Digital Citizenship
Welcome parents to the Digital Citizenship website!
Kids today are surrounded by technology, they use it everyday to learn and to play. However, are they using it appropriately? Digital citizenship is a concept that targets the proper use of technology. Our children today are citizens of the digital world, and need to learn how to be safe and how to make good choices when it comes to the use of technology. For more information about Digital Citizenship, visit Mark Ribble's web site.
Digital Citizenship and Kids
How much do students know about Digital Citizenship? This is a question the tech teachers asked themselves early in this school year. Students from grades K-5 took an online survey with questions related to various Digital Citizenship topics. It was interesting to see their answers. In general, it seems that students are aware of what makes a good digital citizen. Click here to see the complete results.
Digital Citizenship
TOPIC I
Topic I - What in the World is Digital Citizenship?
Kids today are surrounded by technology, they use it everyday to learn and to play. However, are they using it appropriately? Digital citizenship is a concept that targets the proper use of technology. Our children today are citizens of the digital world, and need to learn how to be safe and how to make good choices when it comes to the use of technology. For more information about Digital Citizenship, visit Mark Ribble's web site.
Why is it important?Did you know?
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Digital Life Parent/ Teacher |
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© Common Sense Media Inc. 2012
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What can parents do?
- Stay informed.
- Remind kids to think before they post.
- Make sure children use strict privacy settings.
- Be aware of what and who kids are connected to.
- Agree with your child what is okay to publish online.
- Fill out the media agreement sheet together with your child:
- Raise Media Smart Kids-5 - 5 things parents can do
- Family Media Agreement English - download Media Agreement (English Version)
- Family Media Agreement Spanish - download Media Agreement (Spanish Version)
TOPIC II
Topic II - Be Wise, Protect Yourself
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Just as we teach our children to be safe in the real world we need to train our kids to be safe in the digital world. We constantly remind our kids to be careful when crossing the street, to not talk to strangers, to not give personal information over the phone, etc. Well, follow these same recommendations when your son or daughter uses cyberspace. You want to make sure they are able to protect themselves from any harm and that they can protect their personal information. Download the included help sheets for more tips and advice on how to be safe and secure: |
Staying Safe and Secure in a Digital World |
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© Common Sense Media Inc. 2012
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Passwords
Having a strong password is the first step you can take towards your child’s online safety. What is a strong password? In this article you'll find important information on how to set up and manage strong passwords. In short, a strong password is one that is hard to guess. Here’s a tool to help you create strong passwords.
Some tips for passwords include:
- Never give out your password to anyone (except to parents).
- Don’t just use one password.
- Create passwords that are easy to remember but hard for others to guess.
- Make the password at least 8 characters long. The longer the better. Longer passwords are harder for thieves to crack.
- Include numbers, capital letters and symbols.
- Don't use common or dictionary words.
- Don't keep your written password where it can be seen.
Phishing
Learn more about phishing and scams and how to avoid them, through the OnGuardOnline web site. Play an online game to help you identify phishing situations.
Learn more about phishing and scams and how to avoid them.
Parental Control
It is always recommended that as parents you are aware of what your child is doing at his computer or device. However, you can set controls and safety modes on what he is using. Here you will find a list of how-to videos.
Use YouTube's Safety Mode if you don't want to see videos that contain potentially objectionable material on YouTube.
Monitor and filter what your child receives through his gmail account.
Determine how much explicit sexual content (web pages, images, and videos) your child can obtain as results. You can set the Google Search to Strict filtering.
Control and monitor your child’s use on a Mac computer. Determine what applications he can use, how much internet connection time he can have, and more.
Make apps, Internet browsing or downloading options not available to your child, by setting restrictions on his iPhone. This also works the same for iPods and iPads.
