Week 5- Digital Citizenship

Why is it important to be a good digital citizen? What value does a good digital reputation have?

One reason it is important to be a good digital citizen is to illustrate the value of original thoughts and ideas. As a teacher, I hope to inspire critical thinking and problem solving in my students; the internet is an amazing resource, but it also makes it very easy for people to steal ideas and thoughts from others and claim them as their own. Every time that happens two things happen: 1. someone else's ideas are essential stolen and the value of that individual's work is lost and 2. laziness prevails- rather than having to think and create, students are able to essential cut and paste information without having to actually process any of it!

As a teacher it is very important to model good digital citizenship in the classroom. It is important that my students see that I try to properly use the internet as a resource and ensure that credit is given where credit due. Hopefully, if students see their teachers modeling good digital citizenship techniques they will see that it is important to do the same.

What value does a good digital reputation have?
A good digital reputation can be invaluable. The school I work at has really tried to impress this upon our students. One thing about the internet is that once something is posted to it, it is almost impossible to completely remove it. In that way, the internet is kind of like a digital tattoo-- once it is on there, it can be very painful to remove the impression that has been created. So, before you post something, you need to really think about whether or not it is something that you want other people to see in the future. Is it a post, comment, or picture that you will be proud of next week, next year, or even 10 years from now? Is it information that you want complete strangers to know about you? If not, then you probably shouldn't post it.

Research tells us that a number of admissions counselors are checking potential student's social media accounts to look at posts and pictures before making an admission decision. Even fraternities and sororities are looking to social media to decide whether to allow potential members to join their organizations. Potential employers are doing the same. I have a few friends in the "business world" that have told me that is the only reason they have a facebook account-- is to see what their potential employees are up to before they make a decision on whether or not to employ them.

So, literally, who you portray yourself as on the internet can have repercussions for what school you go to, who your friends are, and whether or not you are able to land your dream job. It is important to think before you post!