DIGITALLY INCLINED: USE TECHNOLOGY WISELY. A Reflective Essay over Digital Citizenship. Presented to

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1 Running head: DIGITALLY INCLINED 1 DIGITALLY INCLINED: USE TECHNOLOGY WISELY A Reflective Essay over Digital Citizenship Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Educational Leadership Lamar University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Education in Education Technology Leadership by Lindsey Marek July 8, 2017

2 Digitally Inclined: Use Technology Wisely A digitally inclined individual is one that has digital tendencies and becoming a Digital Citizen would also allow for an individual to bare the title of digitally inclined. There are nine specific elements to Digital Citizenship, per Ribble. (2015) These elements are what allows an individual to use digital technology to its fullest extent. The Nine Elements Ribble explains that the nine elements can easily be grouped into three principles respect, educate and protect. (2015) He further explains that becoming a Digital Citizen is not only about protecting yourself but others. The principle of respect includes equal access to all individuals, digital etiquette and digital law. (Ribble, 2015) He goes on to explain digital access as all users having access to the digital world. Do all individuals have access to digital technology? In 2015, Chris Evans, a blog writer for President Obama, reported that 98% of all Americans had high-speed Internet access. In addition, many businesses are beginning to also provide free wi-fi for their customers making access even easier in public. With digital access, also comes etiquette. Etiquette incorporates cyber-bullying, a very popular form of bullying amongst teens. Teens are no longer faced with just the typical school yard bully, but they also have those that are hiding behind screens to do the bullying. Digital etiquette involves being able to think of others instead of just yourself. (ISTE, 2015) Speaking up and protecting others from harmful online behavior is a large part of being a digital citizen. Lastly, the respect principle also includes digital law. (Ribble, 2015) Digital access has made it easy for others to hind behind their screen to conduct crime acts. There are laws in place which protect citizens from these crimes, however, they are happening every day. Being a digital citizen means that you are not hacking, downloading illegal music or

3 creating destructive viruses that can destroy others technology. Again, it is not just about respecting yourself, but others, too! According to Ribble, the educate principle includes literacy, communication and commerce. (2015) Literacy is about becoming digitally inclined. Are you learning technology and sharing with others? Digital citizens do just that. Communication involves the many forms of communication available through digital technology and using the proper context or program to communicate with others. The most popular form of digital communication is texting through cell phones or through social media. Unfortunately, people do forget that those messages never really go away. By using digital communication properly, digital citizens are still in guidelines with the respect and educate principles. Lastly, digital commerce is the electronic buying and selling of goods, according to Ribble. (2015) There are so many websites available to sell your own products but many businesses also have online stores and apps for the shopper who enjoys having things delivered to their door step. A recent upgrade with digital commerce includes even being able to order your groceries online and picking them up in the store. It is incredibly fascinating to order groceries and have someone bring them to your car without having to spend hours trying to find items on your list. Educating others about the possibilities of their digital technology is key to becoming a contributing digital citizen. Finally, protect is the principle that holds every other principle together. Protecting yourself and others is a part of your rights and responsibilities, safety as well as health and wellness. (Ribble, 2015) As a digital citizen, one has the rights and responsibilities that you must abide by. Just like signing a user agreement for your itunes account, digital citizens are held to the same level. As members of a digital world, you are given the freedoms that technology brings, but using them wisely is key. Safety in the digital world is crucial. If

4 members of the digital society are not following proper etiquette your information could be hacked into and compromised. Using virus protection software on your computer, updating your security questions for your accounts and changing your passwords frequently can help prevent your digital security from being breached. Staying healthy while using digital technology is also a part of this principle. Ribble not only describes ergonomics as being a part of this, but also protecting yourself from Internet addiction. (2015) Educating yourself on this topic is key for healthy digital technology usage. The Digital Citizen Presentation The author s current position is Career and Technology Education Specialist. As a specialist, she is required to work as an instructional coach for teachers but also a mentor and counselor for students in Career and Technology Education. For this specific presentation, the author opted to create a Smore flyer directed towards students, but teachers could also benefit from the information. This would be visually appealing for all, but also allow an easy format for the information to be placed in without it being too cramped for space. The Smore flyer is an overview of all nine elements of digital citizenship. (Ribble, 2015) It is exceptionally important for students to understand what? before they can understand how?. Creating this flyer allowed for the what? to be explained, more specifically, what is digital citizenship?. Students at Lee High School have never been formally introduced to digital citizenship and the flyer provided a brief introduction for students to begin their understanding process of the importance and factors pertaining to becoming a Digital Citizen. Digital presentations seem like flawless options, but there is always potential for a minor hiccup or two. While creating this presentation, the author had originally thought that creating a PDF tri-fold flyer would be a great idea. However, after working on that project for some time it

5 was realized that this should be digital, not printed out. Being digitally inclined is about using your resources wisely, so that is where the idea to use a digital flyer came from. Additionally, the Smore flyer is more versatile in its ability to be shared online and does not require it to be printed out to see its full functionality. To view the Smore digital flyer, visit In the future, it would be ideal to create additional flyers that would focus on each principle for further learning and information for students and teachers alike. Ideally, each additional flyer would incorporate more resources for videos, online workshops, educational games and scholarly articles to fully present the information over each element. It is important to reach a variety of viewers and using multiple resource styles will only increase the chances for your presentation to be successful in the digital world. Mantra The mantra, Digitally Inclined: Use Technology Wisely was easily created from what Digital Citizenship is really all about. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines incline as being a disposition or tendency. (n.d.) If you are digitally inclined, then you present yourself with a digital tendency. Are you the technology savvy person at school or work the one everyone consults with when they need help hooking up a printer or using a software? If so, you may just already have the educate principle already accomplished! (Ribble, 2015) To be digitally inclined, you must also learn to use technology wisely, which is reflected by following the nine elements of becoming a Digital Citizen. (Ribble, 2015) Conclusion In conclusion, teaching Digital Citizen elements is important for every age of digital user. Teachers should attempt to purposefully incorporate these elements into their everyday

6 classroom as technology is being used. Students should have the information repeated to them often, so that it becomes second nature to follow the elements. As it has already been discussed, educating others and holding others accountable for their actions are two of the main pieces of Digital Citizenship. In order to become a digital citizen, others must first be educated. Understand, practice and perfect the Digital Citizenship elements to become digitally inclined and use your technology wisely!

7 References Evans, C. (2015). 98 percent of Americans are connected to high-speed wireless internet. The White House President Barack Obama. Blog retrieved from Inclined. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster online. Retrieved from Marek, L. (2017). Digitally inclined: Use your technology wisely. Retrieved from Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools: Nine elements all students should know. (3rd ed.). Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology.