Whose Ideas Are They, Really? Rethinking Ownership in the Digital Classroom

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to “own” something in the digital world, especially when it's is an idea. As educators and learners, we’re constantly creating things like lesson plans, discussions, media projects, or reflections. However, once something is uploaded to a school platform, a shared drive, or even social media, who really owns it? It’s easy to assume we do, but that’s not always the case.

Whether it’s a student’s TikTok science demo or a shared group presentation on Google Slides, content created in digital spaces often gets detached from its original author. Things like reposts and screenshots push content far beyond its original context. What starts as a personal learning moment can quickly become a viral one, without credit or consent. I wonder if students are hesitant to share creative work online for this very reason. How can they be sure who will see it, how it will be used, or whether their voice will be respected?

And then there’s privacy. Many learning platforms are designed to collect data “in the background.” Students may not realize their clicks, logins, and interactions are being tracked, not to personalize their experience, but often to improve a product or predict user behavior. These systems aren’t inherently evil, but they can leave learners feeling exposed or used.

This is why I believe digital ethics should be part of how we teach. Our students need to understand how ownership, attribution, and consent work in online spaces. As educators, we need to model those values, whether by giving credit for ideas, protecting student data, or encouraging critical discussions about how platforms operate.

The digital classroom isn’t just a place to teach content. It’s a space to teach responsibility, respect, and agency. And that starts with asking questions about what we create, what we share, and who gets to claim it.