Chyenne Stanley

COMM 140 – C20w

Legal Issues Paper

In the morning, the very first thing that most people do is pick up their phone and check
social media, news, weather, traffic, and so on. Many people go to work or school and access
the internet for a variety of reasons. For fun, people use the internet to connect inside video
games with other people. They watch streaming sports and television shows and participate in
discussion forums. Even at the very end of the day, many people settle down before bed by
going through their phones one more time. The internet is something that we access all day. It
is something that we use for so many things. However, even though it has become something
we utilize consistently, people are still not seeing it as the tool that it is.
In this day in age, there are many people who have the opinion that youth should not
spend so much of their time on their phones and internet, but we are getting to a point where
we must ask ourselves, is this even realistic? When the internet is relied on for so many things
from tools, to research, to entertainment, socialization and even social and political
issues…shouldn’t we be more focused on teaching these youth how to utilize the internet and
digital world to the best of their ability instead of discouraging them from using it?
An even more important question here, is who should be teaching these youth how to
properly use the internet, as well as manage their existence there, and how they should utilize
it into the future? The current way that things have been done is that people tend to “learn-as-
you-go”, making mistakes and learning from them. Many young people experiment with
settings and observe other people’s behaviors. In doing this, there isn’t a very clear standard of
how to use the internet properly and how to act in social settings. Some people believe that
schools should be responsible for teaching students and that they should incorporate lessons
and tests on internet use. Another opinion might be that parents should be teaching them
these lessons at home.
In the article “Digital Citizenship in K-12: It Takes a Village”, Randy Hollandsworth and
his co-authors, say this:

“So, the inevitable question must be asked: Who represents the village for our youth, as
it relates to digital citizenship? Will it be parents, teachers, administrators, academics,
technology professionals, media specialists, or students? The answer, although complex,
becomes somewhat obvious that for a successful cultural shift, it will require all of us.”
(Hollandsworth, 2011)

Hollandsworth gives the answer that the responsibility goes to everyone. Parents,
teachers, and even the student’s themselves. Right now, the “learn-as-you-go” method isn’t
working, and if we want to continue to grow as a society, and continue to adapt to the digital
age, we need to make sure that parents are taking responsibility for holding their children
accountable in their online use. We also need schools to be more involved in teaching students
how to effectively manage their online lives and use the internet as effectively as they can.
Edward Trimis is a principle who discusses the importance of using the internet and
social media to communicate with the school’s community, namely students and parents. In his
article, “Shaping School Climate and Improving Communication in a Digital World”, he goes
over our need to be able to turn negative experiences over the internet into positive ones, and
how that can impact your ability to improve the overall environment between the audience and
the staff of the school. Additionally, he covers the possibility of using social media and digital
communication to involve the audience and create a community in which everyone feels part
of. (Trimis, 2018)
The need for schools to have and maintain an online presence is so clearly illustrated
here. It makes sense that students of these same schools should be learning these skills so that
when they go into the world, they can use it just as effectively. If staff members and instructors
are beginning to use the internet more and more to share grades and notes and even outside
classroom help on assignments, then wouldn’t it make sense that student’s education on these
same tools should be prioritized?
Kirsti Aho, author of the article “Teaching Digital Communication to All Students“, only
adds on to this concept by stating that:

“Students are not just studying how to use tools such as Dreamweaver when they learn
to communicate effectively in Web media. They're also learning how to approach a
project, as well as how to understand their audience, message and purpose. In addition,
students are learning how to think critically as they decide on an effective way to
present their message.” (Aho, 2005)

These are all important things that a child needs to know as they grow and develop in a
digital world. If they are not being taught these lessons, it can lead to massive spread of
misinformation, mismanagement of online identities, and an overall lack of online etiquette in
many cases. To change this, we have to change the way that children are being raised in the
digital age.
Anyone who owns a computer and accesses the internet will eventually run into people
who are not taught these things properly, and it shows. Too often do you meet people who fail
in the areas of digital etiquette, or in how to properly word a message. There are many teens
who are not taught about internet safety and give away too many personal details online,
which can lead to predators, identity theft and other threats. In addition to that, there are
many people who were never properly taught about things like digital privacy, and their “digital
footprint”. Many people know that companies store information about them to advertise, but
they don’t know the extent of it, or how to manage that privacy.
A lot of people have heard the term “digital footprint”, which is essentially the mark you
leave on the internet with your personal information. In many cases, this is a list of details such
as your race, religion, income level, location, interests, needs/wants, and so on. In the article
“How to Teach Students About Their ‘Digital Tattoo’”, written by Alison DeNisco, she refers to
the digital footprint as a tattoo, as a way to lead students to realize how permanent your
information is on the internet. She explains how we are to teach students how to handle their
information online, starting at young ages. Here she says:

