Digital Citizenship : Digital Etiquette

Digital Citizenship is a tool used nowadays to help technology users understand how to use technology appropriately. Digital citizenship "is the norms of appropriate, responsible technology use."(Ribble, 2013). The nine elements of digital citizenship are digital access, digital commerce, digital communication, digital literacy, digital etiquette, digital law, digital rights & responsibilities,  digital health & wellness, and digital security. These nine elements help break down digital citizenship in order to make it easier for technology users to follow the guidelines.

Digital etiquette also sometimes referred to as "netiquette", helps technology users understand what is appropriate therefore they do not have to worry if what they are posting is questionable. In today's school system technology is constantly being abused. If we educate our students/teachers/parents of appropriate digital etiquette then there will be a lot less issues involving technology in the school systems. Many times school will set many rules, punish inappropriate behavior, or ban the use of technology to avoid these issues, but if we thoroughly educate our students about proper digital etiquette then this can all be avoided and technology can be a positive tool.

A good guideline to follow, is "treat others how you would want to be treated." Some refer to this as the golden rule and I think it is the number one rule for proper digital etiquette. An issue which has arose due to students following poor digital etiquette is cyber bullying.  Cyber bullying can be defined as "...a young person tormenting, threatening, embarrassing or harassing another young person using cell phones or other technologies."(2012). According to statistics, 43% of students have admitted to being a victim of cyber bullying. By educating our students of appropriate "netiquette", and informing them of the serious consequences of misusing technology we can help decrease and maybe someday banish issues such as cyber bullying. If all technology users are well educated of proper digital etiquette the internet and use of technology will become a very positive aspect of our school systems.

References

Digital Etiquette by Tara Burns [Video file]. (2012, August 1). Retrieved from  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MahwLlsnLMY

Ribble, M. (2013). Digital Citizenship. Retrieved July 14, 2013, 

from http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/

DoSomething.org (n.d.). 11 Facts About Cyber Bullying | Do Something. Retrieved from http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-cyber-bullying

Free Poster Maker (2010). Digital Etiquette. Retrieved from http://freepostermaker.com/3syv3jm3bs/DIGITAL-ETIQUETTE-