EDU 6433 Citizenship, Cell Phones, and Credible Sources

Citizenship, Cell Phones, and Credible Sources

ISTE standard four stresses the importance of promoting and modeling digital citizenship and responsibility. The overarching idea of global citizenship encompasses a variety of issues, ranging from engaging students in global literacy skills, to teaching students how to validate the credibility of sources and then use said sources to back and generate new ideas. 

As every year passes by, we are bombarded and indoctrinated with the belief that each new technological gadget is a magical carpet we must jump aboard lest we be left behind in the dust. While some of these technologies are beneficial, certainly not all are as valuable as others, and there lies the importance of understanding the validity of resources, not just those in print form. Therefore, as educators we must teach our students how to navigate the dense technological world in front of them, so they are capable of weeding through those resources and technologies that may not actually serve them. As discussed in the Vialogue this week, the CRAAP test can be used to analyze the veracity of a website or other source of material. Such a system allows the user to analyze the timeliness of information, importance and relevance to their research needs, the source of the information, the reliability of the information, and the reason the information actually exists. 

Figure 1: CRAAP checklist for source veracity.

Similarly, the WWWDOT framework, as discussed by Duke (2016) also provides educators and students with a step-by-step checklist for authenticating the credibility of a website or other source. 

·         W – Who wrote it? What are their credentials?

·         W – Why was it written?

·         W – When was it written/updated?

·         D – Does it help my needs?

·         O - Organization of site

·         T - To-do list for future, including cross-referencing sources cited by website/source

With such frameworks established, which share all the similar features, it should be easy for educators to promote and model good habits for online sourcing etiquette and research strategy. However, what about students that do not use technological resources appropriately, despite teaching? If students are allowed to have and use resources in certain contexts (e.g. perhaps in high school, but not elementary), how should educators handle those students that take advantage of the use of these resources? Taneja et al. (2015) note that students will use technology for distracting purposes if they infer they will not get in trouble for doing so. Therefore it could be suggested that teachers, administration, and even districts in general, should form coherent and collectively-enforced policies about the use of such technology. If it is established as the norm and expectation that technology (cell phones, lap tops, iPads, etc.) is a tool, not a toy, with consequences for the latter, then there would potentially be less cyber-slacking. Regarding technology as a vehicle for cyber-bullying (which could certainly result from idle hands and minds of cyber-slacking) Gimenez Gualdo et al. (2015) note that even though teachers often desire to prevent such attacks, there are often not holistic policies or programs implemented to deal with such issues. With standards in place for teaching technology K-12, perhaps issues such as cyber-slacking and cyber-bullying would become lesser problems? 

To further address the issue of cyber-bullying, teachers need to place continual emphasis on modeling productive and positive global citizenship. They must promote the idea that the rapidly expanding world can only benefit from mutual cooperation, as discussed by Dwyer (2016), and that global literacy is necessary for this. Global literacy includes providing students with enough knowledge of the community and the world that they may begin to have their own discussions, and make their own informed opinions and decisions, both of which would ideally be aimed at the good of the whole. Through promoting global literacy and the idea of promoting the collective good of the planet through use of ever-growing technology, in addition to teaching students proper ways to use technological devices, as well as collect credible sources, we can set them up for success in the increasingly digital world.

Reference List:

Duke, N. (2016). “Evaluating Websites as Information Sources”. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/evaluating-websites-as-information-sources-nell-k-duke

Dwyer, B. (2016). Teaching and Learning in the Global Village: Connect, Create, Collaborate, and Communicate. The Reading Teacher, 70(1): 131-136.

Gimenez Gualdo, A., Hunter, S., Durkin, K., Arnaiz, P., and Maquilon, J. (2015). The emotional impact of cyberbullying: Differences in perceptions and experiences as a function of role. Computers & Education, 82(2015): p. 228-235.

Taneja, A., Fiore, V. , and Fischer, B. (2015). Cyber-slacking in the classroom: Potential for digital distraction in the new age. Computers & Education, 82(2015): p. 141-151.