Use Your Manners!

https://www.history.org/history/teaching/enewsletter/june03/techtips.cfm

Digital etiquette is one of Ribble’s (2017) nine themes of digital citizenship and is a common concern for many educators at all levels. The Pew Research Center (2014) found that 73% of adults have witnessed some form of online harassment. But, digital etiquette extends well beyond avoiding harassment. It includes learning appropriate standards of behavior for interacting online.

I came across this great idea on the Colonial Williamsburg website! The site refers to the 110 rules for civility that George Washington wrote as a young man. He describes the behaviors people should enact when in the company of others. The Colonial Williamsburg site offers educators an idea for a lesson that adapts the etiquette ideas of George Washington into the modern digital age.

As an adult educator, I would ask my students to study the 110 rules for civility proposed by George Washington. In a small group discussion, students would identify two or three rules that could apply in our society today. Then I would ask students to find examples of the rule being broken in the online environment and offer a suggestion for how to rectify the infringement.

References

Duggan, M. (2014). Online harassment. Retrieved from: https://www.pewinternet.org/2014/10/22/online-harassment/

Ribble, M. (2017). Nine elements: Nine Themes of digital citizenship. Retrieved from:  http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/nine-elements.html  

One thought on “Use Your Manners!

  1. Kat,
    The 110 rules of civility that was proposed by George Washington that you stated would be extremely useful in the online classroom. I would use infuse different rules (applicable) into the curriculum, that is, students would be asked to participate in the discussion forum on a particular rule each week, and state how it relates to appropriate online behavior.

    Sandra

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