Digital Etiquette

I often think that students from the ages of 11 to 16 aren’t aware of others around them at all. This is just an age when they are very self-focused in every area. Generally, they don’t consider how their actions affect others. I also think that this extends to technology. Students don’t pay attention to how their use of technology affects others, and they are often unaware of others when they use their digital devices. I see students of this age texting each other in class, during church, and during a movie. There is a time and a place for the use of technology, but students do not understand the etiquette associated with it. I also believe that students of this age have very little understanding of how harmful their actions can be. Cyberbullying: What the Research is Telling Us does point out that online harassment is still not the primary place where students experience harassment. However, it also points out the extremely negative effects that harassment may have on students. Students don’t consider what the results of their actions may be.
The solution is to start teaching students the right way to treat and act towards other with technology. However, as Ribble & Bailey point out these technologies are developing so fast that often parents, who usually teach etiquette to their children, are learning with their child. Students see the inapprorpriate use of technology and copy that example. Schools need to fill in the gap in this area. Teaching the appropriate use of technology by modeling usage of that technology is the solution. The days of “no cell phones allowed” are gone, or they should be. Who is going to teach students how to fill in this gap if it isn’t the school?