{"id":1009,"date":"2017-08-29T06:52:01","date_gmt":"2017-08-29T10:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/teachersfirst.com\/blog\/?p=1009"},"modified":"2019-04-05T15:34:17","modified_gmt":"2019-04-05T19:34:17","slug":"the-first-amendment-and-digital-citizens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/2017\/08\/the-first-amendment-and-digital-citizens\/","title":{"rendered":"The First Amendment and Digital Citizens"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>“Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”<\/p>\n

In these\u00a0few, brief written words,\u00a0the First Amendment<\/a>\u00a0protects so many of our cherished civil rights. However its interpretation has kept U.S. courts busy for 225 years as citizen groups actively defend them. As the school year begins, our rights guaranteed by the First Amendment continue to be topics of front page print news, online media\u00a0reports, and the Tweets & Facebook postings of our social media friends.<\/p>\n

Teaching our students about the First Amendment and how to navigate overwhelming amounts of information daily are part of the broader topic of media literacy. Media literacy education involves making sure our students are literate, no matter what the medium, and that they are good digital citizens in the use of technology to conduct their online lives. Just as our rights as American citizens come with responsibilities so do our rights as digital citizens.<\/p>\n

When considering our individual rights, especially free speech and free press, the Center for Media Literacy definition<\/a> says, “Media Literacy is a 21st century approach to education. It provides a framework to access, analyze, evaluate, create and participate with messages in a variety of forms \u2014 from print to video to the Internet. Media literacy builds an understanding of the role of media in society as well as essential skills of inquiry and self-expression necessary for citizens of a democracy.”<\/p>\n

Thus, it is important to understand our digital citizenship rights and responsibilities. Digital Citizenship competencies are covered extensively in the International Society for Technology in Education’s\u00a0Standards for Students<\/a>. My favorite way of sharing what makes a good digital citizen is this infographic<\/a>\u00a0which provides an easy summary for middle grades and higher. Mike Ribble’s Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship<\/a> emphasize students’ understanding of the responsibilities that come with freedom of speech. Ribble clarifies, “Basic digital rights must be addressed, discussed, and understood in the digital world. With these rights also come responsibilities as well. Users must help define how the technology is to be used in an appropriate manner. In a digital society, these two areas must work together for everyone to be productive.”<\/p>\n

Teaching about the First Amendment, especially free speech and free press, is part of our school curriculum, especially at the secondary level. Here are some resources to involve your students and get them thinking critically and using their media literacy skills to better understand these concepts.<\/p>\n

Media Literacy and Evaluating Online Information\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n