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

Open and Distance Education Technologies

Distance learning is not something new to the world of education, having been around for many decades, but the creation of the Internet has opened up an entirely new way of utilizing this schooling option. Rather than having to send and receive all their physical materials and assignments through the postal service the distance learner can now access everything via their mobile device or computer at any time or place. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have also changed the way students interact with one another and their instructors compared to how it used to be done with mail-in courses.

The days of being on their own without the feeling of being in a community of like-minded fellow students or the guidance of their instructor are gone. MOOCs have made it possible for distance learners to contact their instructors and classmates almost immediately through the use of email, messaging, Skype, and many more. Additionally, modern technology has made it possible for students and teachers to interact with one another through online discussion boards and school portals (Blackboard, Sakai, etc.).

The development of such technologies as the pdf, digital books, and digital libraries has also made carrying around a “truckload” of expensive and heavy textbooks a thing of the past. The online learner can carry their entire school, along with books, library, classroom, teacher, and classmates, with them everywhere they go and access all of it at any time. If a student has a tablet/iPad/Kindle, smartphone/iPhone, or MacBook/laptop/Chromebook they can attend college or take classes regardless of how far away the nearest school is, whether or not they have the time or ability to attend a brick-and-mortar school, or if they have a job or family that results in scheduling conflicts.

Two open and distance education technologies that have the potential of enhancing adult learning are the MOOCs, such as MIT and Coursera, and the online school system, such as those accessed through the Blackboard and Sakai gateways.

One way to find out what schools or companies offer MOOCs and what types of courses there are is to check with a database such as edX or MOOC-List. MOOCs allow a person to learn about an almost endless selection of topics over the Internet. If a person wants to learn more about electronics, mathematics, English, or even all about wine, they can find an online course for it. Some of the most popular MOOCs are offered by Coursera, MIT, or Harvard, and include such topics as foreign languages, physics, English as a Second Language, and computer programming. While some MOOCs are still learner paced and have little (or no) instructor guidance, many are now a bit more scheduled with instructor input, assignment due dates, and exams.

Many MOOCs also offer free or low-cost options for those only wanting to acquire knowledge or a completion certificate, as well as a tuition-based diploma or college credit option for learners who want to get full credit for their learning. Many schools now allow students to take a CLEP exam in order to get credit for their previous life experiences, including knowledge gained from taking free MOOC courses. There is a MOOC out there for everyone, as there are options available for any topic or reason.

The online school system, made available through a gateway, is one of the most important distance technologies to be created so far in the world of education. In fact, many brick-and-mortar schools are now offering numerous courses and degree programs in this manner, while other schools have gone completely online (having no physical classrooms at all). Even those schools that do not offer online courses (or who have both online and physical classes) have turned to using digital gateways for their students, as well as electronic libraries, and digital books instead of paper textbooks.

Universities have discovered that it is less expensive and less stressful to operate an electronic school than it is one that is composed of numerous (often old) buildings, a huge staff, and that has thousands of students milling around (Towhidi, 2010). Additionally, students have found out that they can have a job, raise a family, and live anywhere in the world while still attending a college (and getting a degree) in another city, state, or even country (Towhidi, 2010).

With the inclusion of the electronic library and digital textbooks, these students are able to perform more in-depth research projects without being afraid that their needed journals, newspapers, or books are not available (checked out, at another library, or a non-borrowable reference book). After a quick search through the school’s electronic library, the student can locate a huge assortment of references and resources that they can then download in digital format for future use on any research project.

By using the school’s online gateway, such as Blackboard, the student can access learning modules, discussion boards, chat rooms, and their school’s email system, as well as being able to take care of their financial aid, class registration, and transcripts. They can also see what events might be planned, who might be offering internships or student job positions, and what their class or semester schedule might be.

Most schools that use a gateway system, such as Blackboard, also make themselves available to their students via any type of Internet capable device so that a learner can access their classroom, research for or write a paper, and turn-in their homework at any time from any place, as long as they have an Internet connection.

It is not likely that the brick-and-mortar university will completely disappear from the world of education (Buckridge, 2015). The modern development of many forms of open and distance learning technologies has made it possible for them to offer more choices to a wider variety of students than ever before (Penteliuc-Cotosman, 2006).

 This makes it possible for more people to attend college, resulting in a degree, an advancement in their career, or a new hobby (OnlineAndCampusSchools, 2015).

MOOCs, online school gateways, and the numerous technologies that go along with them have opened up the door to learning for anyone who wants it, making them some of the most important elements in today’s world of advancing educational technologies.

References

Buckridge, T. (2015, April 3). University bricks and mortar - Why they still matter. LinkedIn. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/university-bricks-mortar-why-still-matter-tom-buckridge

OnlineAndCampusSchools. (2015). What is the difference between online college and brick-and-mortar schools?. Online and Campus Schools. Retrieved from http://www.onlineandcampusschools.com/first-time-student/online-college-and-brick-and-mortar-schools/

Penteliuc-Cotosman, D. (2006). The new multimedia educational technologies, used in open and distance learning. Anale. Seria Informatica, IV(I), 195-204.

Towhidi, A. (2010, August). Distance education technologies and media utilization in higher education. Retrieved from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Aug_10/article01.htm