Digital Citizenship 5: A Message from Ms. Manners

Good manners and civilized social behavior has been traditionally taught by both parents and teachers. The same etiquette we've learned to apply to family, friends and professional relationships, carry into the digital world. It's important that we teach our children to apply these good manners to their use of digital tools. The following ten commandments are presented by Miss Manners as a way of extending our general behavior in society to the digital world.

1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.
2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work.
3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's files.
4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.
5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.
6. Thou shalt not use or copy software for which you have not paid.
7. Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without authorization.
8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output.
9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you write.
10. Thou shalt use a computer in ways that show consideration and respect.

When in doubt about my manners in the digital world I ask myself a simple question, 'What would my grandma say?" I think many of us can recall an individual in our life who instilled in us the common since to apply good manners to a variety of settings. It's import that we instill in our children the same common sense when applying good manners in the digital settings. For more information on netiquette and internet safety you can visit the following sites.

http://course.cse.ust.hk/comp102/Info/digitethic.htm
http://www.edutopia.org/whats-next-2008-netiquette-guidelines#sidebar
http://www.edutopia.org/netiquette-guidelines
http://www.bpl.org/kids/netiquette.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Et8PzXHlcA&NR=1
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=df79qwfs_149drc2x73g
http://netsmartkids.org/computers.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Esj-PBmXjCU&feature=related