Learning (digital) citizenship

Education notes


Sharon McKinney

Sharon McKinney

Teaching good citizenship has long been an important part of the curriculum in public schools. As American citizens, we value teaching our young people to be responsible adults who contribute to society. There are skills and knowledge not necessarily found in textbooks that our students need to master in order to navigate and thrive in today’s complex society. Educators and parents alike have realized the need for students to learn about digital citizenship. Technology advances in the past few years have literally put the world at our students’ fingertips. With this unprecedented access to millions of people through the Internet and social media, our students have to learn and put into practice much earlier the principles of digital citizenship.

At Port Aransas High School, all of our students have some kind of technology device throughout the day; whether it is a school-owned iPad or their personal tablet, mobile phone or laptop. A few years ago we made the transition from seeing these devices as “evil” to using these devices for “good.” We used to ban the sight or sound of technology devices throughout the day, now we have transitioned to teaching our students when and how to use these devices appropriately to enhance their learning. The learning curve has been frustrating at times, but we believe we are teaching our students lifelong skills in managing their technology use.

Clay Johnson, author of The Information Diet, says “your clicks have consequences.” We talk often about how everything we do on the Internet and social media leaves a lasting digital footprint. No matter what a particular app may say about messages and photos disappearing, we know that nothing actually disappears forever. Those of us who grew up before the digital age didn’t have to worry about something foolish we said, did, or wrote being seen by thousands of people within minutes. That is not the case anymore. Our students must be ever mindful of what they say, do, write or post because it may haunt them for many years to come. According to a survey by Career Builder, 43 percent of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates and an additional 12 percent plan to start. I would guess that these percentages will continue to increase. There also are plenty of stories of students losing college scholarships because of inappropriate use of social media, even while still in high school. With a limited number of athletic and academic scholarships, colleges want to award those scholarships to students they can depend on to bring respect and honor to the college.

I’ve seen an infographic stating that before anyone posts anything, we should think: Is it true? Is it hurtful? Is it illegal? Is it necessary? Is it kind?” If it does not meet these criteria, then we are better off not posting (this applies not only to students but also to adults!). Just as it is often beneficial to take a deep breath before responding to people in person, it is also beneficial to think before clicking that “post” button.

Parents, I encourage you to discuss digital citizenship with your son/ daughter. While filtering internet access and monitoring your child’s Internet and social media activities are recommended and helpful, we’ve learned at school that there is always a way around those boundaries if the student is determined. Therefore it behooves us to be proactive, to teach our young people what being a good citizen really is and to understand how our digital footprint reflects our character. Expert Anne Collier thinks we should stop using the term “digital citizenship” because we are really just teaching good citizenship and our Internet and social media use should reflect good citizenship.

For more resources concerning technology use, I recommend Common Sense Media (www.commonsensemedia.org). There is a tab called “ Parent Concerns” that has excellent resources for parents to use in educating themselves about Internet and social media use as well as tips for teaching your son/daughter about their appropriate use.

Helping young people learn to be good citizens is a community effort and I sincerely appreciate working together with parents and a community that has high expectations and true concern for their young people. Marlin pride runs deep!

Sharon McKinney is the principal at PAHS.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.