Activity 8 Legal Contexts and Digital identities

DIGITAL IDENTITIES

The rise in digital citizenship interest reflects the fact that focusing only on cybersafety does not produce a safe environment if there is not a focus on ensuring that other digital citizens use this space ethically, respectfully, and safely.

Secondly, the push for digital citizenship reflects the contemporary value ascribed to e-learning and its various blended and virtual siblings. In scores of countries policies and funding now promote e-learning. The expectation for schools is no longer that young people will simply be entertained by the internet, but will instead occupy it and use it for learning. With this comes the recognition that these learners have rights in this space, as much as they have rights in their classrooms that they sit in. Equally, there is the attendant requirement for learners’ responsibilities to others in this space. Locally, Ultra Fast Broadband in Schools and e-portfolios are examples of the value by which educators and the government place on e-learning. The awareness that safety concerns may limit uptake of these opportunities makes digital citizenship a strong contender for change.

What does this all mean?

Currently the safety issues raised by the the ‘wild-west’ of the internet, and the inability of traditional cybersafety approaches to prevent them, see these issues being brought into the purvue of governments and law makers. Locally we see this manifesting in increasing regulatory pressure for action (e.g., most recently on cyberbullying). We should expect to see more legislative pressure and regulation around digital citizenship concerns.

We need to ensure that we teach young people about using ICT to achieve what they need in a respectful and ethical way that keeps them safe. This means recognising that that teaching people how to be safe is not always going to keep them safe, and nor will relying on internet filters to always do the job. We need to ensure that all digital citizens understand their responsibilities and their rights, and we need to find ways to enforce these rights carefully.

These issues highlight the need to ensure that schools plan for the provision of digital citizenship within their strategic planning. Increasingly this will become a critical way to ensure that the school community gets the most out of e-learning. School communities need to ensure that their educators are confident in supporting learners to become thriving digital citizens.

What can we do?

Don’t let stubborn cybersafety and digital citizenship concerns hold you back – If you are passionate about e-learning and student-centred practice, then:

• Advocate for your school to incorporate a digital citizenship into its strategic plan.
• Use NetSafe’s excellent Learn | Guide | Protect website. The website lists resources and approaches to embed cybersafety and digital citizenship within your practice.
• Speak out for professional development for digital citizenship so your school community can get the most out of e-learning and not be left behind.
• Media permission spreadsheet shared with WHOLE staff

What does digital citizenship ‘mean’?

If digital citizenship is taken to refer to all users of the Internet — including via smartphones — it is clear to see that it is way more than cybersafety.

We need to be aware of the legal and cultural contexts in which we communicate and work. As kaiako we also need to be aware of the opportunities and challenges of communicating…and learning…within an online environment. These, however, cannot be fully understood in isolation from our socially based understanding about learning, education’s changing perspectives on what constitutes effective learning, and attitudes to technology.

In 2004 Ribble, Bailey, and Ross defined digital citizenship as “the norms of behavior with regard to technology use” (p. 7). Ribble later updated their definition to “the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use” [emphasis not in the original] (Ribble, n.d., Para. 1). Ribble’s definition does not, however, overtly refer to the social aspect of interacting online — something that Nancy Groh (NetSafe NZ) highlights when she writes that digital citizenship “is the combination of technical and social skills that enable a person to be successful and safe in the information age” (2010, para. 1).

Focussing more on the social elements of digital citizenship, Mossberger, Tolbert, and McNeal (2008) suggest that it is "the ability to participate in society online" (p. 1), and then go on to explore the nuances of the word ‘citizenship’. Citizenship indicates that members of a community, in return for certain civil, political, and social rights, agree “to live the life of a civilized being according to the standards prevailing in the society’’ (Marshall, 1992, in Mossberger, Tolbert, and McNeal, 2008, p. 1). Their definition includes an assumption that digital citizens use the Internet regularly, as well as including underpinning considerations of ethics, democracy of communication and expression, equality, and behaviour (Mossberger, Tolbert, & McNeal, 2008).

Potential

So, what relevance does digital citizenship have for you — as an individual, as an adult learner, a parent, whānau, tīpuna (grandparents)…and as a member of (many) communities, as well as kaiako (teachers) and leaders in education?

In 2001, Morrison, indicated to the New Zealand Parliament that shifts in the way that business is carried out could offer opportunities for people “to prosper, and a threat if they are slow to adapt….It will also raise equity issues if all New Zealanders are not able to take full advantage of its opportunities” (p. 1). Morrison’s observation “provides a strong case for digital citizenship as a societal concern” (Mossberger, Tolbert, & McNeal, 2008, p. 35).

