Global Awareness and Digital-age Communication

Global Awareness and Digital-age Communication

How many times have you had a ‘personal’ connection with ones phone, or have been in a relationship where most of your communication is done through the phone rather than communicating face-to-face? Digital communication is becoming more the norm in today’s social connections. The sharing of one’s feelings face-to-face is vastly becoming a thing of the past. With a variety of social networking popping up almost every day, it is no wonder that people are struggling with face-to-face interactions; and with each generation, it is becoming more and more scarce. We are losing the ability to professionally communicate with one another. Texting and short hand phrases and words, also known as texting lingo, are manifesting into this generation of students verbal and written communication skills.  Unfortunately, digital communication lacks the emotional connections students (people) need or crave.  In losing this more students are becoming socially awkward and unable to read non-verbal cues.

It is important for teachers to be aware of this in order to keep students from losing their communication skills. Practice writing and communicating every day. Allow students to verbally express themselves, and then express themselves through writing. Do not discourage the students from using digital communication (maybe even in the classrooms for a particular lesson), but rather educate yourself on the latest and greatest digital communication device, in order to educate your students on how to responsibly use such devices. Technology is without a doubt a part of this generation’s world; therefore, it is extremely important for students to completely understand how to responsibly use it.

Reference

http://smallhandsbigideas.com/generation-y/communication-in-the-digital-age-lost-in-translation/

Digital Etiquette and Responsible Social Interactions

Digital Etiquette and Responsible Social Interactions

            In order to understand digital etiquette, one should fully understand what etiquette means. Etiquette is the customary code of polite behavior in society or among members of a particular profession or group. It is displaying manners, accepted behavior, rules of conduct, and good form. It should not matter whether one is interacting face to face or online on a social interaction site, the rules of etiquette do not change. Digital etiquette is also known as digital citizenship, which was beautifully explained in the April 8-12 issue of the Superintendent’s Memo from the Buffalo Public Trail Schools.

Digital citizenship isn’t just about recognizing and dealing with online hazards. It’s about building safe spaces and communities, [having students] understand how to manage personal information, and about being Internet savvy—using your online presence to grow and shape your world in a safe, creative way, and inspiring others to do the same. http://www.digizen.org.uk/

http://www.btps.ca/departments/technology/Responsible_Use_Digital_Citizenship_and_More/

Safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology

The internet is a vast collection of information that can also be a dangerous and harmful experience when one doesn’t know how to operate it responsibly. Many classrooms are turning to technology and internet usage for a fun way of bridging the gap between teaching and learning. However, it is important to set goals and expectations prior to allowing technology usage in the classroom. Before students should even begin to explore the wonders of technology, they first should understand how to responsibly use such technology; therefore, it is equally important to go over the safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology. One way of teaching students ethical, acceptable, and appropriate ways to use the internet, is to teach students to “question the reliability and authenticity of a website” (Slideshare, 2014).  Make sure to set parameters so that students are only able to visit specific websites when conducting a research base search. Post a protocol that shows students what actions to take when something inappropriate appears on their screen. “Teachers must follow copyright laws and in turn educate students about copyright laws” (Slideshare, 2014). Make it a requirement that students must show where they got their information to avoid plagiarism.  Lastly, be sure to get parental permission before allowing students to use the computers.

Reference

Slideshare. (2014). Teaching ethical and legal use of technology in the classroom.                 http://www.slideshare.net/Mrs.Faust/teaching-ethical-and-legal-use-of-technology-in-the-     classroom

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Why I created this blog:

Technology has come so far in a short amount of time. Children are learning the benefits and dangers of the technical world before ever stepping into a classroom. The benefit of this blog is to educate and show a safe and wondrous world of technology. 

The content:

The content of this blog are as followed: safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology. Digital etiquette and responsible social interactions. Global awareness and digital-age communication. Meeting diverse needs of learners through learner-centered strategies and equitable access.

Why it is Important:

The reason why it is important for everyone to understand how to safely operate technology, is because of the many dangers that are hiding in the shadows.