21k12

Mike Gwaltney and I presented this afternoon at OESIS a session on robust and responsible digital citizenship; see my previous post for those slides.

At the center of that session we shared with the session participants the recently published EdSurge “Bill of Rights and Principles for Learning in the Digital Age,” and then asked them to use it is a model and inspiration for discussing and developing in small groups their own set of rights and responsibilities for learning, participating, and contributing in the digital age, aka a digital citizenship bill of rights.

Here is the link to the open google document for those who wish to join in the conversation and add their own additional suggestions: it is (should be) an open for editing document.

Below is the what the group came up with in our short time together.  I also welcome readers to use the comment box as another way to add their own suggestions or comment on this set— (which is not meant to be my own work, nor to be inclusive/exhaustive).

Our followup conversation was about the potential for bringing this back to your school community– Mike asked if it were Polyannish to think that this might be a real option.  But the conversation in the room was rich with the optimism that this is an exercise feasible in our schools and in our classrooms, democratizing the AUP.  Several said they are already in the midst of reinventing the AUP into a RUP– Responsible Use Policy– and a “Digital Citizenship Agreement.”

Several seemed to think it would be exciting to take this approach and make it a democratizing experience in our schools as a vehicle for all members of an educational community to examining, reflecting upon, and developing a more thoughtful, intentional, and meta-cognitive appreciation for the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of digital citizenship.

Rights

• Freedom of Expression
• Participation
• Guidance and Mentorship
• The right to access and not be filtered.
• Privacy and boundaries
• Right to your own creations with attribution.
• To safely experiment with ideas and expression and points of view.
• To Be treated with respect and common decency
• To participate in communities to the degree to which one is comfortable.
• To equal access.
• To unfiltered civil discourse and avoid the echo chamber tendency.
• To unplugged time.
• To contribute to and build upon the creative commons.
• To Access.
• To be Creative
• To express thoughtfully
• To express oneself without censorship
• To Transparency
• To dialog in a safe environment—without there being a right answer.
• To an environment in which things would not be said that we couldn’t /wouldn’t say face to face.
• To engage honestly with peers and that others will reciprocate understanding.
• To change your mind without being ridiculous.
• Ownership
• Expression
• T0 Control one’s identity and presence.
• To Community.
• T0 Curiosity

Responsibilities

• Honesty
• Transparency
• Cautiousness
• Respect for other opinions
• Taking responsibility and being held accountable.
• Treating others online as you would in person.
• Policy yourself and your colleagues
• Understands the responsibility that they are part of a community not a lone wolf.
• Mindfulness
• Self-Monitoring
• To self-regulate connections and connected-ness.
• Control one’s identity and presence.