Week 4 - Ethics, Critical Thinking and Digital Citizenship

Week 4 - Ethics, Critical Thinking and Digital Citizenship 

What I learned this week…

I learned that it is important to make room for ethics in your curriculum and that if educators can focus on realistic examples that students may experience, might be the best way to approach teaching ethics to teenagers. There should be an emphasis on reflection and thinking about the impact of decisions. 

“What does the average teacher need to know - to effectively infuse technology into the curriculum?”  

Well, I can tell you that unfortunately, teachers don’t receive any formal training when it comes to technology standards in the classroom or the use of technology when it comes to my school. The theory behind professional development and standards for teachers who wish to infuse the curriculum with technology revolves around the idea of enhancing an educator’s skills and knowledge about technology. 

But how do we empower our teachers? As a practicing teacher myself, I can tell you that if the following components were considered, it would motivate my colleagues and I, to enhance our technology skills and our student’s learning experiences. These components are Skill Development, Pedagogical Integration, Collaborative Learning and Continuous Learning. When it comes to the topic of skill development, teachers often lack technical skills because we don’t get seminars, training, or PD days on how to integrate technology in our classrooms. 

We are left with little time to study and so we stick to the comfort of reliable skills, and these often lack the integration of technology. Increased student engagement will also be a positive factor in providing teachers with these technical skills. I also believe it is important to build a community of technologically literate learners. We need to provide a proactive and supportive online platform to enhance learning about technology. 

At the heart of it all: ETHICS

I know that in my classroom, I am particularly interested in the practice of digital citizenship. I believe it is the key to many aspects of human development. Through the acquisition of digital citizenship, children are introduced to the underlying codes by which they can pursue their ambitions and become fully active members of society. Advanced citizenship skills are also essential for establishing good relationships in later life and, of course, in their community. This is the case when I teach my Visual Arts course, I encourage my students to create meaningful artworks that can relate to the people in our society. I do believe I need to continue to implement digital citizenship lessons in other areas of my courses because it is not just about preparing students for the world of work; but also for all aspects of their future lives, relationships, and personal development. 

Going back to Dr. Gardner,

If Dr. Gardner’s theory of young people is true, that they lack critical thinking when it comes to ethics because of the larger audience they are exposed to consistently from a young age, then it is a pressing issue to address in schools, with educators and students. One way we can help guide our students when teaching ethical lessons can be by using the model that I used this week that helped me with an ethical issue I have been distressed with at work. Using Josephson’s six-step model, I was able to successfully come to a decision that felt the most ethical. This is an issue that I have been experiencing especially this year at my school. Problem: The pressure teachers feel when it comes to college admission from administrators and parents. Using this six-step model, I was able to stop and reflect on the ethical question. I then moved on to considering the goals, options, and consequences before revisiting the question again and finally making a decision. I want to say that I believe I made a well-informed decision that satisfies my integrity when it comes to teaching. 

I found this model to be very helpful and you can refer to the infographic poster outlining this six-step model in clear steps and you can find it attached on my blog below. Try it fellow teachers, this model if used purposefully, will all you to provide students with a well-rounded education that is responsive to the new condition.

References:

Boyd, Dana. (2014). It’s Complicated: the social lives of networked teens. New Haven, CN: Yale University Press

Fennewald, C. (2018, January 31). It’s Not Digital Citizenship—It’s Just Citizenship, Period. Retrieved 2024, from EdSurge: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-01-31-it-s-not-digital-citizenship-it-s-just-citizenship-period

Gardner, D. (n.d.). Digital Citizenship: How to Teach It [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Dc6APPAkgw&t=2s

Zittrain, J. L. (2014). Reflections on internet culture. Journal of Visual Culture, 13(3), 388-394.