Digital identity of our students tells us about them as an individual and the way they learn. It is this identity that interactions with others occur. Interactions further contribute to self identity. As teachers we must assist them to understand the distriction between private space, public space and data protection. Students need to understand the power of social media. Teachers must ask themselves, "Are students making good decisions about what to put online?" and "How can they help students understand immediate consequences of their posts but long-term consequences?". Students must understand that everytime they go online they contribute pieces of information about themselves that forms their digital identity. It happens automatically. Once posted, they need to understand they have no control of who sees it, shares it, copies it or uses it. We need to understand, discuss, teach, model and set expectations around online behaviours. As teachers, we must regard ourselves as instructional in helping students develop a positive online identity.
We need to come to know their digital identity. Knowing who your students are and continue to build a strong positive sense of who they are can infuse into their digital identity. To get to know their students digital identity, the teachers needs to know what games do they play online, which tool do they use to communicate, what topics are they interested in, what kind of access do they have to technology, how is technology is used by the student and their family, how much time do they spend online - this is all important information to build our 21st century classroom.
Through the use of student portfolios, blogs and other online tools teachers can encourage students to develop positive online pressure. Most importantly, close involvement with parents is essential to continue positive online identity at home.
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