Digital Health and Wellness refers to the physical and psychological well-being within the digital world. It may seem silly that you could be physically hurt from the digital world, but this includes eye-strain, arthritis, neck and back issues, and much more. This could also mean giving too much information online and having someone physically hurt you in person. Psychologically speaking means the stress, depression, addiction and much more. Teaching students how to guard against the dangers of technology is important to their general well-being.
Digital Law is about teaching students how to use technology in an ethical manner. This means respecting copyright, not hacking into others’ information, illegally downloading music, sending spam, plagiarizing, and stealing another’s identity. The list could go on and as students get older there may be some law that applies more than others. This goes hand-in-hand with Digital Rights and Responsibilities meaning students should be aware that there are laws and rights that protect everyone while online. We must inform our students of their basic digital rights to privacy, freedom of speech, and much more. For students this means, for example, that they must understand that abusing the privilege of having a cell phone at school could mean all students are banned from cell phones. Rights and responsibilities of the online world must be taken seriously.
Digital Security discusses how to protect yourself by taking precautions to guarantee safety while online. Just as we protect our homes by having a key, we must also show our students that it is not enough to trust others in the online world. There are bad people on the Internet who will try to steal, hack, and gain private information. Good digital citizens should set up personal security such as creating difficult passwords and not sharing them, backing up data, and having antivirus protection. Teaching students how to be aware of internet scams and not to share information with anyone that you don’t know is very important. It is healthy to be skeptic of people you have only met online.
Being a good Digital Citizen is about more than just staying safe online, it’s about sharing, learning, connecting, and growing. These nine elements are directly connected to one another and should be treated as so. These are skills that students should learn throughout their general curriculum, even if there is no set technology course. In fact, when it is embedded into the curriculum just as any concept taught and used in real-life, it will have a tendency to make a greater impact. The process might look different for each school, but the goal is the same- to make good digital citizens for the future online world.
Impact and Importance of Digital Citizenship
by: Ashley Carter
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