Digital+Citizenship+Website

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== Digital Citizen Website ==

The requirements of this assignment were two-fold. A website was to be created with an overall theme of Digital Citizenship. In other words, what it means to be a digital citizen in a digital world. Within the website, it was required that three topics be examined.
 * Description of the Assignment**:

The first topic was Digital Law / Digital Rights and Responsibilities / Digital Literacy. A webpage had to be constructed that discussed a current topic in a way that that would help the user to better understand subjects like copyright and the legal, ethical, and safe use of information. The second topic consisted of Digital Access. It was required that this webpage discuss equitable access for all citizens regardless of physical or mental ability. This page also discussed assistive technologies in a digital community. A digital access survey was required for this section of the website. The third and final topic of the website discussed Digital Etiquette / Digital Communications. This webpage included topics like proper etiquette in the many digital environments a citizen might encounter.

A pamphlet or Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) was required to accompany the Digital Law and Digital Etiquette pages of the website. An assistive technology survey was required for the Digital Access portion.

A narrative paper was required for each of the three webpages that made up this website. The narrative paper gave a step-by-step evaluation of the purpose of the topics covered.

**Process:**
The research for this website was accomplished by researching each topic using the internet and various publications. The Wix.com website construction site was used to create the website. This is a Web 2.0 tool that can be utilized anywhere. All information and graphics on the website are stored on the Wix.com site. The one limitation to the Wix.com site is that it currently does not allow for miscellaneous HTML code to be embedded into an individual website. The company is working on resolving this issue at the time this is written.

The first page of the website is a basic “Home” page. This page sets the tone for the rest of the site by introducing the basic concept of digital citizenship to the user. The intention was to encourage the user to proceed with interest to the next page of the website.

The next page of the website is entitled “Citations”. An explanation of the importance of copyright and proper citations is the purpose of this page of the website. Several sections such as citing works in the American Psychological Association (APA) format, proper citations when using Wikipedia, Creative Commons initiatives, and Digital Rights Management (DRM) are displayed on this web page. The purpose is to show the user the many facets of copyright and how and when to properly cite any creative work no matter what the format. A pamphlet reflecting the information on this webpage accompanied this webpage as a downloadable document.

The next webpage is entitled “Digital Access”. This part of the website explores the availability of assistive technology and digital access for those citizens who fall within the Autism Spectrum. Topics such as the American Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are discussed to enable the user a foundation of what is required by law when working with a disabled individual in a work or educational setting. The next section discusses various nuances of the Autism Spectrum and how it may manifest. This is a very broad overview and by no means intends to give an in depth analysis. The user is directed to other websites that can give him/her more information about the disorder. The next topic involves assistive technology aimed toward those within the Spectrum. These are technologies that are currently being used in educational and therapeutic settings. The videos also attempt to show the many aspects of working with someone with this disorder using assistive technology. The next section contains survey results of a casual survey I created in SurveyMonkey.com and distributed to the class and other educators. Only eleven responses were submitted, but a bar chart was placed within this section to illustrate the results. Videos are used throughout this page to illustrate the Autism Spectrum for those who have not experienced someone with the disorder.

The next page is entitled “Netiquette 101 – A Beginner’s Guide”. This page discusses some of the topics involved in proper etiquette when communicating in a digital environment. Topics such as email etiquette, instant messaging and chat room etiquette are explored. There is also a short section on internet safety and due diligence in knowing what personal information may have been placed within social networking sites without the user’s knowledge. Many videos and references to outside websites are used on this page to direct the user to research these topics independently.

It was important to me to add a “Resources” page at the very end. This consisted of a list of other websites containing detail information on the various topics discussed on the website. This is something I personally look for when perusing websites, so I thought it relevant to add it to this site.

**Reflection:**
Working on this website was a very intensive and sometime emotional (autism section) exercise for me. I wanted to create a website that not only displayed current and relevant information, but I wanted it to be aesthetically interesting as well. I was not interested in creating a simple, generic website. I wanted it to be something that would be memorable even when the information became unavoidably dry.

I learned more than I ever expected I would by creating this website. Not just in the construction of the site, but also in the content. My research lead me in directions that seemed to take me down the proverbial rabbit hole and my own interest in a particular topic sometimes got in the way of completing the assignment in a timely manner. As with most of my work, I do not feel that it is the best it can be, but time can get ahead of one’s best intentions. I hope that it will serve to be a useful website for anyone exploring the topic of digital citizenship. These are topics that have never been of particular interest to me, but now I do not know how I have been working all this time in a digital environment without this knowledge.