Journal 3

Students Need a Digital Driver's License Before They Start Their Engines - NETS 4

Swan, G., & Park, M. (2012). Students need a digital driver's license before they start their engines. Learning and Leading with technology, 40(5), 26-28. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-leading/digitaledition/digital-edition-february-2013

 

Reflection

     At first, I took the title of this article literally and I thought it was about an actual digital driver's license. Once I grasped what I was really reading, I decided that I really liked this idea. I think that it fulfills a need that has not been here before. All of the new technology that is getting more and more attainable poses new obstacles that we need to meet and overcome and the area of education is not immune. So many students have their own smartphone/laptop/tablet and many schools provide devices that students can take home with them. Students are using these devices to communicate with their classmates and the digital driver's license is a program that students would take to make sure that they have developed digital citizenship and take responsibility for their actions on the internet. 

In what ways are schools are using the digital driver's license?

     Schools use the program in different ways. Some use it as a way to allow students to use the school network on their own devices. Another school used it as a prerequisite to take the school-provided devices home with them. I think either or both of these examples are easily attainable for students.

How widely used is the program?

     According to the article, 14,000 students have used the program since 2011. I think that this program should be used more because technology is always becoming more prevalent in schools. I think that it will increase the sense of digital citizenship and influence students to act responsibly when using technology.