DC Intro: Norms and Responsibilities

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DC Intro: Norms and Responsibilities

Lisa Beal
Technology rules the world. It has changed our children and our students and the grownups around them. The work ethic has changed, expectations have changed, the millennials have no clue how to live in society and their parents are struggling to try and "fix" what has happened. There are no NORMS where schools are concerned that I can see. Some schools allow BYOD, others provide 1-to-1 devices, others still have nothing but what is shared at school. Some schools allow cell phones, others have a strict zero tolerance policy. As educators, we have a RESPONSIBILITY to help teach our students how to be safe online, how to speak up if something is happening, how to protect others if they see cyber-bullying, how to behave as citizens in this ever-changing world. And what a task we have in front of us, particularly when the adults and leaders around us don't even know how to act online! Social media has become a chance for some to step out of their comfort zones, hide behind a screen, and say what they would never say to someone face to face. Or alternately, social media has people painting pictures of their "perfect lives" on screen when in fact their lives are crumbling. How is a child or teen supposed to act when what they see around them is so confusing? How do we, as educators, explain to our students the etiquette, the dangers, and the benefits of technology? We have quite the challenge ahead of us.