Teaching Students to be Digital Citizens

There seems to be a great deal of discussion around the term "digital citizenship."  The main idea of digital citizenship has to do with an individual understanding and conducting oneself appropriately with regard to technology.  To better understand digital citizenship we must look at the elements included in digital citizenship.  Curriculum resouces have been developed to assist teachers in preparing their students to use the Internet as responsible digital citizens.

Some of the discussions around digital citizenship talk about how students require leadership to understand the power they hold at their fingertips in the form of technology (Ohler, 2009).  The idea of empowering students through teaching them to be socially responsible instead of policing is mentioned as something that should be included in education (Truss, 2007).  Teaching both ourselves and our students about digital citizenship could be a way to prepare them for a society full of technology (Couros, 2007).  "Our children are watching us, they put their trust in us, they're gonna be like us..."(Maines, 2007).

After researching digital citizenship, in order to try and better understand it, there seems to be conflicting views as to what it should include.

Dr. Mike Ribble and Dr. Gerald Bayley provide a definition at their site titled, "Digital Citizenship" which includes:

Digital Citizenship is a concept which helps teachers, technology leaders and parents to understand what students/children/technology users should know to use technology appropriately. Digital Citizenship is more than just a teaching tool; it is a way to prepare students/technology users for a society full of technology. Too often we are seeing students as well as adults misusing and abusing technology but not sure what to do. The issue is more than what the users do not know but what is considered appropriate technology usage.

Dr. Alec Couros (2007) in his blog post, "Understanding Digital Citizenship", believes Ribble and Bayley's definition should also include:

1) A responsibility to critical interpret our place in the collective, especially in terms of power, authority, influence and position, and
2) An obligation toward bettering our (digital) communities through critical, ethical and moral decision-making.

 Will Richardson (2007), in his blog post titled, "The Kids are All Right", suggests that we have been conditioned, though media, to look for the worst behaviors at the expense of the good behaviors.  Richardson believes that if we teach both ourselves and our kids to use the "five habits of using one's mind well, we'll get a long way down the citizenship road" (2007).

1. How do we know what’s true or not true? How credible is our evidence?
2. Is there an alternate story? Perspective? How might this look from another viewpoint?
3. Is there a connection between x and y? A pattern? Have I come across this before?
4. What if… supposing that…? Could it have been otherwise if x not y had intervened?
5. And finally, “who cares”? Does it matter? (And, perhaps, to whom?)

 When we look at the overall idea of digital citizenship, we see it includes various elements.  Dr. Mike Ribble and Dr. Gerald Bayley identify, Nine Elements or Themes of Digital Citizenship to include:

1. Digital Etiquette
2. Digital Communication
3. Digital Literacy
4. Digital Access
5. Digital Commerce
6. Digital Law
7. Digital Rights and Responsibilities
8. Digital Health and Wellness
9. Digital Security (self-protection)

Resources are available to assist teachers with preparing lessons for integrating digital citizenship into current curriculum.  CyberSmart (2009) provides a free K-12 Student Curriculum that is organized in Lessons by Grade Level based on the following SMART topics:

• Safety and Security Online
• Manners, Cyberbullying and Ethics
• Authentic Learning and Creativity
• Research and Information Fluency
• Twenty First Century Challenges

Another resource available to educators is BrainPOP, an idea originally by Dr. Avraham Kadar, M.D.(immunologist and pediatrician).  BrainPOP is animimated curriculum-based content that supports educators to explain difficult concepts.  One of the many curriculum areas available through BrainPOP is Digital Citizenship.  Although some resources through BrainPOP require a fee, you are provided with a free trail period.  You will see most resources provided under Digital Citizenship are free including topics such as:

• Blogs
• Copyright
• Digital Etiquette
• Information Privacy
• Online Safety
• Plagiarism
• Computer Viruses
• Cyberbullying
• Email and IM
• Online Sources
• Social Networking

Additional Resources for Digital Citizenship:

• Digital Citizenship in Education - Digiteen (Qatar Academy, Westwood Schools, Vienna International School)
• Cyber Safe Kids (Cybersafeworld, 2009)) 
• Play it Cyber Safe ( The Business Software Alliance - BSA, 2009)
• Digiteens: Digital Citizenship by Digital Teenagers (K12 Online Conference 2009)
• Digital Literacy 09: Copyright and Fair Use (Technology in the Middle, 2009)
• Online Safety 3.0 Calls for Teaching Media Literacy, Digital Citizenship (Sarah J., 2009)
• Think Before You Upload! (Privacy Victoria, 2009)