How Online Students Learn to Become Digital Citizens
When you start your first online class, you are generally not introduced to the concept of digital citizenship. You are expected to follow a code of conduct, and your instructor can provide the Netiquette rules, which describe acceptable behaviors in class. However, becoming a responsible digital citizen means more than just following the rules. You need to manage your online presence and reputation, while remaining responsible and ethical. The approach you take to interacting with others in a virtual classroom can influence the way you create all of your online posts, including social media.
Moral and ethic
The first determination that must be made is your personal code of ethical behavior. Ethics is a set of standards that guides our behavior and interactions with others. For example, your school has a code of conduct that must be followed that establishes a set of ethical principles for all students. Then you decide to act ethically or unethically by following or ignoring the code. This is different from morality, which is used to determine what is right and what is wrong, based on your personal belief system. Your morals may have been influenced by what society, religious affiliations, and your parents have taught you.
A frequently occurring ethical problem is plagiarism, which means that a student has used words from an existing source without making any attempt to recognize the source of those words. This includes copying and pasting information from a website, article, or other source, such as an essay website. Becoming highly ethical as an online student means that you take responsibility for the work you have submitted and learn to use the fonts correctly. A student who is unethical and is accused of an incident of intentional plagiarism may receive a zero for the assignment, a failing grade for the course, or other academic penalties that may include suspension from school.
Interactions with others
The purpose of having a student code of conduct and the implementation of the Netiquette rules is to create a classroom environment where proper communication occurs and students maintain respect while interacting with each other and with their instructors. The online classroom generally consists of a diverse student population; however, diversity implies more than cultural or location-related differences. A diverse class can include students with physical disabilities, generational differences, and learning disabilities, along with religious and educational differences.
There are other actions in the classroom that can lead to additional consequences. The first is cyberbullying and it means that a student has harassed another person through the use of technology. Cyberbullying often occurs when the potential victim is perceived as different. There are numerous states that have enacted anti-bullying laws that include cyberbullying. The second action that has serious consequences is the sending of text messages or photos of a sexual nature through a cell phone. There have been no known incidents involving students online; however, that is not to say that it is not a possibility and why your privacy as an online student should be protected.
Privacy
There are steps you can take as a student to protect your privacy in the online classroom. First, don’t include personal information like your phone number in email signatures or classroom postings. Second, if you want to keep in touch with other students, be sure to use your school’s email address. Be careful when sharing your personal information with others and let your instructor know if you think your privacy has been compromised in any way.
You can also consider the privacy settings of your social networks. If your profiles and posts are publicly viewable, consider how other students, your instructor, or a potential employer might view that information. All this electronic information leaves a fingerprint and represents who you are to those who do not know you. Recruiters and HR employees frequently visit social media websites as part of the online hiring process and that means you need to monitor what you post.
Be responsible
Becoming a digital citizen means that you are managing your classroom activities and interactions online. What you post establishes your reputation and some behaviors can have consequences. As a digital citizen, you must adapt your personal ethics to a form of electronic communication and be responsible for your reputation. Your posts leave a digital footprint, so consider the content of your posts and how you interact with others.