As soon as I teach students how to copy and paste, we start talking about when it is appropriate to use this almost magical shortcut. Just the other day, I was assisting students in making word clouds with Tagxedo. Many were printing out their word clouds to add to posters they were making. When one prints a Tagxedo, it has "Created on www.tagxedo.com" printed across the bottom in small letters. Many of the students wanted to cut off that piece because they didn't like how it looked. This was the perfect opportunity to talk with my students about how it's important to give credit to others. I have also taught my students how to use the Research tool when searching for photos in a Google Doc, because those photos will be automatically cited at the bottom of the page.
When it comes to digital citizenship, there are many ways to make this accessible to students of all ages. I like to begin by talking about the popular video game, Minecraft. I use this example, "You are on a server with your friends. You find your friend's house, and discover a hidden chest full of diamonds. There are so many, you think they wouldn't notice if you just took three to make a diamond pickax. After all, with a diamond pickax, you could mine twice as fast and most likely find more diamonds to replace the ones you took. So, do you take the diamonds?" It's really eye opening to see the various responses of the students. Some believe it would be fine, as long as they were replaced. Others said they would ask their friend first. Some students even admitted to having lived this scenario, and said they took ALL of the diamonds. When their friend found out about the diamond heist, they in turn when and blew up the offender's house. It's quite interesting to study digital citizenship in the microcosmic that is Minecraft, especially how students tend to feel less guilty about stealing diamonds when they are on a server with strangers, and not their friends.
When it comes to morality and legal issues concerning the internet, there are no shortages of ways to introduce the topics to students. Many are already living in realities in which they face these types of decisions on an almost daily basis. With a computer in every pocket, students need the skills to navigate the digital world safely and successfully. They need to learn when their decisions can cross the line from immoral to illegal. Lastly, they need to remember that what they post on the internet can live on infinitely and cross the globe in a matter of seconds. That is a huge responsibility, and we are putting this technology in the hands of children tweens and teens who are still developing morally and intellectually.
How will you guide students in having moral and ethical success with technology?
Resources
“Minecraft.” Minecraft. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2015. <http://www.minecraft.net/>
“Tagxedo - Word Cloud With Styles.” Tagxedo. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2015. <http://www.tagxedo.com/>
“| Common Sense Media.” Reviews & Age Ratings. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2015. <http://www.commonsensemedia.org/>
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