I was always taught that reputation is "who you are when everyone is looking" and that character is "who you are when no one is around." The apparent anonymity of a digital profile might tempt some inexperienced to think that no one is looking--prompting some to ignore societal norms of proper social behavior, and yes, I agree with the author that digital society needs to develop a system of digital morals that citizens adhere to.
Much of the online behavior that schools and parents are concerned about has a non-digital counterpart, and has always been condemned. Plagiarism and cheating has always been something we've had to teach our kids not to do, the digital world just makes it easier to do in some cases. Bullying, safety, inappropriate sexual behavior have always been issues that adults have had to teach kids about. The digital world has just made it easier for folks to get away with being inappropriate.
My first reaction to the idea of cutting kids loose in the "digital jungle" while at school was a sceptism born from the experiences I've had when introducing new technologies to kids and seeing their tendency to find other ways to use it than what I had envisioned. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that this is the tendency of kids--to push the envelope whenever they are put in a situation that requires them to use new freedoms responsibly.
It is true that our students are already adept at navigating the digital world, albeit not always in the manner that most adults find appropriate. It makes sense that if we are going to educate kids about being good citizens on the playground and in the lunchroom, that we include what that looks like in the digital world. It also makes sense that we give kids opportunities to practice that new responsibility and hold them accountable when they cross the line.
I had/have two of my own children in my classroom and will have another in my classroom next year, so my "parent filter" is also scrubbing these ideas. I am wary of the dangers lurking in the digital world, but I'm wary of the potential dangers in the non-digital world as well. The best I can hope to do is instill the knowledge of right and wrong and the desire to choose to do right. I'd rather have my children fail when I'm there to pick up the pieces and support them through the consequences than have them never face the temptation to make bad decisions until I'm not around.
I don't know what it would exactly look like in my classroom, but I believe that we should teach kids to live and thrive in the "real" world, the world they live in when they are beyond our school walls. Its the implementation that needs to be discussed, and acted on, sooner than later.
Much of the online behavior that schools and parents are concerned about has a non-digital counterpart, and has always been condemned. Plagiarism and cheating has always been something we've had to teach our kids not to do, the digital world just makes it easier to do in some cases. Bullying, safety, inappropriate sexual behavior have always been issues that adults have had to teach kids about. The digital world has just made it easier for folks to get away with being inappropriate.
My first reaction to the idea of cutting kids loose in the "digital jungle" while at school was a sceptism born from the experiences I've had when introducing new technologies to kids and seeing their tendency to find other ways to use it than what I had envisioned. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that this is the tendency of kids--to push the envelope whenever they are put in a situation that requires them to use new freedoms responsibly.
It is true that our students are already adept at navigating the digital world, albeit not always in the manner that most adults find appropriate. It makes sense that if we are going to educate kids about being good citizens on the playground and in the lunchroom, that we include what that looks like in the digital world. It also makes sense that we give kids opportunities to practice that new responsibility and hold them accountable when they cross the line.
I had/have two of my own children in my classroom and will have another in my classroom next year, so my "parent filter" is also scrubbing these ideas. I am wary of the dangers lurking in the digital world, but I'm wary of the potential dangers in the non-digital world as well. The best I can hope to do is instill the knowledge of right and wrong and the desire to choose to do right. I'd rather have my children fail when I'm there to pick up the pieces and support them through the consequences than have them never face the temptation to make bad decisions until I'm not around.
I don't know what it would exactly look like in my classroom, but I believe that we should teach kids to live and thrive in the "real" world, the world they live in when they are beyond our school walls. Its the implementation that needs to be discussed, and acted on, sooner than later.