Digital Citizenship

I have been thinking a lot about what the term "digital citizenship" means. Some educators still are wary about social media sites such as Facebook and myspace. As the parent of two high school students, who both use social media networks such as these everyday, the responsibility of teaching these behaviors is critical. I am fortunate that my parents, my husband's parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends are "friends" with my children on these sites. They call me when they notice posts which may be inappropriate. Or, they call my children. Either way, the larger community of caring family and friends serves as observers and teachers. Avoiding these sites does not ultimately shield our children. We can have the most impact be being part of their digital community. This is the most powerful way that we can model responsible "digital citizenship."

The following article reminded me of the enormous responsibility we have in being good role models. http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/1012