By LAURA HAMMACK, guest columnist
The week of Sept. 10 to 14 is recognized by the Indiana Department of Education as Digital Citizenship Week. Brown County Schools is intentional in our deployment of awareness activities related to this observance now that all students have access to their own technology device in grades kindergarten through 12.
What is digital citizenship? The Indiana Department of Education supports the Common Sense Media definition: “Empowering students to think critically, behave safely and participate responsibly in our digital world.” It is important for us to work together with our families and our community to support our students as positive digital citizens as they engage in the online world.
It is not easy to be a young person growing up today. Social media options provide platforms for students to connect in ways that reach well beyond my own experience. I can recall being in high school back when the worst communication that could ever take place involved a handwritten note that was exchanged during passing period. For our students today, online communications can be devastating. It’s our responsibility to work with our families to change these brutal behaviors through intentionally teaching responsible citizenship in the digital world.
I invite our families to visit the website commonsensemedia.org. Our educators will be engaging students in activities during Digital Citizenship Week and throughout the year from this website that provides free resources for families and educators. I use this site frequently to better understand the experiences of our students online. It is well researched, organized, and deployed. From “family tip sheets” to comprehensive grade-level banded curricula, this site offers a collection of resources that helps to better prepare our students for the online environment.
Parents and caregivers, one of the best ways that you can help your child become an empowered digital citizen is to model positive online behavior through your own actions with electronic devices. When you model appropriate screen time by giving your child undistracted attention during periods when your phone is off and away, you communicate to your child that he/she is your priority. As a result, your child will begin to understand that his or her focused attention on you matters when you are asking them to disengage from an electronic device.
Similarly, a very real experience online is known as “digital drama.” Here, individuals attempt to feel power over others by saying things online via various social media applications that they would never say in person. Interactions can be hateful, untrue and illegal. Think about using a phrase that has really stuck with me: “Ask how your children how they are, then ask again, then ask again.” With social media, this couldn’t be more relevant. Interactions happen throughout the day and your child can be affected differently in the evening than where they were that very same morning.
Remember that your own social media behavior will inform the behavior of your child. If you find yourself engaged in your own social media “drama,” consider taking a break from the platform and focus instead on modeling positive communication behaviors for your child to use. Mr. Stark, principal of Brown County High School, has encouraged the students to use a two-way test before behaving on and offline. He asks students to pose the questions: “Is it true?” and “Is it kind?” If it’s not either of those things, then it has no place in conversation or behavior. I am sure you would all agree that if we all followed Mr. Stark’s standard, citizenship would be positively impacted, indeed.
We need to be bold in our conversations with our students and children about the realities of the online world. By beginning with conversations in kindergarten and continuing them throughout the educational career, we can empower our students to be proactive consumers of technology. This is not easy work. We need to be active in the online lives of our young people and prepare them with skill sets that allow them to navigate the digital world from a position of being informed.
We take our responsibility for preparing our students for the 21st century workforce very seriously. Understanding how to navigate the digital world is a fundamental component of that success. We are committed to preparing our students as digital citizens and need the help from our community to do the same.
Follow the golden rule on social media. Limit your own screen time. Have a family dinner where your phones are left in another room. Ask yourself, “Is it true?” and “Is it kind?” By doing this, we will be adding value to our citizenry both on and offline.
Laura Hammack is superintendent of Brown County schools. She can be reached at 812-988-6601 or [email protected].
