Technology Education Trends- February 2014

2014 Feb 01

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Digital Citizenship

What is Digital Citizenship? It is the norms of appropriate, responsible technology use.

It seems that everyday we hear stories on the news about the repercussions of negative online behavior. Who's to blame? TeachThought.com

asks the questions:

Is it parents who purchase smartphones and laptops for their children and fail to set boundaries or teach their kids about responsible use?

Is it the lack of education and discussion in schools about ways students can be more mindful, responsible users of technology?

The answer is a combination. Below are some resources for both parents and educators to help reinforce positive Digital Citizenship among young people.

Information for Families

The Family Online Safety Institute has a number of resources for parents to use when discussing online safety and digital citizenship with their children.

There is a report on Teen Identity Theft that was conducted by Hart Research Associates and supported by Google and Symantec. The report addresses teen concern with the privacy of their personal information online and that their identities can be stolen through their use of social media.

The Family Online Safety Contract features pages to be signed by both parent and child. The contract has families promising items such as 'I will tell my parents my usernames and passwords, but always keep them private from everyone else."

Links to these items and other materials can be found on the FOSI home page.

Facts and Figures