Digital Citizenship Education
As students increasingly engage online for educational and social purposes, the responsibility for educators to help prepare them to be responsible digital citizens become more and more apparent. Common Sense Media defines digital citizenship as “the responsible use of technology to learn, create, and participate” (James et al., 2021, p. 12). Students requite instruction and practice to learn how to become positive digital citizens. The International Society of Technology in Education has provided clear, actionable goals to guide teachers as they inspire students to become such digital citizens. The goals cover many subtopics of digital citizenship such as having responsible online behavior, building relationships and community, critically examining sources of information, fostering digital literacy, understanding safe and legal practices, managing digital identity, and protecting privacy online (International Society for Technology in Education 2017).
There are many creative ways teacher can
promote digital citizenship. One example is how teachers and students responded
as digital citizens after Hurricane Harvey: “Educators from across the country
adopted classrooms, started virtual reading clubs, hosted book drives, and
bought materials and supplies for those affected by the hurricane” (Trust,
2017, p. 2). Students were able to experience or witness technology being used
to positively contribute to society in a real and important way. Teachers should
look for opportunities, big or small, to help students develop their digital
citizenship skills.
References
International Society
for Technology in Education. (2017). ISTE standards for educators. https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-teachers
James, C.,
Weinstein, E., & Mendoza, K., (2021). Teaching digital citizens in
today’s world: Research and insights behind the Common Sense K-12 Citizenship
Curriculum. (Version 2). Common Sense Media. https://www.commonsense.org/education/sites/default/files/tlr_component/common_sense_education_digital_citizenship_research_backgrounder.pdf
Trust,
T. (2017). 2017 ISTE standards for educators: From teaching with technology to
using technology to empower learners. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher
Education, 34(1), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2017.1398980
