Digital Citizenship

1. Why is it important to teach digital citizenship?  I think it is important because our students are creating content and publishing it online so early.  It is important for them to understand that what they put online now will be with them forever.  Teaching students to be good digital citizens is so important.  I think that kids don't make the connection that people they talk to on the internet are real people and that things they say or post can hurt people.  
2. How might you teach digital citizenship in an elementary classroom?  One of the first things I will teach my students is that people literally on the other side of the Earth can access what they post online.  I think that if they realize the scale of the internet, they will hopefully be more careful of what they post.  Common Sense Media is a good resource for individual lessons on digital literacy.  They say, "When you teach digital citizenship to your students, you help create a positive school culture that supports safe and responsible technology use."  My goal is to create a positive culture in my classroom.  I think the best way to do that is to show them all of the amazing tools they have at their fingertips and show them how to use those tools to their advantage.  The internet shouldn't be some scary space that we are afraid to let our kids in.  Providing them with the right information will help them become good digital citizens for the rest of their lives.