Teaching in the 21st Century

Digital Citizenship is paramount in today’s society because the use of social media is on the rise and the individuals who are accessing this information continue to get younger and younger. Social media will not go away. The students in our class are born into the world with touch screen and devices. These devices have icons and lingo that is a new language! As educators, it is our responsibility to teach our students about the benefits of the different programs that are available, while at the same time, educating them about the dangers they can present as well. It is all about informing them of how to properly use the tools. It is about creating and expanding their critical literacy which encompasses all aspects of technology and the integration of various new apps and add-ons available. This year, my students had the challenge to research a different social media app and learn about the pros and cons it presents. They then presented their findings to the rest of the class. This was very informative and beneficial for the students because it was something that was applicable to their daily lives and a lot of them admitted that they didn’t know much about all of the privacy settings. It was something that they just “Agreed to” not knowing what they are agreeing to. I found this to be scary especially because the use of social media makes people brave and often gives them a voice. People often say what is on their mind because they don’t feel threatened or nervous. Unfortunately, the misuse of social media is becoming more of a problem in the legal system with cyberbullying, the distribution of inappropriate pictures and sextexting. Therefore, we need to teach our students about the dos and don’ts around social media. Some of the strategies that I can use in promoting digital citizenship is by my example. I think that if other colleagues see me using the various resources (e.g. interactive media such as Twitter, Google Plus Account, Blogging, etc.), I will be modelling the behaviours of a Digital Citizen who is aware of the diversity and needs of the communities and families that are growing in 2017. As well,  Tanya Avrith explores digital citizenship as students “doing” in meaningful ways so that parents support this type of learning. She comments on the need for us to change our practice to target the students and the ways in which their brains are programmed today! Thus, continual reflection, risk taking will be essential in continuing to foster growth within both our class and staff community. One of the Catholic Graduate Expectations is to be a Responsible Citizen who acts morally and legally in our society and accepts ownership for one’s actions. This embracing the understanding that we have a right to utilize these resources, but we also have a right to be aware of the implications this use has on us, our image and how we are portrayed in the eyes of the public as Catholic Educators. Thus, continual investigation of the purpose of each of these new technologies available to us, reflecting on how it betters the development of our students, school and community, will allow us to grow in our fast changing communities as informed, conscious and strong Catholics who are rooted in the Gospel values!