Journal #1

Beth Piper
ED 422
Spring 09
Journal Response #1
Ribble, Mike (2008-09, Dec/Jan). Passport to digital citizenship. Learning & Leading with Technology, December/January 2008-09, 14--17.

In his article “Passport to Digital Citizenship”, Mike Ribble addresses the great responsibility that teachers and parents have to teach students to become responsible digital citizens.
Ribble presents the “Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship,” which assess a student’s competency buying and selling online, necessary precautions for students to protect themselves and others, while guaranteeing network security, as well as legal restrictions and rights governing the use of digital technology. The Nine Elements also cover an individual’s digital rights and responsibilities, standards of conduct, knowledge and awareness of digital technology, and a student’s capacity to share their knowledge and awareness with others.
The article then offers an overview of the author’s four stage cycle of technology integration, which is designed to help students incorporate technology into their daily lives, and to give students an approach for understanding and applying new technology and information that they will surely encounter in our ever-changing society. Ribble concludes the article by stressing the importance of responsible digital citizenship to students, teachers and parents, and the necessity of “providing a common understanding among all groups,” so that we, as educators, can begin to define and shape our student’s relationships with technology.



Question #1:
How can the Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship and the four stage cycle of technology integration make technology relevant in the lives of students who don’t have access to computers available at home?
The Nine Elements and cycle of technology can benefit students who don’t have home access to a computer because it can help them use their time on school machines responsibly and effectively, and give them an introduction to digital responsibility which they can utilize when they encounter computers in their daily lives, as they surely will, in our digital society. As teachers, when we help a student build a foundation as a responsible digital citizen, the student will carry this knowledge with them into their daily lives. Even if they are not digital citizens at home, students will be digital citizens as they continue through school, as they enter the workplace, and as computers gradually play an increasing role in our society. It is important that kids understand the importance of technology in society, and that even if it is not an immediate part of their everyday lives, it will be as they grow older.

Question #2:
How can teachers use the Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship and four stage cycle of technology integration to get parents interested in becoming responsible digital citizens, and encouraging their children to do the same?
Schools and teachers can and should create opportunities for parents to utilize and become educated about the same technology their students have access to. Some schools host “parent computer nights,” offering free classes and computer access to parents, so that parents can better understand what their students are working on, and have opportunities to learn how to monitor their child’s use of technology. Educating parents on becoming responsible digital citizens is important because it will encourage responsible digital citizenship at home as well as school. Parents need to understand how important it is for their to be able to understand and participate in a digital society, and how a thorough understanding of technology will benefit their child. By creating opportunities for parents to learn about the work their children are doing in the classroom, they will be better to support their children in becoming responsible digital citizens.