With great power comes great responsibility.

The joy of dealing with technology in the classroom is that it has its own set of lessons. If we involve the internet, we need to be able to help students understand what they may see as well as help them to be able to analyze its accuracy. They need help understanding what is called digital citizenship. Digital citizenship includes a lot of things, but it's overall definition according to Mike Ribble is "the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use." What does that mean to us teachers? That means we need to promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility. According to the ISTE's National Educational Technology Standards (NETS), the teachers standards include:

	Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers:
	a. advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources. b. address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources. c. promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information. d. develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools.

The foundation of this standard is for students to understand digital citizenship. The Nine Elements outlined on http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/ are as follows:

"Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship

1.   Digital Access:   full electronic participation in society.
Technology users need to be aware of and support electronic access for all to create a foundation for Digital Citizenship. Digital exclusion of any kind does not enhance the growth of users in an electronic society. All people should have fair access to technology no matter who they are.  Places or organizations with limited connectivity need to be addressed as well.  To become productive citizens, we need to be committed to equal digital access.

2.   Digital Commerce:   electronic buying and selling of goods.
Technology users need to understand that a large share of market economy is being done electronically. Legitimate and legal exchanges are occurring, but the buyer or seller need to be aware of the issues associated with it. The mainstream availability of Internet purchases of toys, clothing, cars, food, etc. has become commonplace to many users. At the same time, an equal amount of goods and services which are in conflict with the laws or morals of some countries are surfacing (which might include activities such as illegal downloading, pornography, and gambling). Users need to learn about how to be effective consumers in a new digital economy.  

3.   Digital Communication:   electronic exchange of information.
One of the significant changes within the digital revolution is a person’s ability to communicate with other people. In the 19th century, forms of communication were limited. In the 21st century, communication options have exploded to offer a wide variety of choices (e.g., e-mail, cellular phones, instant messaging).  The expanding digital communication options have changed everything because people are able to keep in constant communication with anyone else. Now everyone has the opportunity to communicate and collaborate with anyone from anywhere and anytime. Unfortunately, many users have not been taught how to make appropriate decisions when faced with so many different digital communication options.

4.   Digital Literacy:   process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology.
While schools have made great progress in the area of technology infusion, much remains to be done. A renewed focus must be made on what technologies must be taught as well as how it should be used. New technologies are finding their way into the work place that are not being used in schools (e.g., videoconferencing, online sharing spaces such as wikis). In addition, workers in many different occupations need immediate information (just-in-time information). This process requires sophisticated searching and processing skills (i.e., information literacy). Learners must be taught how to learn in a digital society. In other words, learners must be taught to learn anything, anytime, anywhere.  Business, military, and medicine are excellent examples of how technology is being used differently in the 21st century. As new technologies emerge, learners need to learn how to use that technology quickly and appropriately. Digital Citizenship involves educating people in a new way— these individuals need a high degree of information literacy skills. 

5. Digital Etiquette:   electronic standards of conduct or procedure.Technology users often see this area as one of the most pressing problems when dealing with Digital Citizenship. We recognize inappropriate behavior when we see it, but before people use technology they do not learn digital etiquette (i.e., appropriate conduct).   Many people feel uncomfortable talking to others about their digital etiquette.  Often rules and regulations are created or the technology is simply banned to stop inappropriate use. It is not enough to create rules and policy, we must teach everyone to become responsible digital citizens in this new society.

6.   Digital Law:   electronic responsibility for actions and deeds
Digital law deals with the ethics of technology within a society. Unethical use manifests itself in form of theft and/or crime. Ethical use manifests itself in the form of abiding by the laws of society. Users need to understand that stealing or causing damage to other people’s work, identity, or property online is a crime. There are certain rules of society that users need to be aware in a ethical society. These laws apply to anyone who works or plays online. Hacking into others information, downloading illegal music, plagiarizing, creating destructive worms, viruses or creating Trojan Horses, sending spam, or stealing anyone’s identify or property is unethical.

