{"id":1049878,"date":"2022-08-05T08:24:45","date_gmt":"2022-08-05T13:24:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/?p=1049878"},"modified":"2022-08-05T08:49:08","modified_gmt":"2022-08-05T13:49:08","slug":"why-teach-digital-citizenship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/why-teach-digital-citizenship\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Teach Digital Citizenship in 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bryan likes to tell his children – unlike a diamond<\/a>, what you do on the internet remains intact forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The web doesn’t care – it’ll keep track of your actions, both good and bad. Whatever you do online is available for the world to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask your children: What is the digital legacy you will leave behind? What are you doing online today that will impact your future?  Are you a good digital citizen?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every decision you make, no matter how insignificant, has repercussions. If you decide not to tie your shoelaces, you can trip, fall, and hurt yourself. If you decide to do the opposite, however, you\u2019ll safely run, skip and jump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parents and teachers can teach children and students how to behave online. By teaching the children good digital citizenship, you are keeping your children safe and helping them build an online presence they\u2019ll be proud of\u2026even at the age of 80.<\/p>\n\n\n

9 Elements of Digital Citizenship<\/h2>\n\n\n

While there are varying definitions that may have more or less general categories, I like to categorize digital citizenship as having 9 elements.<\/p>\n\n\n

1 – Digital Access<\/h3>\n\n\n

Digital access is full electronic participation in society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although statistics show that 98% of 18-24-year-old Americans are internet users, it doesn\u2019t mean they have access at home. They may have the devices, but they\u2019re not connected.<\/p>\n\n\n

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According to Pew Research Center, in 2021 7% of Americans don\u2019t use the internet<\/a>. Households with incomes of less than $30,000 per annum, people over the age of 65, people with less than high school education and who live in rural areas often don\u2019t have internet access. They can\u2019t afford it, don\u2019t see the need for it, or digital access is not available to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This number has been moving steadily down for years. While there are students at school who can\u2019t do their homework using the internet at home, only 1% of people under the age of 29 say they don’t have access to the internet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This access may be limited to school time, weekends or an hour during the week. These kids are forced to come to school early, stay late or do their homework over weekends using the school\u2019s internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some children may have internet available at home, but their special needs aren\u2019t catered for. Visually impaired students rely on what they hear while hearing impaired on what they see. When creating content online, teachers should consider creating descriptive narratives in audio and text so that all students can follow the content. It will overcome the obstacle where these students don\u2019t have the necessary tools to assist them with their special need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital citizens realize that access to digital technology should be available to everyone.<\/a> Unfortunately, digital access is limited or denied to some. A good digital citizen works toward the goal of providing technology access to all.<\/p>\n\n\n

2 – Digital Commerce<\/h3>\n\n\n

It seems like everyone<\/em> became exposed to digital commerce\/online shopping during the 2020-21 “experience”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buying and selling everyday goods like clothes, skincare products, toys, books, food, and electronic devices, is available to anyone and everyone with internet access. Globally 2.14 billion people shopped online in 2021<\/a><\/strong>. The U.S. is one of the leading online retail markets worldwide. Projection expects that by the end of 2025, 291.2 million U.S. internet users will purchase at least one item online.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although most electronic buying and selling of goods are legitimate, there are also illegal transactions and downloads online. The repercussions of spending money impulsively online are more than money spent on unnecessary items. It creates opportunities for identity theft and scams.<\/p>\n\n\n