digital citizenship

Here are a few “need to know” concepts about digital citizenship for this week. Being aware of contemporary issues surrounding the way teens navigate online is the first step to help them navigate tricky or new situations.

4 Terms/ concepts you should know:

Sexting: the sending of sexually explicit messages or images by cell phone/online

ZIS Responsible Use Policy pertaining to this issue

“I understand that creating, accessing, displaying, producing, storing, circulating or transmitting pornographic or offensive material in any form or medium is against school rules and in some cases against the law. This includes sending, posting or displaying offensive images, language or any other type of offensive content including the bullying, harassment or intimidation of others.”

What’s App: messenger app to send text messages, videos, photos and short audio messages to one or many people with no message limits or fees. WhatsApp’s privacy policy states that users must be age 16 or older (commonsensemedia What’sApp review).

Snapchat : messaging app to exchange user-generated photos, which can’t be saved within the app and are view able for one to ten seconds before disappearing from the recipient’s device (common sence media Shapchat review ).

More info:

Q&A: Is Snapchat a gateway to sexting?

The film, Sexy Baby follows three females: a normal teenage girl, a pornstar, and a women wanting plastic surgery, all influenced by prevalence of media today. It’s graphic and crude in parts, but in my opinion does a good job of explaining the situations our students are encountering in today’s world w/ quick access to media. You can watch the full version on iTunes or here is the trailer (*warning don’t view in front of your kids)