Natalia Arias

Early in this course, we were asked to respond on the difference between citizenship and digital citizenship. This activity gave me the opportunity to really reflect on the topic and my own perspective. Through this I realized that to be a good citizen is to be a good digital citizen. Technology is a part of everything we do either directly or indirectly. I bring this all up because I made a similar realization this week on the topic of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is bullying, in today’s world, there should not be a difference, and it is up to the adults in education to prioritize student’s understanding of the magnitude and ramifications associated with all bullying.  In Monica Lewinsky’s TedTalk, The Price of Shame, she mentions her mom’s reaction to the loss of a young boy who experienced cyberbullying and took his own life. I thought about how in the time before social media existed, that boy may still have been tormented and bullied for his actions, but the reach of that coul...

Copyrighted material is an important matter with serious associated ramifications; however, it is critical that persons working in education consider the value-added in sharing intellectual property through communities and networks of professionals. Education is a quick-changing, adaptive economy that thrives through relationships, sharing, and knowledge. When those three things come together effectively, we have seen monumental shifts in education. The effective use of copyrighted materials in the teaching and learning process is critical to continued transformation and improvement in education.  Education is all about community. We know that teachers do their best when they are in a supportive community. Whether that be a physical, digital, or professional community; we know that community makes a huge impact on the success of teachers and students. One could argue that education has grown and transformed so much since it first began, though, through the use of copyrighted materi...

Can learning happen where there are no schools?” a quote by Nicholas Negroponte, 2002. COVID-19 brought on many obstacles, but this quote encompasses one of the most challenging of them all. During the spring and fall of 2020, schools across the nation and the globe had to figure out how to continue learning when schools were no longer a place that students could be. As a huge proponent and advocate for educational technology, it made me feel good, during this pandemic, to be able to offer training, support, and resources to my colleagues to help them engage and motivate their students using technology. However, as we review STAAR data from 2021, one thing is very clear: COVID-19 only impended learning for the students struggling the most.  It is easy to try to say that technology made things possible because in many ways it did. We were able to accomplish and overcome things during the pandemic that I never could have dreamed would be possible. But, the fact that data shows that o...

Terry Heck defines digital citizenship as “the self-monitored habits that sustain and improve the digital communities you enjoy or depend on” (2018). Mike Ribble defines digital citizenship as “the continuously developing norms of appropriate, responsible, and empowered technology use” (2017). And, for this course, lecture defines digital citizenship as “the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use” (Meeuwse, 2021). In reflecting on all of these definitions, I have determined my own definition of digital citizenship is as follows: Digital citizenship is responsible, equitable, and appropriate interaction with the digital world and its people.  Digital citizenship is a broad and, in my opinion, undervalued in my district. To open up the conversation and help my colleagues see the importance and value would be difficult, but it is necessity and a conversation I hope to lead in my organization very soon.  If I were to explain what digital citizensh...