7.   Digital Rights & Responsibilities:   those freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world.Just as in the American Constitution where there is a Bill of Rights, there is a basic set of rights extended to every digital citizen. Digital citizens have the right to privacy, free speech, etc. Basic digital rights must be addressed, discussed, and understood in the digital world.  With these rights also come responsibilities as well.  Users must help define how the technology is to be used in an appropriate manner.  In a digital society these two areas must work together for everyone to be productive. 

8.   Digital Health & Wellness:   physical and psychological well-being in a digital technology world.
Eye safety, repetitive stress syndrome, and sound ergonomic practices are issues that need to be addressed in a new technological world.  Beyond the physical issues are those of the psychological issues that are becoming more prevalent such as Internet addiction.  Users need to be taught that there inherent dangers of technology. Digital Citizenship includes a culture where technology users are taught how to protect themselves through education and training. 

9.   Digital Security (self-protection):   electronic precautions to guarantee safety.
In any society, there are individuals who steal, deface, or disrupt other people. The same is true for the digital community. It is not enough to trust other members in the community for our own safety. In our own homes, we put locks on our doors and fire alarms in our houses to provide some level of protection. The same must be true for the digital security. We need to have virus protection, backups of data, and surge control of our equipment. As responsible citizens, we must protect our information from outside forces that might cause disruption or harm."

If students need it spelled out for them: "With great power comes great responsibility." - Uncle Ben from Spiderman. If we get the power to connect with the world through the internet, we have to learn to be responsible, both as the writer and reader. It is important for us to connect and get the greater understanding of the world the internet provides us, which means it is important to know safe, legal, ethical use (citations) and digital etiquette. Another great resource from the Digital Citizenship website outlines the respect and caution we need to have while surfing the web. They call it REPs:

"Respect, Educate and Protect (REPs)

The concept of REPs is a way to explain as well as teach the themes of digital citizenship.  Each area encompasses three topics which should be taught beginning at the kindergarten level.  When teaching these ideas the top theme from each group would be taught as one REP.  For example the first REP would be: Etiquette, Communication and Rights/Responsibilities.  This would continue through REPs two and three.  By doing this all students will have covered the topics and everyone would understand the basic ideas of digital citizenship.

Respect Your Self/Respect Others

- Etiquette

- Access

- Law

Educate Your Self/Connect with Others

- Communication

- Literacy

- Commerce

Protect Your Self/Protect Others

-Rights and Responsibility

- Safety (Security)

- Health and Welfare"

Like all good resources, students need to be shown how to use the internet. It is important that we model these important ideals to them. Beyond modeling, this also means we need to give the students opportunity in class to utilize this tool and help make it relevant for them. Part of learner-centered strategies for teaching means making the content meaningful to students and using their prior knowledge of the world to understand new things. This requires taking the time to get to know them individually and it cannot be stressed how important that is. Get to know your students strengths, weaknesses, hopes, and dreams. Only when you know your students can they truly succeed. Don't be afraid to get to know the students home lives since this greatly affects their beliefs, priorities, and values. Encourage the parents or guardians to get involved. Connect the learning to what the students know! It's also important to identify and dispel stereotypes. This makes community and collaboration much easier and encourages working together (which the world could sorely use). Integrate arts to make the curriculum more interesting and assess in multiple ways to get accurate, well-rounded data. High expectations for all ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse students is also incredibly important. Students often do as well as they are told to believe they can. Have high expectations and they will rise to the occasion.

The internet is perfect for this type of learning. However, this also means that the internet needs to be make available for all students as well. Have the technology available in the classroom and/or school and give the students time in school to use this since we cannot always assume students have this access at home. Through learner-based strategies and equitable access we can connect to the larger population and promote global awareness in our students. Have students learn about a culture by skyping students from that culture! Promote research, discerning what is fact and what isn't, to find new knowledge to share with the class. The possibilities are truly endless if we allow different cultures and different means for learning into the classroom.

Citations: http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/, http://learntech.ties.k12.mn.us/digital_citizenship.html, http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107003/chapters/diverse-teaching-strategies-for-diverse-learners.aspx