Global awareness and digital-age communication

Every teacher should have an awareness and understanding of the current world we live in. today we live in the digital age where new technology is constantly changing the ways we live our lives. Technology is constantly being added into the classrooms. When I was a kid we had a few computers in the school and that was it for technology. Today kids are using iPad’s and research databases in their studies.  In the digital age of communication students are more tech-savvy than ever before.  Teachers need to be aware of how they can incorporate these technologies into the classroom. There are many forms of digital age communication. Examples are Skype, twitter, Facebook, text messaging and more. It’s important for teacher to show their students how to properly uses these devices and give them the respect they deserve. Digital communication can have the same responses as face to face interactions. A rule of thumb in digital communication is treat others how you would want to be treated. 

Digital etiquette and responsible social interactions

Digital etiquette or netiquette as it is sometimes called, is a basic set of rules you should follow in order to make the internet better for others, and better for yourself. It's just as important to treat people with courtesy and respect online as it is in real life. People sometimes forget that interacting with people online can have same effect as face to face conversations. When posting comments about either yourself or others, it’s important to clearly think about what you’re writing. Your online interactions might have unaware consequences. Cyber-bullying is an issue that comes up with digital etiquette. Writing hurtful things about someone online can be just as hurtful maybe even more so than in real life. A basic rule to follow whit online interactions is to treat others how you would want to be treated. The internet can be a powerful tool when it comes to circulating opinion or information. Because it can be spread very quickly and is easy to access, the impact it can make can increase the dramatic. Some people are pushing for using their real names as user id to place more responsibility on people when they leave these comments. 

Safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology

Its important for a teacher to find a way to incorporate safe, legal,ethical use of digital information and technology in the classroom. Teachers need to provide a safe digital environment of their students. one of the ways a teacher can achieve this is by establishing rules and guidelines when using forms of technology in the classroom. By clearly teaching students what forms of legal issues are involved with these forms of technology, such as plagiarism, piracy, and using undesired website that are not age appropriate, these issues can easily be avoided. when students are using technology in the classroom its important for the students to be using the proper and safe websites. certain websites can serve as an excellent resource for gathering useful information, while others can serve as a distraction. Its important for teacher to make sure their students are properly engaged in the lesson plan and are not wondering off to prohibited websites.  
Copyright infringement is a major issue in all levels of schooling. Many people are either unaware or don't care that they are violating certain copy right protection laws and using other peoples information as their own without properly sighting and give credit to the author of the information. when students are using other peoples in their own work,  teachers need to make sure that they understand how to properly cite another person's work. If the students do not follow these safe, legal, and ethical rules of technology, or they do not treat the technology with respect, they will lose their privileges of using theses technology device. Technology can serve as an amazing and useful tool in the classroom that can help schools evolve into much greater things, as long as we take precautions.