Show you Badge: Digital Citizenship

Badge of Honor:  

  Two weeks ago I wrote a blog about presenting a lesson on the importance of Digital Citizenship but this week I would like to refocus on the importance of becoming a digital citizenship educator.  Our students are growing up in a world that is completely different than the one that most likely you and I had the opportunity to do.  Our students today have access to the world at their fingertips and the opportunities for exploration and discovery can be limitless.  As an educator of this 21st century classroom my main job is to guide them on this path to discovery, encouraging and fostering opportunities for growth as they set out on this journey.  However just like our students have direct access to the world, the world also has direct access to our students.  This can be a very scary situation if not properly prepared to navigate these often murky and dangerous waters.  This is why digital citizenship is so critical to the educational experiences of our students.  Proper training in the area of digital citizenship by companies like Common Sense Education, can be our defense against the dangerous of the digital world, as well as a way to demonstrate the power of positive contribution can have for a trained digital citizen.  Earning this badge of certification shows your students that you are their sheriff  of this digital world.  Not only does it represent sense of  protection, but it also is a symbol to encourage the growth and connection of our community.  

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: 

The power that can be harnessed by the digital resources our students have access to is something like the world has never seen before.  Our school systems are producing people who can accomplish tasks, collaborate with people and companies from all over the world, design creative and inventive products, communicate all over the world and to contribute to the world, without ever leaving the comfort of their classroom.  This is a feat that no other generation has ever had the access or ability to do before. However without proper training our superhero digital students can easily become vaudevillians.  The increase of stress, anxiety, bullying and depression can also just as easily be shared as those "Amazing" and "Spectacular" products that they have designed.  This pathway can not only be debilitating but can start to spin a web of misjudgments, bad ideas and mistakes which can wreck devastating consequences for their future. This once again shines bright like
a beacon in the sky of why programs, activities and lessons like Common Sense Education are so vital to the well being of our 21st century students.  So what are waiting on become your students digital hero today and earn you badge in digital citizenship so that you can start your mission as a digital educator.  

Comments

  1. Meghan KrauseApril 28, 2019 at 9:58 AM

    Perfect connections with super heros!! I know your students will appreciate it as well! Love reading your blog and gaining new insight from it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rod CarnillApril 28, 2019 at 4:25 PM

    I agree with Meghan on the super hero references! I also like the call to action challenge for all educators to flash a badge.

    ReplyDelete

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