Digital Citizenship

Digital access and digital communication are both vital components of the "Internet-Age" society and are indispensable in the world of online education.

Digital Access is the “full electronic participation in society" (Ribble, n.d.), which means that

"everyone should have access to digital technology..." (MoodleShare, 2012). According to Lockamy (2015), "Digital Access is full electronic participation in society (sometimes called the Digital Divide).”

 

Basically, digital access is people’s ability to connect to and use modern digital technology, such as the Internet, cell phones, Wi-Fi, etc., in order to engage in communication, research, game playing, work, or education. Not everyone has digital access and even among those who do, there is a wide variance between how much they are able or willing to participate. Some people may access digital technology only for work, school, or emergencies, while others may spend all of their time utilizing it, often to excess.

These differences notwithstanding, digital access is advantageous to the online learner and educator since it allows them to interact with one another despite there being great distances between them (time, location, etc.). While it is possible to teach a student without the use of digital communication (mail-in courses, landline telephones, etc.), it is not very convenient, efficient, or fulfilling (for the educator or the student).

I can use my students’ access to digital technology to teach them in online classes and have them perform most (or all) of their research via the Internet, while collaborating with each other through the use of email, Google Docs, or other types of online tools. I can even teach students in a brick and mortar classroom by accessing digital technology. Digital access makes it possible for me to pull-up online videos for my students to watch, take them on a digital tour of a museum or another country, and I can teach them through the use of integrated technology (SmartBoard, iPad, and the Cloud).

Because of its importance in the modern world, everyone should have digital access regardless of location, culture, socio-economic status, or any other demographic. It is this belief that has encouraged several organizations to implement “access for all” programs. Two such organizations are the Digital Access Project and Outernet.

While not exactly in the business of creating digital access for the world, the Digital Access Project was “founded in 1998 to help local non-profit organizations provide access + tech literacy programs in underserved communities" (The Digital Access Project, n.d.). Unlike the Digital Access Project, Outernet is creating the ability for anyone, anywhere to have digital access regardless of their ability to pay or their location in the world. Outernet is “humanity's public library, broadcast from space for free” (Outernet, 2015). According to Outernet (2015), it is their mission to take “the best of the web and broadcasts it from space for every human on Earth.” They go on to explain that the content they broadcast “is determined by anyone who chooses to vote on the most important things to share with humanity” (Outernet, 2015). 

Going hand in hand with digital access is digital communication. If not for digital access, we would not be able to communicate digitally. The most obvious use of digital communication is that which takes place between two or more people via email, cell phone, video conferencing, etc (NYU, 2015). While these are all forms of digital communication, they are not the only uses.

Digital communication is the "electronic transmission of information that has been encoded digitally (as for storage and processing by computers)" (digital communication, n.d.) or as Ribble (n.d.) states, digital communication is simply the “electronic exchange of information.”

There are a variety of different definitions, but they all have one thing in common, and that is to explain that digital communication is simply the exchange of information across an electronic (digital) medium (NYU, 2015). Some of these types of media are websites, text, audio, and video. As technology evolves, the main method of communication and interaction among people is evolving, as well.

In many parts of the modern world, children are exposed to digital technology while they are still babies. By the time these children reach school, they are well-versed in the use of various forms of digital communication, abilities that only improve and expand as they age and make their way in the world (NYU, 2015). As adults, people have come to depend on email, interactive websites, texting, and social media to interact with one another, including performing work related functions and attending school classes.

Through the use of digital communication, students can go to school, collaborate on projects, and perform research in the world’s largest digital library (Outernet, 2015). Through video conferencing, students can attend “live” lectures and even learn and practice a new language with native speakers. The ability of students to expand their knowledge of the world and learn about cultures other than their own will help to make them more accepting of diversity, as well.

 In fact, through digital access and digital communication, so many doors can be opened for people who might otherwise have to become beggars, perform hard labor, or marry for survival. With access to digital media, these people can learn skills, how to read and write, attend school, and much more. Digital access and communication will help to equalize the people of the world by giving them all access to the same information and a chance at an education regardless of their demographics.

References

The Digital Access Project. (n.d.). The Digital Access Project. Retrieved from

          http://www.digitalaccess.org

Digital communication. (n.d.). In The Free Dictionary online. Retrieved from

          http://www.thefreedictionary.com/digital+communication

Lockamy, T. B. (2015). Digital access. Digital citizenship. Retrieved from

http://internet.savannah.chatham.k12.ga.us/district/ddi/media/Digital%20Citizenship/Pages/DigitalAccess.aspx

MoodleShare. (2012, June 26). Definition of digital access. Retrieved from

          http://moodleshare.org/mod/page/view.php?id=14997&inpopup=1

NYU. (2015). Digital Communications. New York University. Retrieved from

http://www.nyu.edu/employees/resources-and-services/media-and-communications/ digital-communications.html

Outernet. (2015). Enabling universal information access: Libraries from space. Outernet.

          Retrieved from https://outernet.is

Ribble, M. (n.d.). Nine elements: Nine themes of digital citizenship. Retrieved from

          http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html