4. Be a Digital Citizen
“Effective online teachers teach and model ethical online interaction while helping students develop digital literacy that will poise them for success.”
This Principle gives me a ton of pride and inspires my curiosity. I will share a little bit more about my educational and professional background for some context.
When I was in Undergraduate School, I declared my Major as Communication Studies after taking a class in the department on Globalization and Technology. I loved it! In high school I was always a bit of a fan-girl for the latest gadgets and trends in digital music, telecommunication, and entertainment tech, and this interest has stuck with me. After getting my Masters in Communication I was inspired to work for the non-profit, Code for America, where we worked with local governments to create more collaboration between civic servants and technologists. It was a fairly multicultural environment because we partnered with like-minded groups across the globe. The practical things I learned about Intercultural Communication inspires my content when I teach that course to this day. Additionally, I got to learn HTML, took UX Design classes, and dabbled in CSS. I took seminars and went to lectures at Google and Twitter. I learned that there is a lot - I mean a lot- to learn. And I learned that the rules are different when your primary mode of communication is web based.
Next, wanting to get more involved in education again, I began working for Girls Leadership in a remote role coordinating Leadership and Relationship Management classes for women and girls. We partnered with local primary schools and recreation spaces, and the program was highly interactive and consistent with what I teach in Interpersonal Communication now in online. But at the time I was working with a lot of parents, administrators, and kids, and what they all wanted was more guidance on how to communicate and manage conflicts when they arise thanks to online platforms, like Instgram bullying. We learned that social concerns can get very complicated and messy for young people who are online a lot.
Taking the Digital Citizen course with @One furthered my knowledge on all the above topics even more, and placed it in a new context. I was reminded that when it comes to technology there is always something new to learn, another tool to try, another level of access to open, and another user to consider.
Moreover, there are tons of services on campus all built to support online education, like @One. I have learned that the Principles of Digital Citizenry feel familiar to me because they are similar to core Communication Studies principles. In this sense, I see the entire idea of Digital Citizenship as a core principle in my course content, not just an approach or bi-product of teaching online.
As result of being a better Digital Citizen in my class, I am working to:
- Offer interaction guidelines that support a learning community. I point to resources and help support access issues that my students face. I work with my local tech support team proactively, before my courses open, to minimize concerns throughout the semester.
- For example, I offer a set of rules for participation in Online Discussions, which students must agree to in their "Syllabus Survey." See the rules below.
- Offer a range of tools and access channels. I love that Canvas is our central platform, and can say it is superior to all other LMS (Learning Management Systems) I am familiar with. I also love how compatible it is for mobil devices and Apps. However, I want my students to step out from Canvas and learn about and even create other online content.
- For example: I use Study.com, one of my favorite sources for video content that can give my students some basic info, fast, while taking a break form my voice or their course texts. See a video below.
- Offer a space for my students to practice Digital Citizenry. They get credit for online Discussion posts with peers. They are also asked to contribute to a shared document where we all write, “What is a Digital Citizen to you?”
- Offer Open Educational Resources. I find free open sources texts whenever possible. Thanks to @One and the training I received as an OpenCI Ambassador at CSU Channel Islands last semester I also learned about a rage of other tools and steps I can take to Open other aspects of my classrooms.
- For example: I source many of my textbooks from OER Commons, including one of my Intercultural Communication text books, "Media, Society, Culture, and You." See the text below.
- Offer digital content available on my campus. I make sure my students know about the resources available to them, and I try to take advantage, too! This includes tutorials at the library on how to build a website, and Flex Sessions for faculty, like how to make course content ADA (American Disability Act) compliant.