Elements of Digital Citizenship
This entry is based off an interesting article I read about Digital Citizenship: Elements of Digital Citizenship
I'm going to focus on three of the nine elements listed in the article.
Digital Communication: electronic exchange of information.
With this social networking phenomenon, we are in constant communication with anyone and everyone. It's difficult to imagine a time where we weren't so "connected" all the time. I can only think of a handful of people I know that still do not have cell phones, and even less that don't own a computer. I myself have only had a cell phone for about four years, and I'm still not one with a fancy phone with the data plan and all the applications. The majority of us are now constantly connected, sending and receiving data at all times in our very own pockets. Years ago, if I were out somewhere and remembered something I wanted to tell someone, I would perhaps write it down or hope to remember at a later time. Now, I can just text message them on the spot, call them, e-mail, or even post to their facebook page.
This constant connection can be a bit overboard in my opinion, but I can see some advantages, especially in the workplace. Being able to communicate with your coworkers by multiple forms of communication could certainly be helpful in collaboration on projects and other things. Where I work, we all have email accounts to be in contact with supervisors and each other. Supervisors have the ability to instant message each other and people in higher departments and other buildings. This communication is very helpful and less tedious than trying to get a hold of someone in person or on the telephone.
Digital Literacy: process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology.
I can see great advantage to Digital Literacy at school and in the workplace. I see more teachers getting connected with email, and online classes. Every class I'm enrolled in has some sort of web presence, most of them primarily being online. There's more that they can do, but it's light years ahead of where we were in colleges only fifteen years ago.
The fact is, my generation is definitely a tech generation. The majority of my peers have been raised on computers, cell phones, ipods, and the like. Digital literacy is necessary, and I find that most people I know find it coming more and more naturally.
Digital Security (self-protection): electronic precautions to guarantee safety.
Digital Security is an element that effects me personally. Actually, it's something that effects everyone, something we should all be concerned with. Just like there are criminals in dark alleys waiting to mug you when you pass by, there are shady individuals now using technology to rip you off. Our ever-advancing technology and social networking lifestyle has opened many new dimensions, both good and bad. Many people enjoy social networking, e-commerce, and many other things that can make someone more vulnerable to identity theft or even being stalked. With the use of the web, the unethical can pull off crimes from a distance, without having to come in direct contact with the victim.
"As responsible citizens, we must protect our information from outside forces that might cause disruption or harm."
We need to be cautious with our information. I've been using computers for years, and over time I've had a few different computer viruses infect my computer. Viruses and worms spread rapidly through the internet, and most people have probably been infected at one time or another whether they know it or not. Most of the viruses do little harm, but it's important to know if you're infected, you're potentially spilling out your information to whoever infected you. Most viruses will allow the attacker to upload/download anything off your computer. They could plant more useful viruses like trojans, to really monitor your every activity. A computer infected with a trojan could easily be emailing the criminal every keystroke: passwords, email addresses, personal exploits, credit card #s. They could download the contents of your hard drive and go over the data at their leisure. Most of the time, it's not likely that the culprit is taking the time to do all this to each victim, but it's important to know that it's possible.
As I was writing this entry, I realized that I myself have not yet installed anti-virus on my new computer. I apologize for my hypocrisy, and I leave you now to remedy this.
More information on Trojan Viruses
Internet Privacy: Using the Net safely
I'm going to focus on three of the nine elements listed in the article.
Digital Communication: electronic exchange of information.
With this social networking phenomenon, we are in constant communication with anyone and everyone. It's difficult to imagine a time where we weren't so "connected" all the time. I can only think of a handful of people I know that still do not have cell phones, and even less that don't own a computer. I myself have only had a cell phone for about four years, and I'm still not one with a fancy phone with the data plan and all the applications. The majority of us are now constantly connected, sending and receiving data at all times in our very own pockets. Years ago, if I were out somewhere and remembered something I wanted to tell someone, I would perhaps write it down or hope to remember at a later time. Now, I can just text message them on the spot, call them, e-mail, or even post to their facebook page.
This constant connection can be a bit overboard in my opinion, but I can see some advantages, especially in the workplace. Being able to communicate with your coworkers by multiple forms of communication could certainly be helpful in collaboration on projects and other things. Where I work, we all have email accounts to be in contact with supervisors and each other. Supervisors have the ability to instant message each other and people in higher departments and other buildings. This communication is very helpful and less tedious than trying to get a hold of someone in person or on the telephone.
Digital Literacy: process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology.
I can see great advantage to Digital Literacy at school and in the workplace. I see more teachers getting connected with email, and online classes. Every class I'm enrolled in has some sort of web presence, most of them primarily being online. There's more that they can do, but it's light years ahead of where we were in colleges only fifteen years ago.
The fact is, my generation is definitely a tech generation. The majority of my peers have been raised on computers, cell phones, ipods, and the like. Digital literacy is necessary, and I find that most people I know find it coming more and more naturally.
Digital Security (self-protection): electronic precautions to guarantee safety.
Digital Security is an element that effects me personally. Actually, it's something that effects everyone, something we should all be concerned with. Just like there are criminals in dark alleys waiting to mug you when you pass by, there are shady individuals now using technology to rip you off. Our ever-advancing technology and social networking lifestyle has opened many new dimensions, both good and bad. Many people enjoy social networking, e-commerce, and many other things that can make someone more vulnerable to identity theft or even being stalked. With the use of the web, the unethical can pull off crimes from a distance, without having to come in direct contact with the victim.
"As responsible citizens, we must protect our information from outside forces that might cause disruption or harm."
We need to be cautious with our information. I've been using computers for years, and over time I've had a few different computer viruses infect my computer. Viruses and worms spread rapidly through the internet, and most people have probably been infected at one time or another whether they know it or not. Most of the viruses do little harm, but it's important to know if you're infected, you're potentially spilling out your information to whoever infected you. Most viruses will allow the attacker to upload/download anything off your computer. They could plant more useful viruses like trojans, to really monitor your every activity. A computer infected with a trojan could easily be emailing the criminal every keystroke: passwords, email addresses, personal exploits, credit card #s. They could download the contents of your hard drive and go over the data at their leisure. Most of the time, it's not likely that the culprit is taking the time to do all this to each victim, but it's important to know that it's possible.
As I was writing this entry, I realized that I myself have not yet installed anti-virus on my new computer. I apologize for my hypocrisy, and I leave you now to remedy this.
More information on Trojan Viruses
Internet Privacy: Using the Net safely
posted by Nate at
8:22 AM
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