What is Digital Citizenship?
As we enter this new era of everything becoming digitized, teachers have to keep up with all of the new trends. Adding technology into the classroom can be used in so many different ways to support as well as enhance learning. Teachers no longer have to rely on a video that they find online or a powerpoint presentation to cover the topic they are currently teaching. There is now opportunities for students to learn from online games, students can present projects in creative ways such as creating a video, teachers can use technology such as smart boards, greenscreens, and assessment technology to teach, review and assess their students.
With all of this new technology though, students need to understand the severity of not using it correctly. When a teacher teaches their class digital citizenship, they are teaching their students how to be responsible, respectful and resourceful with the technology that they are using. Below is a quick video introducing parents, teachers and students to what digital citizenship is.
How to teach students about digital citizenship!
Teaching digital citizenship should be something that is done every day not only at school but also at home. A lot of times teachers feel that they themselves do not understand digital citizenship enough to be able to teach it. When in reality, teaching digital citizenship is as easy as teaching how to be a model citizen in their every day life but instead of applying those lessons to activities like going on a social outing, you simply apply it to the internet. These lessons could include how you would never give your personal information to a stranger that walked up to you and asked you for it, so why would you display it online. Another lesson could be about how you speak to someone. You can emphasize how you speak to people. If you wouldn't speak in a negative or demeaning way to a person you shouldn't do it on the internet. This can be followed up with the golden rule, "do onto others as you would want done to you". This can be applied to several aspects of digital citizenship. If you are still not confident on how to teach about digital citizenship, here is a list of websites that have great resources to help parents and teachers teach about digital citizeship.
Below is a fun song for students to watch and learn when learning about digital citizenship:
Be Kind Online Challenge
The Be Kind Online challenge is a movement that started to try and stop cyber bullying by flooding websites with kindness. When students see cyber bullying online, instead of coming back and trying to argue with the cyber bully or tell them why what they are doing is wrong, students are simply leaving kind comments and messages. Students are also encouraging their friends to do the same so that a post that was previously filled with negativity is now filled with love and positivity. To be a part of this project online, all you have to do is use the hashtag #BeKindOnlineChallenge on your tweets, posts, pictures and comments. This not only spreads awareness, but allows students somewhere to visit online that brings nothing but positivity to their life. Will you join the challenge?
Below is a video emphasizing why we need to include digital citizenship into schools and how this can change how our students grow up:
References:
1. Common Sense Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.commonsense.org/education/search?search=digital citizenship&contentType=dclessons&page=1&sort=&limit=25
2. 10 Digital Citizenship Resources - Web in the Classroom Part 3. (2017, February 27). Retrieved from https://www.k12blueprint.com/blog/michael-gorman/10-digital-citizenship-resources-web-classroom-part-3
3. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://lmkucharz.com/be-kind-online.html
4. ISTE. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP7TnhcyFNxaZglIVWCswYg