Digital Citizenship/Personal Statement

According to digitalcitizenship.net, digital citizenship is "the continuously developing norms of appropriate, responsible, and empowered technology use."

"The Definition of Digital Citizenship" defines digital citizenship as "the quality of an individual's response to membership in a digital community (Heick, 2017).

Most of society participates in digital citizenship in some way, shape, or form, whether through the internet, computers, or digital devices such as cell phones, iPads, or laptops. As a digital citizen, one should take responsibility for being respectful, honest, and safe. An essential aspect of digital citizenship is understanding the concept of privacy. With so many scammers out there, it is vital that we, as good digital citizens protect our information and the information of others by not sharing data such as date of birth, addresses, specific photos, and documents. Although privacy doesn't entirely mean security, we should always strive to be good digital citizens by safeguarding our data and being confidential regarding other individuals' information.

Through my research on digital citizenship, I obtained helpful information on various topics such as copywriting, open education resources (OER), and creative commons that benefit my growth as a digital citizen. According to copyright.gov, "copywriting is a type of intellectual property that protects original works of authorship as soon as an author fixes the work in a tangible form of expression. In copyright law, there are a lot of different types of works, including paintings, photographs, illustrations, musical compositions, sound recordings, computer programs, books, poems, blog posts, movies, architectural works, plays, and so much more." Most people don't fully know the meaning of copyright or realize that anyone can be a copyright owner. I realized I'd created original work that I had yet to learn that I was a copyright owner of due to my minimal knowledge and understanding of the topic.

On the ISTE website, it states some do's when it comes to digital citizenship; they are:

1. Using technology to make your community better.

2. Engaging respectfully online with people who have different beliefs than you.

3. Using technology to make your voice heard by public leaders and shape public policy.

4. Determining the validity of online sources of information.

There are nine elements or themes of Digital Citizenship:

https://www.digitalcitizenship.net/nine-elements.html

1. Digital Law

2. Digital Access

3. Digital Etiquette

4. Digital Literacy

5. Digital Communication

6. Digital Commerce

7. Digital Security

8. Rights and Responsibilities

9. Health and Wellness

My Personal Digital Citizenship Statement

As an educator, a parent, and a peer, it is essential that I model being a good digital citizen. Learning about digital literacy, the nine elements of digital citizenship, personal identity, and analyzing professional individuals' online identities has dramatically helped me improve. I will regularly apply what I have learned from my Digitally Mediated Teaching and Learning course, from strengthening my professional online identity to continuing to protect my digital privacy. Although there are some disadvantages to digital citizenship, such as over usage of the internet/technology, cyberbullying, and being susceptible to hackers, my stance as an educator is to continue to use the internet safely to communicate, research, and guide my children and future students in using technology.

References

https://www.iste.org/areas-of-focus/digital-citizenship

https://www.digitalcitizenship.net/nine-elements.html

https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/backgrounders/digital-citizenship-ethics

https://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/definition-digital-citizenship/