Digital Citizenship is one area of online teaching and learning…it’s taught in courses such as by Julia Parra at NMSU, and elsewhere. Perhaps it’s a response to security and trolling issues online…and perhaps it’s an extension of the “in loco parentis” responsibilities that traditional schools have generally provided.
Digital Citizenship is a concept which helps teachers, technology leaders and parents to understand what students/ children/ technology users should know to use technology appropriately.
Digital Citizenship is more than just a teaching tool; it is a way to prepare students/technology users for a society full of technology. Digital citizenship is the norms of appropriate, responsible technology use.
In a sense this is “learning” social norms, rather than learning “knowledge” per se. Maybe a bit like taking a “Driver’s Ed” class in school, where one learns the rules of the road, and driving etiquette, and how to safely navigate the transportation system in a motor vehicle. And perhaps also like a civics class, on how to perform certain duties and responsibilities, and how to participate in the citizenship structure appropriately.
IOW, there are questions about where learning takes place, and who does it, for whom, under what circumstances etc. As schools evolve, who will have responsibilities for “students” learning what knowledge in the future? Complicated questions, but fascinating when one is envisioning what online teaching and learning will be in the future. Or next week.
Here’s a site that is a resource for those teaching digital citizenship.