My first introduction to a personal computer and access to the internet in the school environment came when I was around grade 5, when I was provided with my own personal laptop to use for school work. While I don’t remember any specific method or technique being used to teach me to be safe on the internet, two lessons I recall vividly learning were: never give out personal information to anyone (i.e. name, phone number, personal photos, etc.) unless you are 100% sure you know the other person, and a computer is only to be used for work and not recreation (such as videogames). The first point was hammered into my head through both scare tactic stories (not videos, but more parents and teachers explaining how things could go wrong) and parental advice continuously warning me as well. My computer was also only to be used in a public area in my house (never to be used alone in my room) so that my parents/teachers could ensure it was being used responsibly. The second point emphasized was that the laptop I was given was for school purposes and my parents warned that learning to associate a computer with videogames or recreation could affect my focus when trying to get work done. They suggested that if I wanted to play games then I should just get a console instead, therefore creating an association of my computer being for work, and my console being for games. As I got older the restrictions relaxed
little by little, but after moving to Canada I have no recollection of internet safety talk in the school environment. Anytime I saw the scare tactic type videos it was usually shown by a friend and we shared a laugh at how funny or over serious they sometimes seemed. The only access I had to the internet at my high school was via the computer lab which was only used during class time for work that the teacher would supervise (such as paper writing or research). As for using a smartphone, I didn’t get my first phone until grade 12 and it was a flip phone, and I still use a flip phone to this day.
I personally believe that scare tactics are effective with a few conditions: first, the subject of the scare tactic must be younger as they are more impressionable, and secondly the message must be delivered by someone the subject views as trustworthy. A large reason why the two lessons I remember have stuck with me through the years is that they were reinforced by the words of my parents, and were told to me when I was just gaining access to the internet. If it was only the school telling me these things, or if I was in my ‘rebellious teen’ years I would probably have thought nothing of it, but because I was younger and my parents were giving me this warning it was suddenly very important and to be remembered at all costs. Another method I believe to be effective is through displaying ‘proper’ use of computers and the internet. I never saw a computer being used for recreational purposes growing up (other than perhaps a PC Bang, a Korean internet cafe where patrons rent computers often to play games, but this created an exception as it was an area designed for gaming and was not the norm) as my parents used them for work, my classmates used them for work, and my teachers used them for work, so I also began to associate computers with work as well.
For approaching the issue of teaching digital citizenship in the classroom environment I believe that anytime a device that has access to the internet is brought into the classroom environment a small lesson should be done in how to use the technology in an appropriate manner while on school property. For example, during my small internship for ECS 101 I noticed how each student had access to a student laptop during certain tasks (such as paper writing, Kahoot, etc.). I feel that any discussion or lesson on proper internet habits and behaviors should occur before giving the student access to these devices. This lesson doesn’t need to be repeated every time the student wishes to use a laptop, but making sure it happens at least once before the student gains access to the entire internet seems appropriate. These talks can also develop further and further as the student progresses in grade as well, at first they may just learn the basics (such as digital access), then the next year they could learn about digital fluency, etiquette, etc.