Some aspects of digital citizenship are guided by policies, others are dictated by rules and laws, while still others are open to discussion and interpretation. If you’re not aware of your rights, responsibilities, and some of the ethics that influence communicating in online spaces, you could be heading for issues. So, you might like to reflect on what your stance is, especially around culture, ethics and values, and take or create opportunities for robust discussion.

Considerations

We’ve looked at what digital citizenship means, and dipped into some of its potential, but what does it ‘look like’? An example could be developing strategies to ensure that the digital world doesn’t totally overwhelm your students. Faced with the vast range of communication tools and options we now have, coupled with the ability to contact each other anytime, anywhere, there can be issues the stress of feeling ‘on call’ 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Feeling on call can be something that affects both children and adults, and developing strategies around this issue is essential. For younger members of your family, it may be a case of talking about how many hours a week you both feel it’s healthy to be online. It’s worth agreeing on guidelines, and being firm about things such as where and when devices are used in the house – and then thinking about whether you are following and modelling what you’ve both agreed on!

Some implications

The variety of questions in the list below helps illustrate the breadth and complexity of some key considerations of digital citizenship:

• What are my rights and responsibilities in an online environment?
• What are my child’s rights and responsibilities in an online environment?
• What is morally and ethically sound in a particular situation?
• Do I know how to search for, evaluate, and attribute material on the web?
• What is legal to download, use and share?

Being able to answer these, and other, questions for yourself will help shape your understandings and skills in the online environment to help ensure that you, your family, your colleagues, and your students, get the most out of working, learning and collaborating in an online environment.

LEGAL CONTEXTS

The theme of ‘open-ness’ abounds in many aspects of education nowadays — largely as a reaction against the many ‘closed’ characteristics of the current system. Consider things such as enrolment schemes, copyright, student records etc. What were previously regarded as barriers to growth, access, or innovation in our system, are now being challenged or circumvented through the use of systems that are more open and participatory, allowing for greater levels of access and contribution.

The open architecture of the Web2.0 environment has been a key driver of this open-ness. Moving from a predominantly consumer-driven paradigm to one that enables a much greater degree of contribution, participation and collaboration in the learning process. Supporting this have been changes in policy and legal issues, including the alternative to traditional ‘copyright’ that is provided under the ‘creative commons’ licensing approach.

The emerging impact in education can be seen in a number of areas:

Open education resources — There are numerous examples of sites now appearing that provide resources for use in education that are not bound by traditional copyright licenses, and can be used freely for educational purposes. The adoption of the Creative Commons licensing system is an enabler of this, as discussed with Lawrence Lessig last year. Initiatives such as WikiEducator are demonstrating the power of sharing educational resources, with their aim of making lessons in all areas of the curriculum available in any part of the world.

Open source/open software — many schools are now using a variety of open-source applications as an alternative to investing in costly, licensed ones. Examples of this are ‘Open Office’, a free ‘office’ package that will import and export documents to Microsoft Word, “Moodle” which provides an open source alternative to “Blackboard”, and the Androidoperating system (OS) providing an open source alternative to the AppleOS or WindowsOS.

Open teaching - In an experiment that could point to a more open future for e-learning, Stephen Downes and George Siemens ran an open online course in 2011 that attracted about 1,200 noncredit participants (see Online, Bigger Classes May Be Better Classes) Allowing teachers to teach students and classes irrespective of where they are located is likely to increase, and in the future we’re likely to see more ‘itinerant’ teaching take place, teachers sharing their knowledge and skills outside of traditional institutions and structures.

Open courses - The recent announcement by M.I.T. has been described as a game-changer in education. The objective —Free Online Education For All — “MIT will make the MITx openlearning software available free of cost, so that others — whether other universities or different educational institutions, such as K-12 school systems — can leverage the same software for their online education offerings.” And they’re not the only organsiation doing this — a website listing 25 universities offering open courses illustrates just how pervasive this move is becoming.

Open accreditation — the concept of being able to complete classes and courses in a variety of places and through a variety of institutions, then apply to have them recognised and accredited towards a qualification is also a part of this trend. Consider these two posts: On Open Accreditation and Open Accreditation – a model.

My school has an Acceptable Use of the Internet Agreement  
"One of the New Zealand Catholic Education Office’s 2020 Beacon Goals is to achieve equity, quality and excellence in educational outcomes for each student. In order for Christ the King Catholic School to realize this goal staff and students need access to, and support in the use of, internet technology The smooth operation of computer use and internet access relies on the cooperation of users adhering to terms and conditions. These guidelines are set out in this document so that all users are aware of the responsibilities they assume. In general, this requires appropriate ethical and legal utilisation of the technology and associated resources. If a user violates any of these terms and conditions his/her use of technology and access will be significantly curtailed and/or terminated."