Children today have increasing access to more technology than ever before. Which leads to a question: Who actually teaches them how to use the devices they have properly?
I am hoping to write out my thoughts here for how our school approaches it so parents can try to follow a similar approach at home. If children hear a consistent message and see that adults are working in tandem, they are more likely to follow.
“Digital citizenship education should be a community effort.
The impact will be more powerful when students have multiple trusted adults they can discuss issues with, and when they're hearing the same messages reinforced from both home and school.”
一 JILL FELTY
Technology Integration Facilitator, Paradise Valley School District
There are three pillars to digital safety.
PHYSICAL RESPONSIBILITY TRUST RESPONSIBLE COMMUNICATION
Teach physical responsibility
The first thing I am sure you talk with your children about when you hand them a device is the physical responsibility they have to them.
A few guidelines I recommend are to:
- Use two hands when carrying the device.
- Always carry it when it is closed.
- Set it down without making a sound.
- Avoid touching the screen.
- Avoid leaving it on the floor.
- Keep the computer closed when leaving it unattended.
- Be gentle with the keyboard.
- Try to leave it in an area out of the sun.
- Pay attention to how charged it is.
- Keep your device and browser updated.
- Keep your device clean.
These guidelines are largely based on how I see students treat their computers. Following these guidelines will greatly increase the lifetime of your computer or device.
Build trust with your child
The second pillar is for parents to build a trusting relationship with their children at home. This starts from when your child first starts using digital technologies. It is important to sit with your child and watch them use the computer while you ask questions and explain your thinking out loud.
- While surfing the internet, you might comment on the ads you see.
- When searching, you might talk about why you clicked the search result you did.
- When checking your email, you can explain why you send a spam message to the trash without opening it and show them what to look for.
- When your child is playing an online game, talk about who they are playing with and ask if you can listen in sometimes.
- Have them use their computer in a place where you can always see the screen.
The goal is to have a relationship where they will come to you with problems they encounter online and not hide them from you.
Teach responsible communication
The third pillar is to encourage responsible communication online.
I remember around the turn of the century, I had a friend who had a message board with his friends. We had a falling out. I ended up going to the message board and airing out my grievances. I didn't think about the same coming back to me from him and all his friends.
Fortunately, that was a long time ago and that message board is not around, but it taught me to be respectful when speaking online and speak with a filter.
People need to speak more clearly and more kindly when using digital mediums to communicate.
Some helpful guidelines are to:
- Talk with people extra kindly since words can be taken out of context.
- Teach them to tell you when something goes wrong.
Much of these ideas might seem obvious, and I know that you are already doing them at home, but taking these steps are a good way to prevent unwanted incidents from happening.
This is just the beginning of a series of posts on this subject.