“What students need are opportunities to learn how to sort the flood of information
that comes their way, decide what bits of private information they are willing to give to
a corporation in exchange for a service, and how to network for their own personal
success but also for social good and global change.” (DeNisco, 2018)

Technology is becoming more advanced. Rules and laws are not updating at the same
rate, and it is extremely important that not only adults, but children that use the internet are
being taught about their online privacy and being made aware of what they can do about it.
Teaching a child lessons like how to calculate complicated math equations and how to properly
write an essay is no more important then teaching them about their right to privacy on the
internet, especially when misuse of that information in the wrong hands can have dire
consequences in the future.
In addition to personal use and information on the internet needing to be taught to
students, Daniel G. Krutka speaks about the importance of understanding your role as a citizen
in the digital world in his article “Digital Citizenship in the Curriculum: Educators can support
strong visions of citizenship by teaching with and about social media.” He explains that as
internet users, the way that news is spread and sources are evaluated has changed. Internet
users receive their news online, from a variety of sources, and it impacts things like politics and
elections, as well as social issues around the world. In this statement, Krutka illustrates the way
that our roles in teaching students about digital citizenship have changed, but how as people in
the online world, we all need to understand our roles as citizens as well:

“For many schools, promoting digital citizenship for democracy will require moving from
primarily teaching students to make safe and responsible online choices toward
preparing for active and conscientious participation in digital spaces. In the 21st century,
students cannot just dissect frogs, sentences, or documents; they must be able to
dissect tweets, snaps, and posts. They must also understand how to leverage the
positives of new technologies to strengthen their communities and fulfill their civic
responsibilities.” (Krutka, 2017)

Society is always dealing with an array of political and social issues, and we need to be
stepping up on this online platform and filling our duties by making sure that we are able to sort
through our information and determine what is valuable and what is not. With the current way
that things are done, students are being taught short, quick lessons about sorting through
information, or they are not being taught at all. As a result, they believe anything they see on
the internet and contribute to the mass spread of misinformation that we see online in our
daily lives. Students need to be thoroughly taught how to evaluate their sources and determine
credibility as well as relevance.
The idea that students should be taught about online practices is not a hard one to
grasp. After looking at all of the points here, it is clear to see that it is not only important, but
detrimental to a student’s future to be able to learn these skills. If we continue to treat the
internet as if it is not a necessary tool or as if it was not one of the most important forms of
communication in our daily lives, then we are not going to grow as a digital society. People will
continue to use this resource in ignorance, and we will continue to see people failing to
effectively communicate their ideas, respect others, protect their personal information, and
conduct proper research on topics.
Today’s students are tomorrow’s society. It starts with those students who are growing
up in this digital age. It starts in the homes, where parents are teaching their kids the
importance of internet safety and proper communication. It starts in the schools where trained
instructors are incorporating the digital aspects into their lessons, such as internet use in
politics, digital tool use in technology classes, and proper online etiquette in communication
classes. It starts with society’s ability to hold itself accountable by properly moderating sites
and spreading good internet practices for those who are learning. Finally, it starts with each
student, who continues to explore their curiosities and involve themselves in the digital world,
understanding that this isn’t something that should be shamed, but something that should be
understood and used as effectively as possible.

Works Cited

Aho, K. (2005). Teaching Digital Communication to All Students. T H E Journal, 32(10), 34–36.
Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-
com.ezproxy.csi.edu:2443/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=17098787&site=ehost-
live
DeNisco, A. (2018). How to teach students about their “digital tattoo.” District
Administration, 54(7), 15. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csi.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&
AN=130593199&site=ehost-liveHollandsworth, R., Dowdy, L. & Donovan, J.
TECHTRENDS TECH TRENDS (2011) 55: 37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-011-
0510-z
Hollandsworth, R., Dowdy, L. & Donovan, J. TECHTRENDS TECH TRENDS (2011) 55: 37.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-011-0510-z
Krutka, D. G., & Carpenter, J. P. (2017). DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP in the Curriculum: Educators can
support strong visions of citizenship by teaching with and about social media.
Educational Leadership, 75(3), 50. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csi.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN
=125935937&site=ehost-live
Trimis, E. A. (2018). Shaping school climate and improving communication in a digital world.
Leadership, 47(5), 12. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csi.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN
=134043141&site=ehost-live