Toolkit #11- Digital Citizenship

It is very important for all children to be knowledgeable about good digital citizenship. The first thing I will teach my students is the importance of keeping their information private. There are so many ways that strangers can access important information on the web. My students will be aware how personal information should not be posted on the web for people to see. They should never post where they live or any other personal information. Another thing that I would like my students to understand is about plagiarism. I believe students at a young age need to be aware what plagiarism is and how stealing someone's work and putting their own name on it is cheating. Many students may not know what plagiarism is and how it could get them in a great deal of trouble. There are so many resources out on the web that the students should take advantage of but they need to know how to use them correctly. Lastly, I would teach them about cyber-bullying. Everyone needs to be respectful on one another on the web. While commenting on a fellow student's blog, students need to write encouraging, positive messages. Words can hurt and there is no need to purposely hurt someone's feelings. I would use the brainpop website to teach my students about good digital citizenship. The website offers short videos about how to exhibit good digital citizenship using cartoons that will engage the students. Also I will share stories I have heard about situations that have occurred on the web.