Digital Citizenship: How to Teach Positive Code Switching

Working as a teacher and a support staff, I have run into many problems with students online activity. Some students struggle with cyber bullies. Some students use their twitter accounts to say all sorts of things about school, people, teachers, and politics. Many times, students ask me to help them get a job, but I know that some hiring processes use social media to help them. Our students think of social media as their oasis to express themselves freely, and this creates a big problem. ISTE standard 5 explains that students will "practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology." It is extremely important that young people learn this skill in an age where "anything goes" online. 

This is where digital citizenship is so important. As technology advances faster than teachers can keep track of, it is essential to teach digital citizenship alongside of teaching resources. Terry Heick defines digital citizenship as "the self-monitored habits that sustain and improve the digital communities you enjoy or depend on." He explains just like citizenship in a school or community, digital citizenship requires self-knowledge, interaction, and regulation (Heick 2013). But the reality is, if students are taught that the digital world is a system to navigate, they will code switch online, which is an important tool to foster many online communities. Matt Levinson explains that teens hide their online behaviors from adults and may even create duplicate or fake social network profiles (Levinson 2013). While parents may not feel comfortable that their children are hiding information from them, this technique of code switching is not a bad strategy for the young person. It allows them to have a more professional social media and a personal one, where they do not need to "mask digital speech and linguistic patterns." 

One practical strategy that I encourage young people to do is to use certain social medias professionally (facebook, twitter, even Instagram). Other social media (like snapchat) I remind students that it is ok to have be more personal. This is a positive way to encourage code switching. But  but teachers must remind students that no matter what online world they are in, for professional or personal reasons, they must still act as digital citizens. Oftentimes, technology is so empowering because you can type or express how you feel without instant consequences. Teaching students that the digital world can affect people just like the non-digital world is essential. I love how this Think poster reminds students to take a moment to reflect before they type, comment, or add pictures. 

To conclude, it is very important that teachers educate their students on the importance of digital citizenship in the classroom. Technology will increase faster than teachers can keep track of, but the longstanding norms of how to use these technologies will remain the same. Whether students are using a social media site for professional reasons or personal reasons, teachers must ensure that students know that the norms that are set in schools are similar norms for online. Be respectful, be compassionate, and take responsibility to keep the online world which you enjoy, a safe place. 

Heick, T. (2013). Definition Of Digital Citzenship. Retrieved March 10, 2017, from http://teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/digital-citizenship-the-future-of-learning/the-definition-of-digital-citzenship/

Levinson, M. (2013). The Digital Lives of Teens: Code Switching. Retrieved March 10, 2017 from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-teens-code-switching-matt-levinson