Tool #11-Digital Citizenship

While the digital world is advancing everyday it's also very important to teach safety on the Internet. The digital world is a world on it's own, therefore it needs to have it own rules/policies and standards. I know digital citizenship will be taught in my classroom throughout the year. It's something that students need to be reminded of year after year. The Internet and other tools are powerful and students must first learn how to navigate around them. Through classroom rules, discussions, tips the teacher can create a safe "digital world" learning environment in the classroom. As a 1st grade teacher, I believe it is ex termly important to teach students Internet safety at an early age. They know so much more than you realize and they absorb information quickly. Students will want to practice good digital citizenship when they feel they have had a valuable learning experience. I will show my students how technology impacts their learning by making connections to the real world around us and showing them how successful it can make them in their future. I think once they have mastered good digital citizenship they will realize they have a "passport to the world" right in front of them. The possibilities are endless.