Being a digital citizen raises the responsibility level for everyone involved. Watch this introductory video to begin to develop a background in digital citizenship.
Children who are on the web need to be careful about who they meet, how they meet them and what they share.
Parents need to make students aware of the dangers that lurk on the web as well as share with them the wealth of information that is theirs for the taking.
Richard Culatta, CEO of ISTE, challenges educators to take Digitial Citizenship to the next level. He is proposing that it can be more than acting properly on the web. He talks about a number of ways that social media can be used to better the world.
Teachers need to incorporate Internet safety into their curriculum and make it part of their everyday program.
Here are some resources for learning about Digital Citizenship:
Common Sense Media
This is a great resource for all sorts of media online and off. Common Sense Media's mission is to "empower parents, teachers, and policymakers by providing unbiased information, trusted advice, and innovative tools to help them harness the power of media and technology." They provide reviews about movies, television shows, books, apps, and games. Beyond reviewing media, they create extensive curricula that can be used in the classroom.
Provides a variety of resources about Digital Citizenship. They have identified 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship as the norms of appropriate and responsible behavior on the web.
Cyberwise has collected a wealth of resources on Digital Citizenship. They have sites, books, and even games about digital citizenship. An interesting perspective is their Digital Citizenship Outdoors pages.
Throughout this module, you will have an opportunity to explore and plan a digital citizenship program for your school. It is not just for your students. It is one that will include your colleagues, your students, AND their parents.
The intent of this project is to create something that will be applicable to your existing teaching/training situation or might be used when you have your own teaching/training environment.
Begin by going to CommonSenseMedia.org and register as a member.
You will notice that Common Sense Media is more than just curriculum for teaching internet safety. You will find that they like to share their opinion on things like movies, games, websites, and apps through their Ratings and Reviews section. Look at all of the tools that are available in the Common Sense toolbar. Explore this section and consider how you would actively integrate it into Professional Development for Parents and Teachers.
Review the overall mission and opportunities available through CommonSenseMedia.org. Click on the Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum Training Link in the Online Training section. This page will provide you with an overview of the curriculum, an intro to the parent education modules, and finally an online training about teaching students called Raising Kids in Our Digital Media World.
You are change agents in your schools and training institutions. You are making a difference by making informed choices and recommendations about building a safe educational learning environment. Become familiar with online resources such as the Common Sense Media.
ISTE Digital Citizenship Essential Elements
ISTE has defined 9 Essential Elements of Digitial Citizenship. These elements define how to best use technology in school, home and the community.
These are grouped into Respect, Educate, and Protect.
ISTE offers a Citizenship in the Digital Age infographic for these 9 essential elements .
You can also download a booklet called Digital Citizenship Defined.
This booklet explains, in detail, each of the elements. It also provides an assortment of case studies where schools dealt with digital citizenship issues. It is well worth reading.