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You’re in class and you come across a funny meme, what do you do:

• Save it for later
• Air drop it to all your friends
• Ignore it and go on with your school work

These are all things that students face on a daily basis as part of being a digital citizen.

Since Bellwood-Antis rolled out iPads last month, students have been learning Digital Citizenship in their classrooms.

Digital citizenship is etiquette, communication, literacy, commerce, law, access security, rights and responsibility. Nationwide, only a fourth of teachers say digital citizenship is taught in their school district. It is not something that is yet in the state school curriculum for the teachers to specifically teach.

Beyond etiquette, digital citizenship also includes students using their technology effectively without being inappropriate.

“Digital citizenship is very important to learn about because it is very shows how what you post now can affect jobs and other things you do, not only right now but also 30 years from now,” said junior Tabbie Thomas.

Tech adviser Ms. Jamie Forshey said that digital citizenship is “learning how to use the devices and the internet responsibly. Today most students don’t make wise decisions when it comes to using technology, so I think it’s important to teach students how to have digital citizenship when they use technology like social media  so they have the smarts not to send out something bad.”

Above all, the lesson that Ms. Forshey wants students to learn is “everything that students do online leaves a digital footprint, and anyone can trace that back to you if it’s bad or good. I want all the students to have a positive footprint instead of a negative one.”

At Bellwood-Antis there are several measures in place to promote digital citizenship. All social studies in the high school have added a common sense program to their curriculum that will continue and get more in-depth through the student body’s ninth through twelfth grade years.

Still, there are those people who think that digital citizenship is not needed or shouldn’t  be taught during school. However, others feel teachers should teach it because the school is the one providing the devices.

“Digital citizenship is extremely important. It is our responsibility to make sure kids know what it is and what is and isn’t appropriate,” said Bellwood-Antis High School principal, Mr. Richard Schreier. “We would love it if the parents would handle that on their end, but we know that not every parent even knows or is equipped with the correct material.”