Digital Citizenship: Alertness
By: Riley Wolven
I am aware of my online actions and know how to be safe and create safe spaces for others online.
Why is digital citizenship alertness important as an educator?
As the internet and technology becomes increasingly popular in the classroom, it is the job of educators to inform their students on how to be safe when exploring the internet. An educator must be alert of how students are interacting with technology in the classroom, in order to teach students to be active digital citizens. Also, as an educator one must be alert of the meaning of online safety, as well as the federal laws regarding child safety on the internet. Finally, educators must be aware of their own social media presence online so they can teach students how to effectively and responsibly use growing networking tools and other technologies such as social media.
https://www.pandasecurity.com/mediacenter/family-safety/internet-safety-for-kids/
Check out this awesome website!
This website includes information about the different laws as well as ways teachers can effectively teach their students about digital citizenship. It also contains the first image I used on my poster
Online Safety for Educators: Being Alert
The goal of online safety for educators is to keep your students safe online while still allowing them freedom to use the internet. Educators have to find a balance between being aware of risks, ensuring online safety and allowing students to freely explore the web. In order to keep students safe educators must inform them of the risks and dangers of the internet while also encouraging the benefits of the use of technology in the classroom. Due to the fact that many educational programs rely on the internet it is important that teachers make students alert of what makes a website unsafe or off limits.
Be Alert: Online Safety is NOT:
- Overbearing Internet Monitoring
- Forbidding Social Media
- Limiting Internet Usage
- Enforcing a lot of online restrictions
Be Alert of the Laws!
As an educator it is important to be aware of laws regarding online safety with your students! This can help find websites and activities that will be both safe and fun for your students.
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
COPPA has placed regulations on websites that are either directed to children under 13 or are collecting personal information from children under 13. By being alert and having students use websites covered by COPPA educators can ensure online safety. While COPPA works in many instances it is important to be alert that students are still vulnerable to sensitive material as they can lie about their age, teens from 14-17 are not protected, and websites cannot authenticate a student's age. So it is important to be alert about COPPA verified sites and the flaws of the law as well.
7. Understanding the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
FERPA is a federal law that affords parents the right to have access to their children's education records, and have control over the discloser of personally identifiable information from educational records. It is important for teachers to be alert of FERPA as teachers do not have the right to release certain records of their students. As an educator it is important to be aware of personal information being released as students use educational websites or apps. To learn more about FERPA watch the video below!
Student Privacy 101: FERPA for Parents and Students
Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA)
CIPA requires schools to have filtering or blocking technology on school devices to protect student users. CIPA allows educators to block content that can prevent students from viewing inappropriate content, however teachers should be alert that students can find ways to unblock content. So educators have to be mindful of what students are asking them to disable. Also, teachers must be aware that they cannot create their own list of blocked websites.
Be Alert of Own Online Presence
As an educator it is important to be aware of your own presence on the internet. It is important to show students how to model digital citizenship and how to interact safely using different types of technology including social media. By creating a professional or class social media account, educators can make parents aware of what their children are learning in the classroom. It also allows teachers to stay alert of what other teachers are doing around the country and get new ideas for their classroom. By being alert of their own online presence, educators can teach their students how to use technology responsibly and effectively.
Works Cited
https://dribbble.com/shots/1533865-Social-Media-gif
https://www.google.com/searchq=internet+alertness&tbm=isch&hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwiPsNO81O3nAhXJ11kKHSpjDToQBXoECAEQKA&biw=1680&bih=879#imgrc=U7jh6TlGvr00qM
https://www.freepik.com/premium-vector/attention-warning-attacker-alert-sign-
https://home.edweb.net/webinar/emergingtech20171213/
https://www.lightspeedsystems.com/cipa/
https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/faq/what-ferpa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4cmP4vpCF4&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhlDkS8hvMU&feature=youtu.be