Tool # 11/DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP

As I have taken 2 I-Safety courses through SBISD, I was very interested in this tool.

The first thing I would tell my students is to check that any site they are on is safe. Virsuses are rampant these days and it is important to get off the site immediately. As SBISD has blocked most inappropriate sites (one can not block all) this would apply mainly to computers students use outside of school. I would ask them to please let me know of any inappropriate sites they have found.

It is also very important for students to not give vital personal information over the internet such as where they live or where they go to school. One of the I-safe courses I took had a video that shows what can happen to a student who reveals too much about himself/herself. I would like to show my students that video. Many students use Facebook these days and it is so easy to be lured into a false sense of security.

I would talk to my students about cyberbullying. Most know that bullying in general is not acceptable. They may not realize that you can be a bully on the computer as well. I can see where this would lead to some interesting discussions.

I noticed that I-Safe had a site of rules of good citizenship just for students. Upon checking it out, I would recommend that all my students do so as well.

In short, I plan to discuss being a good "digital citizen" with all my classes before taking them into the computer lab this year.