Cut-and-paste generation takes on suspect websites

 News Article - tricia de g

Tim Barlass,  August 21, 2011, Sydney Morning Herald

Retrieved from:  http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/cutandpaste-generation-takes-on-suspect-websites-20110820-1j3k5.html

This article written by Tim Barlass and posted in the Sydney Morning Herald on August 21, 2011 would have served its readers better if it had been written with a focus on Digital Citizenship. The article drifted around the issues of plagiarism, corrupt and misleading websites and also cyber-safety without actually providing the reader with any detailed insight on any of these issues and how they can be addressed - except to say that one school tries to “build in a critical approach (Barlass, 2011, para. 11).”

If he had wanted to influence readers and not just vaguely allude to some of the issues facing school students today,  Barlass could have included  principles of good citizenship  into his article and promoted a  growing societal obligation to  teach students at our schools how to be good citizens online. He could have made reference to Mike Ribble who has published a “recipe” for good digital citizenship entitled - 9 Steps to Building a GoodDigital Citizen. (Villano, 2008, p.3)

The article brushed very briefly on three issues that could be categorised into the 9 Steps to Building a Good Digital Citizen (Ribble as cited in Villano, 2008, p. 3 -4). Plagiarism would be considered as under the Digital Law Element; recognising and dealing with misleading websites would be considered in the Literacy Element of the 9 steps and cyber-safety would be considered within the Self protection/Security Element when talking about personal safety, as well as in the Etiquette Element -when dealing with others online (Ribble as cited in Villano, 2008, p. 3 -4).

Perhaps Barlass (2011) could have suggested that the teaching of digital citizenship, should not solely be undertaken by schools, but instead as Villano, (2008, p.6 ) advocates, it should be the joint responsibility of home and school working in partnership to develop responsible digital citizens. Barlass could also have simply developed his article around the premise that good citizenship – digital or real life – requires us to: “Obey the law, have respect for others, act civilly and sensibly.” (Villano, 200, P.1).

References

Villano, M. (2008). Text unto others…As You Would Have Them Text Unto You. T H E Journal, 35(9), 47-51. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Barlass, T., August 21, 2011, Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved from:  http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/cutandpaste-generation-takes-on-suspect-websites-20110820-1j3k5.html

Ribble ()  9 Steps to Building a Good Digital Citizen: Retrieved on October 26, 201, from http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/