Digital Smarts - Be a Mentor for Digital Citizenship

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November 10th, 2016
by aaylward
in
Digital Citizenship
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Parents and teachers are no doubt working hard to educate children about safe practices with technology, but being a good digital citizen is often more about following the behavior modeled by the adults around you. How can parents be good digital mentors? Devorah Heitner, digital citizenship expert, lays out a set of principles in what she calls the Mentorship Manifesto.

 

Here’s a condensed version:

  • Mentors start from a place of empathy as a path to trust and open communication.

  • Mentors understand that social interactions are more complex now, and that kids need help in building good personal relationships.

  • Mentors recognize that tech savvy is not the same as wisdom. Life experience is a critical factor in the equation.

  • Mentors believe in collaboration over control. Co-creating solutions with kids takes advantage of their creativity and builds trust.

  • Mentors are ready to be accountable. Recognizing and correcting bad technology habits serves as a model for kids.