Final Reflections on Digital Citizenship in Runner's World

This experience of participating in an online forum taught me a great deal about online communities and digital citizenship. I was fascinated to find the wealth of information available about a hobby I truly love, and I was even more excited to see that this information was formed through the participation of other running enthusiasts. I feel that online communities are a testament to the strength in numbers, and to the beauty of this digital age. Before the internet and other technological developments, this type of community would be impossible. It is highly unlikely to find a group of people with a similar hobby who can truly commit to a community and live meetings; we all are busy with our own schedules and priorities. However, with the ease of communication these days, an online forum can become an encouraging community one can participate in with very little commitment or effort. 

I was very pleased to find that the digital citizenship in my forum was very positive for the most part. I never came across hostile comments, the only veering from positive digital citizenship was toward arrogance. In general, I would say that the forum was full of encouragement for all runners involved. I found that there were definite frequent users of the forum that I saw commenting in almost every thread. These all stars of the forum could be a bit intimidating to newcomers like myself, who faced difficulty receiving responses at first. However, I found that the best way to get participation in the forum was to pose a question to my fellow runners who are full of their own experiences and willing to give advice. This forum had countless advice for runners in all different sections, and I learned more than I ever could from a personal trainer or a book. I was able to feed off the advice of hundreds of successful and passionate runners. 

I feel that participating in an online forum was a crucial experience as a high school teacher. I used to look at online forums with suspicion and some fear. Now I realize that when approached responsibly, they can be excellent resources. However, the maturity of a graduate student and a high school student are very different. I feel that if one were to encourage students to participate in such forums, there would need to be an ongoing conversation about safety on the internet and digital citizenship. However, having successfully participated in an online forum, I feel I am more prepared to educate my students about digital citizenship and online safety. As an English teacher it is my belief that any type of writing can help one become a better writer. One of the beautiful things about forums is it gives participants a chance to express themselves in as concise or expanded ways they choose. Any activity that engages a student in writing is a step toward developing their writing skills. This is why I think class participation in a forum or blog could be a great way to encourage informal writing. The other great thing about a blog or forum is that though it is informal and can be creative, it is published to the internet. This encourages the writer to be careful about their writing and take pride in it, more than a typical free write or journal. I feel that the possibilities presented by online forums and blogs for encouraging both student writing and digital citizenship are endless. 

I am pleased with my successful participation in an online forum this term. I feel I will likely stay in the forum and visit it occasionally to get ideas and tips about running. I also know that my fears about online forums have been quelled. At least in Runner's World, I was pleased to find that the participants did not consist of angry people smack talking one another from the privacy of their computers. Instead it was a community of support and encouragement, which gave me a little more hope for the world in the digital age. Despite being complete strangers from miles apart, we can all act like civil and kind humans trying to build community.