Digital Etiquette and Responsible Social Interactions

“You guys all have your own YouTube channels?”

“Of course we do!” One fifth -grade student responded incredulously.

“What do you guys put on there?”

“You know, stuff, like funny stuff, I haven’t had many views, so I want to start doing more popular things.”

            This interaction may surprise many educators, because even for those who are aware of the millions of “YouTubers” in the internet world it is shocking that eleven year olds spend their afternoons trying to come up with things to get more views on their channels. There are many positive implications to this because it means that students are being innovative and learning how to operate successfully in a technological culture, but what tends to press on one’s mind is that children are making themselves more vulnerable to the whims of the internet opinion and media scrutiny. Scrolling through the comments left on any YouTube video, one can find many negative and demeaning comments, the “Kill Yourself” ‘joke’ being an incredibly popular choice. This chilling reality is also an opportunity for teachers to open up a dialogue with their students about proper digital etiquette and responsible social interactions in an interactive and productive way. Having students build a flow chart addressing mediums, methods, and message (an “upside –down www” for an effective memorization technique) can cover a multitude of standards as well as help students become more ethical members of the internet community.

            In the first week of school, or while introducing technology in the classroom, students should work together to build a flowchart addressing mediums, methods, and message, that help students make a decision about whether or not to post/send or share information on social networking and messaging sites/ devices. The ‘medium’ can be anything the students are engaged in using, any site that is relevant to their lives, YouTube, e-mail, Facebook, texts, blogs, Snapchat, Tumblr or Twitter are examples of mediums. ‘Methods’ include what students are doing on these sites, posting videos, status updates, e-mails, blogging, texting, comments, threads, pictures and so on. The ‘message’ covers literary techniques and answers the questions: “Who is it for?” “What am I communicating?” “Will this person understand what I am trying to say?” which will open up discussions about when to use abbreviations, sarcastic humor, opinions, bold claims, and formal versus informal language. Along with a large poster of this flowchart that should hang in the front of the room, students should all have one printout to take home to discuss with their parents, and one printout to leave in their desks. Quick writes can be assigned regularly where students must “comment” on a Facebook post, or send an e-mail to a hypothetical employer. They can even have video projects where they explain how to do certain things or about certain subjects for their class members, and every classmate is required to write a comment about what they saw. In this way, teachers can build a classroom community that welcomes positive interactions in a social media format.
            Parents must be fully aware of how your classroom is incorporating digital etiquette and responsible social interactions into regular content. They need to be aware of what social media their children are engaged in, and monitor them frequently. They may even consider disabling comment capabilities on sites such as YouTube to protect their children from cyber –bullying and other inappropriate content. Creating an honest, positive and safe environment to discuss their involvement with the internet in a social way with adults they trust can prevent serious harm to children over the internet. It is important for all students to know that everything they post online has consequences.

Safe, Legal, and Ethical Use Of Digital Information and Technology

             Children are growing up in a digital world, starting school with more and more knowledge of the internet and using it for various purposes. It would be ideal if these children came into the classroom, literate not only in the ways to operate technology, but how to use it properly (i.e. safely, legally and ethically). Unfortunately, this understanding is not necessarily introduced to students alongside their growing understanding and daily use of it in their homes. As an educator, there are multiple ways to teach and remind students how to properly use digital information and technology.

     Most schools already have locked inappropriate websites, some removing the access to questionable websites such as YouTube and Tumblr altogether. Although this allows for safe and professional use of school computers while students are in school, this does not limit the amount of technological freedom in the home. Safety while navigating the internet and using other technologies is a crucial component to teach while introducing it in the classroom, and helps to build student awareness outside the classroom. Internet safety not only includes the mental, emotional and physical well being of its users, but also the protection from viruses and guarding of vital information. Along with having serious discussions with students, teachers should hang up graphic organizers that post tips such as: “don’t use if” posters that list criteria for avoiding questionable material, “get help if” posters that discuss protocol to follow if they find themselves on a compromising situation, “don’t share if” for social media and inputting information onto websites and “site if” posters to avoid plagiarism.  Organizing this information in an easy -to -memorize format such as an acronym or a song is ideal, and it is important to highlight what applies to each assignment that includes the use of technology, and make sure students can always refer to these things while working outside the classroom.
            Even more than keeping students informed at all times of their responsibilities while working with digital information and technology is informing guardians of things to be careful of. Monitoring the use of phones, tablets and computers in the home is only the first step. Parents need to know that they can also block their children from harmful content on the internet, and talk to their children regularly about using their technologies properly. The responsibility falls on the shoulders of teachers and parents collaboratively to maintain safe, legal and ethical practices while using technology and digital information.