Students Are The New Digital Influencers
ED注：该帖子已从2014年出版中重新发布。
It was June.
My eighth grade classroom was sweltering with the early summer heat and 32 anxious students ready to bolt through the doors towards graduation. But we weren’t discussing the graduation ceremony, finals, or even summer vacation.
“Did you see Amy’s Snapchat picture?” a boy in the back of the room muttered. Snickers spread like wildfire in the back of the room, and the group turned to look towards Amy’s empty desk. “I thought the pictures disappeared after you sent them,” another girl in the front row whispered.
This was my reality. I wasn’t standing in front of a class of 13-year-olds to talk about academics. Something much more important was at hand, a lesson that would affect the rest of their professional and personal lives. It was difficult for my middle school students to believe that their digital posts and photos could be seen by the rest of the world. They argued with me about privacy settings, friending, and following, but the conclusion was still the same.
How did their teacher, administrator, and parents end up with their photos in hand? Slowly, my students began to grasp the power of social media and its contribution to their online identities. It was the first time anyone had talked to my students about their digital footprints, but by eighth grade many of them had already imprinted several. All of my students were already using online spaces for both academic and social purposes, and needed to be guided in their behavior.
Social As An Experience
Simply because something is powerful, doesn’t mean that it should be feared. At a young age, students are introduced to a digital megaphone that will highlight their voice and experiences to the entire world with the click of a button. As students are taught to be positive role models in their communities, they should also learn to be great digital citizens and leaders. Unlike behavior in the school hallways or on the playground, online interactions are recorded — forever. The sooner students learn how to shape their digital footprint and the responsible ways to interact online, the better.
In reality, most students have a digital footprint before they’re even born. How many photos are there on Facebook of weddings, pregnancies, sonograms, and infants? From the moment they enter this world, many children are already creating a digital portfolio that will later be evaluated in academic, professional, and even personal situations. The same goes for early digital academic work and social interactions outside of school.
As this new digital generation emerges, most children use a mobile device long before entering the classroom.According to a study by常识媒体在美国，有75％的儿童在家中使用移动设备。这个百分比的年龄不断增长，因为Pew Researchstates that 78 percent of teens have a cell phone, and almost half (47 percent) of those own smartphones. They are also apt to have multiple devices, with 23 percent owning a tablet computer, a comparable percentage to the general adult population.
学会放置数字足迹
随着移动设备的广泛分配，至关重要的是，学生在21世纪取得成功所需的数字公民技能至关重要。这应该早在幼儿园就进行教授，并进行适合年龄的活动，以慢慢培养学生的在线行为和身份。数字公民身份由两个关键要素组成：转移到在线世界的社会和情感学习以及以富有成效和积极的方式使用数字工具的能力。
社交和情感学习可以通过允许学生在在线空间中练习互动来实现，就像学生学习离线合作一样。有时，父母和老师担心允许学生在线社交会导致在线欺凌或其他不适当的数字行为。这种恐惧有时会导致父母和学校禁止或大量监控社交媒体空间和移动设备，从而导致学生错过了他们迫切需要的教育。
As students learn how to partake in discussions with their peers and treat one another face to face, the same needs to be said for online interactions. In addition to social and emotional digital learning, the technical part of using devices and navigating online spaces is also important. All teachers should show students how to use mobile apps in a world that is moving increasingly towards a mobile market. The vast availability of education apps make them the most popular in the app store, with 500,000 available on iTunes.
Considering that 70% of U.S. students use mobile apps to help them study, it is evident that such apps provide an engaging way for students to learn technical skills and acquire content.
将足迹变成影响力
导航新技术的能力将帮助高中，大学及其职业生涯的学生。这样的技能只能帮助他们在竞争激烈的就业市场中取得成功，而缺乏技术知识只会损害他们成功的机会。
正如我在那个夏天的那天在课堂上意识到的那样，教学数字公民身份可能是我在学生离开课之前可以给的最重要的课程之一。讨论，活动和指导性实践不仅会在同学中带来更积极和支持的在线环境，而且这些教训还将为学生做好准备。学习数字公民身份将使我的学生的声音和经验并不经验不足和不成熟，而是像年轻的领导者和影响者一样。我的学生可以通过放大的声音找到他们的激情，并取得积极的改变。
As educators, we have our work cut out for us. With many employers and colleges looking to online profiles, knowledge of one’s digital footprint is extremely important. Inspire your students to use mobile devices and navigate social spaces with their influence in mind.
无论他们的年龄多大，他们都具有令人难以置信的 - 对他们而言，真实的能力，可以更好地发挥作用。
Students Are The New Digital Influencers; adapted image attribution flickr usermkhmarketing