Local elementary students get a lesson in digital citizenship
Technology in the classroom is an essential part of education today. Keeping student safe is equally as important.
That’s why students at Sioux City elementary schools are learning about digital citizenship.
This week, fourth-graders at Bryant Elementary are getting an interactive lesson about showing respect online.
Teachers tell us the introduction serves as a safe pathway for students to follow.
“We’re really working from a foundation of if you’re safe at school, how do I take what I’ve learned at school to be safe of home or while I’m by myself,” said Polly Meissner, traveling teacher in Sioux City.
Mrs. Meissner says students as young as kindergarteners are being introduced to digital citizenship.
Although students may not retain everything included in these age-appropriate lessons, Meissner says the discussion helps build a safety net for kids.
“They may not remember everything I teach them but they may grab a little bit of it that, oh, Mrs. Meissner said if something makes me feel uncomfortable I need to tell an adult. So I just think that exposing them to that at least once a year if not more is a chance to remember, I need to be safe,” added Meissner.