Principle Four: Digital Citizenship

Stepping Back: Where I Was

Observations of professionals within my field and early teaching experiences in higher education pedagogy and digital learning directed me towards a more traditional teaching oriented approach. I was acquainted with designing assignments and discussions with students to engage in critical thinking and reflection of “consuming” information. I was not aware of offering opportunities to “create” content.

With an enthusiastic urge to strengthen my ability to offer support services and digital resources to students, I was eager to increase my professional digital presence and be a positive role model to students. I sought ways to incorporate Open Educational Resources and open pedagogy into my curriculum and day to day interactions with students and faculty. All this while becoming better informed about digital ethics to support my teaching role in information literacy.

The Learning Process: Where I Am

My perceptions and thinking of digital citizenship experienced a dramatic change, shifting towards an engaging, student-centered approach. I am knowledgable about promoting collaboration and community among instructor and students, and open sharing and increased accessibility to learning resources. Now, I am better informed about different ethical concerns with student’s digital presence including digital polarization, algorithmic bias, and digital redlining. I am excited to be able to use these new resources to assist students to develop meaningful and safe interactions, make helpful contributions, and form positive identities on the internet.

Looking Forward: Where I'm Headed

This rewarding class changed the way I view my role as an educator, equipping me with invaluable tools and resources to design creative and meaningful student-centered learning opportunities that strengthen student engagement and retention. To support a more collaborative student-centered learning environment, I will implement an open-educational resource approach to education and utilize open access materials. I will curate sustainable and long-lasting non-disposable assignments that last beyond the course duration. I feel confident in my ability to serve as a digital literacy advocate and promote greater awareness of transparent and humane interaction. In addition to my role as an educator, I will become a valuable facilitator, allowing students the opportunity to be more engaged and more actively participate in their own learning.

Open Educational Resources (OER) Review

Connection to Principle Four: The following two exercises focused on reviewing and analyzing Lumen and OpenStax, two freely shared Open Educational Resources (OER) to facilitate active learning. These reviews helped me become better prepared to inform faculty and instructors about the importance of crediting the reuse or redistribution of OERs when recommending openly licensed resources that can help aid their students in learning content.