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| Copyrights in Shreds Image by Catherine MacBride From Getty Images |
Everyone at my undergraduate institution had a computer (they were provided for free to each student). But, research was still predominately done in the library searching through a localized database and requesting inter-library loans via a paper document. My point is, I grew up in a time, which was not so long ago, that did not have the worries of leaving digital traces of ourselves and we did not even comprehend that digital citizenship would really be a thing.
This post comes about from an assignment I have been working on in a class I am taking for professional development. We were challenged to work with a partner to create an info graphic about digital citizenship. It was broad and we could cover the topic of digital citizenship or even just make an info-graphic about something related, such as FERPA issues. My group member and I chose FERPA as it relates to college students and their rights (as well as their parents). It was a fun activity and I really enjoyed completing it with my fellow classmate. Here is a link to the info graphic we created: A College Student's Guide to FERPA.
After creating this with my fellow classmate, I starting thinking about the assignment in a different way. Students (and people in general) just do not know things that maybe they should know. I am not claiming to be versed on any specific issue relating to digital citizenship or other aspect, but I do take the time to try to learn and understand. It seems like young adults are missing this piece of the puzzle. They can create media, but they have no idea about protecting it or protecting someone else's work. An example I can give is my own son. I have a 14 year-old son (who is in high school, but attending college at the same time). If I asked him to write some code or create digital content, he could in the blink of an eye. If I were to ask him, however, how to cite media or attribute media, he would have no idea. It is not that his father and I have never told him it is important. I also know this high school and college have told him of its importance, but it is like it goes over his head. Is it maturity level? Is it apathy? I have no idea.
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| Copyright Keyboard Image by Peter Dazeley From Getty Images |
Being informed about digital citizenship is important. While I know the basics of digital citizenship, I realize I do not know everything. I remember being told very general statements about educational uses of material and copyright issues. It was common to hear someone say, "well, we are in education, we can use anything for education purposes" or "copyright does not really affect us because we are in education". I knew even then, something did not sound right about it. But, it's funny how little we learn about it when it is really important.
One thing we need to do as educators is prepare our students the best we can. They have grown up in a world, where most of their life they were taught they could post anything and everything they want to any digital space. Even in this digital age, my students do not realize that they have worry about proper citation of images, videos, and other media or writing. Where have we gone wrong? How do I know more about this stuff, when my students are clueless? I think we need to be better educators for ourselves and for our students.
I totally agree with you on the need for people (educators and students) to better understand the proper ways to cite materials and when and when not to use them. This week alone I have had to deal with two cases of severe plagiarism. In both cases, the student "took" items that they had found online and simply put them into their own works and called it theirs. One was a video sounds track, and when asked, the student did not see it as the same as "cheating" and taking a paper or other "words" and using it. It really highlighted for me just how "uneducated" a college-age student can actually be. But as you point out, it's not just our students have have to be aware of copyright laws...faculty members are just as guilty. As we incorporate more and more technology into our educational environments, we MUST also incorporate more training of faculty and students on these issues.
ReplyDeletePatricia, I agree with your argument that educators must do more to teach students not only how to appropriately use and attribute sources of information but also why this is such an important responsibility. I believe it is the responsibility of all of us, regardless of our discipline, to develop these skills in students.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that educators need to emphasize the importance of digital citizenship. When I was in high school, my teachers put the fear in us by stating that we will fail the course if we were caught not citing work. The term plagiarizing, suddenly had a great focus deep and was considered academic dishonesty, at the same level of cheating. With my fear of failure, I went through high school always making sure I was not publishing work without proper citation. Going into college, I continued the good habit but learned and still am learning so much about digital citizenship. I do realize that students still believe no one will know that they copied another person's work since there is such a vast amount of information, they believe is it impossible for them to "get caught." But for those students who truly do not know how to cite work, then it is our job, as educators, to help the students progress in digital citizenship.
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