I look at teaching digital citizenship/literacy the same way I look at teaching reading. I am a Social Studies teacher, but I also realize that I am a teacher of reading. It would be hard for students to learn and do one without the other. In this age, the same goes for digital citizenship/literacy. I use digital media and tech apps everyday in class, so I know that to be better at achieving my Social Studies course of study goals, I HAVE to find ways to lessons on digital citizenship. So I think the main personal responsibility of educators is to come to the understanding that this is your arena, whether or not you already think you have too much on your plate!!
Another big aspect of personal responsibility for an educator is to model effective digital citizenship yourself. The knowledge and skills we want our students to demonstrate should also be a part of our daily work, personally and professionally. If you haven't gotten to know the ISTE standards for teachers, that would be a good place to start. And then educate yourself on the vast and growing amount of resources out there in this area. Look for ways to integrate a digital citizenship tid-bit or reminder into daily instruction. Use teachable moments to bring issues to students' attention. Emphasize the importance of ethical digital use and the pitfalls of plagiarism. Team up with other teachers or your media specialist to focus on one or more digital citizenship topics. There are a LOT of things general education teachers can do to approach the teaching of digital citizenship, but first we must realize that we are all in this together!!
Also, don't be fooled by how tech-savvy our students seem to be... Of course they feel comfortable with the technology that has always surrounded them, but they still need us to help them be critical consumers and consumers in this digital age.
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