Saturday 15 March 2014

Weekly Report & Reflection blog post # 8

        I've been on the user end of wiki's thus far; mainly learning from Wikipedia. I've never contributed to the wikis but I do appreciate the insight gained from the wealth of knowledge out there. In the case of Wiki's, the knowledge that is being imparted to the end user comes from a diverse authorship as opposed to one body. This allows for a broader view of topics through different lenses.

            After exploring wikis in this session, I now see the use of them beyond an online reference tool; I have seen the personal advantage of it now and may even use it in the future. I have however quickly become a fan of Google Chrome and all of its Apps. I have backed up many of my schoolwork documents in the cloud . I love the fact that all my apps and features are integrated into one platform and can be accessed across devices as long as you have internet connectivity.
            Last week I had the pleasure of working with two classmates from different courses using Google Docs. Interestingly enough one was a younger student, who was seemingly tech savvy and the other was an older adult with limited computer skills. Both were unfamiliar with Google docs but had no problems navigating the "docs" app!

         Alongside the embracing of new technologies, I recognise that there comes Digital Rights and Responsibilities. They are the "privileges and freedom extended to all digital technology users, and the behavioral expectations that come with them" (Ribble & Bailey, 2007).  Using technology responsibly involves an understanding of many issues. We want to be safe and act responsibly when using technology, therefore we must understand the rules for technology and act morally, ethically and legally to have positive online experiences. 
         Using technology responsibly involves an understanding of many issues. We want to be safe and act responsibly when using technology, therefore we must understand the rules for technology and act morally, ethically and legally to have safe experiences online.  Below, I have indentified, what I deem to be three of the more important aspects of Digital Responsibility:

        Plagiarism - Students should be taught how to use material they find online appropriately. Many of us are not well informed about copyright, it's meaning nor consequences. We must cite material and acknowledge the work of anyone besides ourselves.

        Cyber bullying - Threatening others through technology is an inappropriate use of technology. Within recent times, cyber bullying has been on the increase. In many cases suicide as been traced back to this type of bullying leaving the often unaware/uninformed attacker to face serious criminal charges.

Privacy/Security - As responsible, proactive digital citizens, we should recognize the potential risk that information sharing poses to all of us. "...as responsible citizens, we must protect our information from outside forces that might cause disruption or harm.” (Ribble, 2014). Identity thieves, hackers and viruses are only  a few of the many online threats that should encourage to practice digital safety.

         In order to become digital citizens we must understand the rights and responsibilities as participants in the digital world. Safe, informed and appropriate practices online will enable us to engage in positively with technology.

Genie.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
― Mahatma Gandhi



Digital Responsibility image: Badal,E. (cc)2014.
Wiki image retrieved from: http://www.creativeeducation.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/06/class-wiki/

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