What is Digital Rights?
Is the protections that allow individuals to access, use, create, and publish digital media or to access and use computers, other electronic devices, or communications networks. The term is particularly related to the protection and realization of existing rights, such as the right to privacy or freedom of expression, in the context of new digital technologies, especially the Internet (Digital Freedom, 1999).
Specifically, Digital Rights focuses on the legality that ecompasses the appropriate citation of material used from technological sources for personal use. Most students are inadequately prepared for college work that requires much research and analysis. This inadequate preparation can cause many students to become in violation of their college's academic dishonesty policy by not citing their work properly. Additionally, many students in high school engage in some form of plagerism and don't even know it. This is why it is important for students to understand Digital Rights and how to protect themselves.
Specifically, Digital Rights focuses on the legality that ecompasses the appropriate citation of material used from technological sources for personal use. Most students are inadequately prepared for college work that requires much research and analysis. This inadequate preparation can cause many students to become in violation of their college's academic dishonesty policy by not citing their work properly. Additionally, many students in high school engage in some form of plagerism and don't even know it. This is why it is important for students to understand Digital Rights and how to protect themselves.
How can students be better prepared and safe?
To prepare students for college, teachers must teach students the issues behind using someone else's work and how to use that information appropriately.
First, teachers must explain to the students the problem of using someone else's work without citing it properly.
Examples of how to do so:
Teachers can ask the students to create a poem. Once every student completed the assignment the teacher can explain that he/she is going to enter them into a poetry contest as their own work. The students will clearly see how this is wrong.
Teachers can ask the students to read an article and then explain what they thought it was about. The teacher can then compile the students' thoughts into an essay and explain to them that he/she will be using it as a paper for a graduate class. The students will again clearly see how this is wrong.
Second, teachers must teach the students how to properly use other people's work and how to cite.
Teachers can create step by step activities that teach students how to use information they find on the internet. Additionally, the teacher can help the students create diagrams that allow them to learn the ways to cite and create safe works for themselves.
Another great way to teach your students how to use digital information appropriately is by having them cite the information they use on a regular basis, because as we know practice makes perfect.
First, teachers must explain to the students the problem of using someone else's work without citing it properly.
Examples of how to do so:
Teachers can ask the students to create a poem. Once every student completed the assignment the teacher can explain that he/she is going to enter them into a poetry contest as their own work. The students will clearly see how this is wrong.
Teachers can ask the students to read an article and then explain what they thought it was about. The teacher can then compile the students' thoughts into an essay and explain to them that he/she will be using it as a paper for a graduate class. The students will again clearly see how this is wrong.
Second, teachers must teach the students how to properly use other people's work and how to cite.
Teachers can create step by step activities that teach students how to use information they find on the internet. Additionally, the teacher can help the students create diagrams that allow them to learn the ways to cite and create safe works for themselves.
Another great way to teach your students how to use digital information appropriately is by having them cite the information they use on a regular basis, because as we know practice makes perfect.
How do you know your students are getting it?
Understanding Digital Rights can be very difficult since everything is readily available on the internet for the students. For this reason, it is important to continually practice using others ditigal works and citing them properly. If Digital Rights aren't constantly reinforced then students will continue to go on to college unprepared and at risk of breaking major academic rules. Additionally, students should be required to cite any of their works they create that require the use of research and various other resources. This will help you assess whether or not the students understand Digital Rights and if they can use different sources appropriately.
Resources:
The following are various types of media that explain Digital Rights.
Digital Rights and Responsibilities- this video is a good source for students to allow them to see the importance of Digital Rights.
Why Cite Your Sources- This video takes viewers through the various reasons why it is important to cite sources in order to avoid plagerism.
Website: Purdue OWL
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ - this website provides examples and information about various types of citations (MLA, APA, etc.) that could be used for reference sections of students' works.
Digital Citizenship by Justin Comegys is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.