In this day and age, technology is consistently growing at an exponential rate, so much so, in fact, that technology integration has become an essential aspect of education in the classroom. Due to the new focus on technology for students of all ages, including kindergartners, it is more important than ever to teach children the proper etiquette of the online world. This online etiquette is often referred to as "netiquette." Netiquette, in essence, are the rules of etiquette that apply when communicating over any computer network, especially the internet. Taking into consideration that the world is becoming increasingly focused on the utilization of technology and the web, it is easy to see the importance of the following "rules" and regulations :
** For extended information on the core rules of netiquette click here.
I believe that it is not only the parent's job to teach this "Netiquette" at home, but the responsibility falls upon the teachers as well, for a teacher's job is to prepare children for the real, adult world. This is especially true for educators that use technologies, such as classroom websites and blogs, on a day to day basis. In my own classroom, I plan on utilizing the power of a classroom blog, but before I introduce the technology, it is important to first teach a lesson in Netiquette. Students can learn the rules through traditional lecture, group projects in which each group creates a flyer on one rule, or even have an open discussion where students can decide what they believe is proper internet behavior to turn into a chart (This chart can be placed by the blogging station in the classroom.) The learning possibilities are endless! This lesson will help students leave a clean, digital foot print and will provide the students with the proper tools they will need for online professionalism.
- Remember the Human
- Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life
- Know where you are in cyberspace
- Respect other people's time and bandwidth
- Make yourself look good online
- Share expert knowledge
- Help keep flame wars under control
- Respect other people's privacy
- Don't abuse your power
- Be forgiving of other people's mistakes
** For extended information on the core rules of netiquette click here.
I believe that it is not only the parent's job to teach this "Netiquette" at home, but the responsibility falls upon the teachers as well, for a teacher's job is to prepare children for the real, adult world. This is especially true for educators that use technologies, such as classroom websites and blogs, on a day to day basis. In my own classroom, I plan on utilizing the power of a classroom blog, but before I introduce the technology, it is important to first teach a lesson in Netiquette. Students can learn the rules through traditional lecture, group projects in which each group creates a flyer on one rule, or even have an open discussion where students can decide what they believe is proper internet behavior to turn into a chart (This chart can be placed by the blogging station in the classroom.) The learning possibilities are endless! This lesson will help students leave a clean, digital foot print and will provide the students with the proper tools they will need for online professionalism.