Digital Blog Post #B: Chapters 2 and 3

       There were many interesting topics in both chapters two and three to look over, understand and form my own opinion on. he disagreement between those who feel technology does belong in the classroom compared to those who do not was very interesting to me. Digital literacy is something that is a topic that I would like to learn more about and forming a digital citizenship for any individual.

     The introduction of technology into the classroom has had mixed reviews from the beginning. I am one of those people who have mixed feeling on the subject matter. I think that most young people spend too much time "plugged in" and not enough time with good old fashioned face to face conversations. However, because technology is so prominent in today's society it would seem foolish to not try to adapt and incorporate technology in order to try to reach students more and have them engage in subject matter. I have created an infograph to show some differences in opinion when it comes to technology in schools.

     Digital literacy might be one of the most important lessons to be learned when using digital sources. There are websites out there that, either intentional or not, have incorrect, outdated or just plain wrong information. When looking for information online I personally will check and recheck a fact that I may have learned. I look at who has written it, if there are other reputable sites that concur with the fact and then I work on comprehension and understanding. There are sites that dedicate themselves to revealing false claims on the web, Snopes.com and hoax-slayer.com, while these might be good places to check, I still would recommend looking at more sources. Knowing the proper steps to ensure accurate information should be taught in schools starting at a young age.

                                                                     Mind Map

      The final topic that I found interesting was defining a digital citizenship, this is a topic that I feel most older individuals do not quite grasp and I have a fairly good idea of what it entails. What this basically means is "a broad topic relating to the safe and ethical use of digital tools" (Digital Citizenship). Everything from how to keep your personal identity safe, to cyber-bullying, to oversharing on social media is all involved with digital citizenship. When an individual is online they can quite literally become anyone they want to be, a few stolen pictures and a description of "who they are" and no one would really know the difference. When children (and some adults) are not careful with whom they interact with online they can open themselves up to a who world of trouble. Understanding what is something that is considered to be appropriate verse inappropriate online is a vital first step to establishing a digital citizenship. This topic alone could take up an entire book of "dos and dont's", but I will end with this, teaching students to think before they act, post, tweet, or blog will be in everyone's best interest. I made a pop-up book with ZooBurst.com to try to explain everything in a cute book form, obviously this was my first time trying!

The Good Digital Citizen

Resources:
Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Digital Citizenship. (n.d.). Retrieved from Innovative Learning Community: http://connectedconsulting.com/resources/twenty-first-century-skills/digital-citizenship/