced until high school while the other elements need to be addressed early on. I am torn with removing it though because I do think students need to have this skill for life as this is the direction of our world. This element requires more consideration depending on the readiness of the child.

Digital Security The precautions that all technology users must take to guarantee their personal safety and the security of their networks. Do users take the time to protect their information while creating precautions to protect others’ data as well?
This element has and will always be important in a digital world. Students of all ages must be aware of safety concerns and how to build digital security. The idea of digital security can take on so many levels to protecting their computer from viruses, theft, hackers, to putting private information on the web that you may not wish others to see. To this element (or possibly to Digital Rights and Responsibilities), I would add something about the need to protect our own futures. Students today spend so much time on social networking tools, posting pictures, joining and creating groups, etc with little to no concern regarding how this may impact their future (distant or immediate). We need to stress this danger to them regarding future applications for jobs, colleges, organizations, etc and how these might be jeopardized by their internet use.

Digital Health and Wellness The elements of physical and psychological well-being related to digital technology use. Do users consider the risks (both physical and psychological) when using digital technologies?
This element is open to many interpretations. One thing I thought of when I read this was how children today are spending more and more time interacting on the computer that they are not getting enough play, exercise, and communication in the real world. Though I don’t think this was the intention of this element, I think this is an important thing for students to consider. They need to learn to balance their time in order to grow into healthy and well-rounded individuals.

This led me to the idea that we should add an element about the need for Digital Parental Support and Partnership. Parents need to learn and work with their children in every aspect of the digital world. They need to be there to guide them. As a Net-Generation person and through hearing from others in this category, a lot of our parents are not aware of what our students are doing in the digital world. Parents are trusting that their children are using technology for educational purposes or chatting with friends and are not monitoring these uses. Parents need to take the time to help children find the balance that I previously mentioned with technology and the non-digital world. They need to take an active role in learning and teaching their children about digital citizenship.