Digital Citizenship Discussions

I just finished Digital Citizenship in Schools, and I think the activities suggested for teaching the various aspects of digital citizenship are an excellent way to start the conversations with all members of the community. In addition to faculty and students, I think it would be helpful to also hold workshops with parents about appropriate use of technology and the importance of modeling it for their children. One situation that I face with students texting in class is that frequently it's their parents texting them. Parents and students are informed at the beginning of each year that cell phones are not allowed to be used in class, and any student caught using a cell phone will have it confiscated by the teacher and turned into the office. Students are allowed three offenses, with increasing consequences (1st - get it back at the end of the day, 2nd - parent has to come in to pick it up, 3rd - the student receives it back in June). Since this policy is widely known and has been in place for several years, I don't understand why parents continue to text their children during the school day, then get upset at the school for following its published policy. On the other hand, I do think that my school's policy on cell phones in the classroom is a bit draconian, so I can understand the resistance. Perhaps it is time for us to reconsider our relationship with digital technology and develop a policy that all members buy into and live by.

Another issue raised in the book was that of techno-addiction. I have several students who are exhausted during the day and are fighting falling asleep in class because they were up late into the night playing games or surfing the internet or using a computer in some other way. They freely admit it and when I discuss with them how it is impeding their learning and growth process, the response is usually a non-committal, "Yeah ...." I wonder if because this type of addiction doesn't come with the same kind of obvious health risks and impairments, and because it isn't as socially unacceptable as drug or alcohol addiction, people don't understand how over-using technology can harm them. This is another area where schools and teachers can begin to educate students, perhaps as part of the Health curriculum. It can also be addressed through discussions of appropriate and inappropriate use of digital technology. I think it is important for teachers not to demonize video games, though, because as with anything, in moderation they are not a bad thing. If we are judgmental about something that children (and adults!) really enjoy and are emotionally connected to, we will lose their interest in the conversation before we ever begin.