TOPIC III
Topic III - How to Survive in the Digital World
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Let’s face it. Children are connected practically all day, every day, anywhere. As digital citizens they live a digital life. What does this mean? What impact does this represent in their future? Kids should understand that there are consequences in their future for the choices they make today. Kids should realize that on the other end of those connections they establish, there are real persons and there are acceptable ways to interact with them. Digital FootprintsWhile on the Internet, children and you are leaving behind tracks, in what is known as your digital footprint. Sometimes you know you have provided information like when you sign-up or create an account, but other times, you are unaware of the information that is collected about you, for example, your search preferences or shopping choices. What can you do about it? Well, you can be extra careful on what you share online. The common saying, “think before you click”, is most true. Once you post or click something, you have no control over it, even if you delete it. Besides protecting your personal information, another very important part of your life to protect is your reputation online. This video explains briefly what online reputation means (available in Spanish) and how to share with care. |
DIGITAL FOOTPRINT |
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© Common Sense Media Inc. 2012
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Children’s Privacy
The primary goal of COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) is to place parents in control over what information is collected from their young children online. This privacy protection act was designed to protect children under age 13 while accounting for the dynamic nature of the Internet. These rules apply to operators of commercial websites and online services directed to children under 13 that collect, use, or disclose personal information from children, and operators of general audience websites or online services with actual knowledge that they are collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from children under 13.
Social media and Privacy settings
Kids love to socialize, but keep in mind that social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are intended for children age 13 or more. We strongly discourage the use of these sites by our young students. However, In the event children are at age to be using them or have your consent, here are some steps to ensure the privacy settings for YouTube and Facebook. For more tips on how to deal with Facebook and your kids, download the Parent Tip Sheet: Facebook (English) or, Parent Tip Sheet: Facebook (Spanish).
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is a form of bullying, only it’s performed through cyberspace. This can happen through mobile devices, emails, social media networks, etc. Just as with face-to-face bullying, there is a bully, a victim and bystanders. However, cyberbullying can be much more widespread and become a really big problem with terrible consequences.
- What’s the parents’ role? Be alert, here’s a quick guide on stopping online social aggression (cyberbullying).
- Download these parent tip sheets for more information and advice:
Netiquette
Netiquette stands for interNET etIQUETTE. This is a code of conduct for Internet users. Whether you are emailing, chatting, commenting, blogging, etc., in other words, communicating with others. Some common rules include:
- Don’t use only capital letters – others will think you are shouting
- Don’t spread spam – delete junk mail
- Identify yourself – and sign your messages
Media influence
CommonSense provides comprehensive reviews on movies, books,TV shows, and websites, to better help you and your children make good choices. What’s new in reviews and advice
TOPIC IV
Topic IV - Copy"rights" & Copy"wrongs"
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The topic of Research and Information Literacy has to do with appropriately finding and using the information that’s on the Internet. As good digital citizens, we have responsibilities and obligations. One of them is handling online information with care. Copyrights & Fair UseCopyrights are the rights that authors have legally placed on original works created by them. This means that in order to make use of their materials, you must have their written consent to do so. Doing otherwise sets you in an illegal situation. Nowadays, it has become very common to copy-paste practically anything found on the Internet, download music, books, images, etc. Yes, it is very easy to do so, so why can’t I copy something? “It let me…” Well, let me put it to you this way, that’s called stealing. Would you steal something if you knew you were doing that? No, right? Think about it. Now, for educational purposes, I repeat, educational purposes, using material, to some extent has been allowed, provided you follow the Fair Use guidelines. |
WHEN SHARING BECOMES STEALING |
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© Common Sense Media Inc. 2012
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The main points of Copyrights and Fair Use are:
- The author of any original work is the owner of that material and has copyrights over it and has control over what to do with the work.
- It is illegal to use materials without permission from the author.
- Copyright laws allow the use of copyrighted material for purposes such as criticism, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, under the Fair Use guidelines.
- To determine if you are within Fair Use, analyze these four factors:
- the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
- the nature of the copyrighted work;
- the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
- the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
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Fair Use Quick Reference Guide |
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| Purpose | Nature | Amount | Effect | |
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| Acceptable | Teaching, research, news, reporting. | Factual, important to education. | Small quantity, portion is not crucial to entire work. | No major effect on the market, user legally owns a copy of original work. |
| Illegal | Making money from sale of work, don't give credit to author of original work. | Very creative work (art, music, literacy, films, plays), fiction. | Large or entire work used, the part of the original used is crucial to new work's success. | Could replace selling of original, many copies made, used for a long time, made it available on the Web. |
In general, up to 10% can be used |
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| Motion Media | Text Material | Music, Lyrics, and Music Video | Illustrations and Photographs |
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| Up to 10% or 3 minutes, whichever is less | Up to 10% or 1000 words, whichever is less; an entire poem of less than 250 words may be used but no more than 3 excerpts from a poet | Up to 10% but no more than 30 seconds of the music and lyrics, alterations to a musical work can’t change the basic melody or character of work | An entire photo or drawing may be used but no more than 5 images from the same artist, or when from a published collective work not more than 10% or 15 images, whichever is less |
Here is an article on 10 myths related to Copyrights that is worth taking a look at. It answers some of the questions you might have on this matter.
