When we talk about the light side and dark side of digital citizenship I fear that most of the time the focus goes to the darker things, the bad stuff that can happen. Stalkers, online predators, child abductions, human trafficking and many other possible extremes come to mind. This was very evident in the documentary "In Real Life" by Beedan Kidron.
Then we have the more mundane negative images of mood altered youth, unhappy teens, cyber bullying, anxiety, stress and the day to day "bad things" that come from overuse of technology and screen time. Rarely do we get past these for the truly wondrous that can happen with these technologies. The good that can come from them. But how do we get there? Educating our youth about their online behaviour is critical for us to achieve a landscape where the good outshines the bad, where the light pushes away the darkness. In the article "3 Tips for Balanced Digital Wellness" we find a simple roadmap to possible success. Start a Discussion - In order to have our youth understand where the adult fears come from we must share and talk about it. IF the youth can come to understand what their parents and teachers are worried about then hopefully they can use that knowledge to guide their decision making online. In my own life, I can only tell my child so many times to get off their device or they will be in a bad mood. But perhaps a discussion that includes their own introspection and reflection regarding how they feel post device use might help to deliver the message, and ultimately help them to make informed and self aware decisions regarding screen time. Think Positively - Helping our youth find what is positive with their tech use will also help them to make informed decisions about it. What draws them to their social media accounts? Is it happy and good feelings or is it more sinister? While they may never reveal that to their parent or teacher, perhaps having an awareness of it may assist them in making good choices. Similarly we need to work with them to identify the positive aspects of their offline life and how these can supplement and even improve their online experiences. Developing confidence and self-esteem in the real world will help create a wall around their online persona that is that much harder to break into. Build Healthy Habits - Of course the need for healthy habits is also critical. If you do not care for yourself in the "real world" how will you function online... we all need to make sure we get enough sleep, eat healthy foods and keep our bodies active. 24/7 screen time destroys your body and mind without you even being aware it is happening. Through educating our youth and teens about of the good, the bad and the ugly with online behaviour we can only hope that over time the happy and positive stories will become the norm and outshine the darker stories that constantly overwhelm us in social media, and on the news. Resources: Beckett, Tracey. (October 21, 2019). 3 tips for balanced digital wellness. ISTE.org Retrieved on June 30, 2020 from https://www.iste.org/explore/digital-citizenship/3-tips-balanced-digital-wellness Kidron, Beeban. (2013). InRealLife Retrieved from https://cbu.kanopy.com/video/inreallife McLeod, Scott. (2013). Extracurricular Empowerment. TEDx DesMoines. Retrieved on June 30, 2020 from https://youtu.be/GyIl4y_MRbU
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E-PortfolioThis e-portfolio will take the form of a blog and will record my progress in the Diploma in Educational Technology from Cape Breton University. Categories
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