10 Ways to be a Good Digital Citizen

Check out these 10 Ways to be a Good Digital Citizen

I recently found a list of the 10 Ways to be a Good Digital Citizen on social media. I watch social media closely and it's my job to share some of the hot topics on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and other outlets that teachers, principals, students, and parents are contributing.

The digital world keeps growing bigger and, in many ways, better. However, as with all things, the digital age comes with some major drawbacks. One of these issues is how people behave online. For many reasons, people do things online that they wouldn't even attempt in real life. Sometimes this comes as in a good way, as it allows people to meet others more easily or to publish works they might have been too timid to attempt without the Internet. Often though, online activities resuls in hurtful and harmful behavior from people who wouldn't dream of saying or doing the things they do online in real life.

As teachers, we need to do our best to educate students about the dangers of this behavior. One fantastic way to do this is by drawing real life comparisons. Dan McCabe posted an amazing infographic on the 10 Ways to be a Good Digital Citizen from ISTE. You can read the article about the infographic here. The chart lists 10 different ways people are good citizens in one column, and explains how that applies in the digital world in the next column. I pasted the full infographic below.

What are some other ways people should be good digital citizens? What are some drawbacks and benefits you've seen about the digital age? Why do you think people are usually meaner and more willing to break laws and deviate from social norms online than in reality?

Tori Pakizer is the Social Media Editor at SimpleK12.com. She writes regularly about the use of educational technology in K-12 classrooms, and specializes in how teachers use Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and other social media. You can follow Tori and SimpleK12 on Twitter @SimpleK12. If you have ideas for using social media in schools, please send your information or tip to editor@simplek12.com.