For more information on illegal downloads, visit CommonSense.org and download the parent tip sheets linked below.
Advanced Searches
There are different Internet search tools such as Google, SweetSearch, Boolify, however, they are all equipped with an advanced search option. Take advantage of this.
- Use key words.
- Use phrases (quotation marks)
- Use boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT)
- Parent Tip Sheet: Smart Search Online
Strict Google Searching
Control the level of filtering in Google searches by locking the strict search feature. Here’s a video to learn how to do that. Remember, even if you don’t lock the setting, you can still adjust the filter to strict before your child performs an Internet search with Google.
Citing Sources
When including information, images, or video from another place, whether it comes from the Internet, a magazine, or a book, you need to add the sources to your work. This is also called bibliography, credits, citation, acknowledgements, or references. In other words, it is giving credit to the rightful owner of the material you included in your work. Even if you paraphrased or included a little bit, you need to cite your sources.
A special mention is made about finding sources through Google. It is not enough to mention http://www.google.com as your source. This is the same as saying that you found the information in the library. Which book? Which web site? When retrieving data from the Internet, make sure you mention the web site where you found the information, not the search engine that took you there.
Here’s a useful web site that deals with “How to Cite Sources”. Choose the type of resource and fill out the blanks. Basically, what you need is:
- Name of author
- Title of book/website/article
- Date created/edited/updated
- URL
Evaluating Web Sites
- Look for at least 3 different sources before you settle for a piece of information.
- Prefer web sites that end with .gov, .edu, .org when possible.
- Apply the 4 W’s criteria:
- Who is the author? – Who or what organization wrote or is behind this web site?
- When was it created and last updated?
- What is the purpose of this web site? – Is it biased, trying to sell me something, providing facts? Can I identify fact from fiction?
- Why would I choose this web site? – Is it better than others, easier to understand? Is the information relevant and useful?
Visit this web site for more advice on selecting good web sites and download the Parent Tip Sheet on Research and Evaluation: Parent Tip Sheet: Research and Evaluation
RESOURCES
CONTENTS
Useful Links
| RESOURCE | LINK |
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| Digital Citizenship | http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/ |
| COPPA - Children's Online Privacy Protection Act | http://www.coppa.org/ |
| Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology. | http://www.commonsensemedia.org/ |
| Media Reviews | http://www.commonsensemedia.org/reviews |
| Videos with Advice | http://www.commonsensemedia.org/video/advice |
| NetSmartz tips for Parents | http://www.netsmartz.org/Parents |
| Vodafone Parent's Guide | http://parents.vodafone.com/ |
| I Keep Safe | http://www.ikeepsafe.org/parents/ |
| Identity theft prevention information (contributed by Lauren) | http://www.securedatarecovery.com/resources/personal-data-loss-a-guide-to-identity-theft |
| Cyber-Safety Statistics Parents Should Know | http://www.netlingo.com/tips/cyber-safety-statistics.php |
| OnGuardOnline.gov is the federal government’s website to help you be safe, secure and responsible online. This information is available in both English and Spanish | http://onguardonline.gov/features/feature-0002-featured-info-parents |
Recommended Search Engines for Kids
| SEARCH ENGINE | LINK |
|---|---|
| Quintura Kids | http://quinturakids.com/ |
| KidsClick | http://www.kidsclick.org/ |
| Qwiki | http://www.qwiki.com/ |
| KidRex | http://www.kidrex.org/ |
| SweetSearch | http://www.sweetsearch.com/ |
| Boolify | http://www.boolify.org |
| InstaGrok | http://www.instagrok.com/ |
Documents
Last updated; April 30, 2014