Real world, digital world, same world.
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| Comic by xkcd |
The question I am asking is can we, as educators and members of an international community, start replacing junk with quality discourse, respectful decorum, and perhaps a more balanced use of CaPsLoCk?
Not overnight. But our chance to improve the web for everyone starts with educating children how to responsibly use it from the beginning.
As most students eagerly leap into the world of email, blogging, creating and sharing online, their lives are becoming even more integrated with technology tools. They may be more excited to try new things than their parents and teachers, and although that's not necessarily a bad thing it does burden us with the responsibility of keeping up. We may love to throw around terms like "real world" and "digital" or "online world" to differentiate between the types of activities we are doing on computers and those with our physical selves, but the difference between them is less obvious with each new collaborative tool we adopt. The decisions we make and the actions we take are not limited to a single environment, and that is a lesson for all to take very seriously.
Teaching young people to be principled, responsible users of technology is no different and no less important than teaching them to be principled, responsible human beings. It may be more difficult if you lack technical expertise, but I want to help you develop and understand the implications of the use of technology while we can make a difference. We can make the internet a better place. We want to make the world a better place. These students can do both.
Click here for a brief overview on digital citizenship initiatives at ISPP, and feel free to contact me for sessions on this important topic or help integrating these principles into classroom and homework activities.
