Digital Citizenship: Tools to Teach It and How to Model It

Digital Citizenship: What are some tools that could help teach it?

A tool that I use in my own classroom is Common Sense Media. This organization has lesson plans that utilize slide presentations and attached pdf's to teach the different concepts of Digital Citizenship that are differentiated by grade level and uses videos to instruct learners on different parts of digital citizenship.  

Videos on YouTube provide great visuals for breaking down the concepts of Digital Citizenship for students at the lower elementary level that may have a harder time understanding the concepts. 

The following is a great video that introduces Digital Citizenship: We Are Digital Citizens

Digital Citizenship: How Can You Model It?

A way to model digital citizenship is through lessons that expose learners to different situations and how to act wisely. For modeling the Digital Citizenship Concept: Media Balance, my lesson began with watching a Sesame Short that had to do with the rule of no devices at dinner. It showed all Sesame Street characters putting their devices away and sitting down to the dinner table. Cookie Monster broke the rules by playing a game on his cell phone at the table and the others had to remind him of the rule. His silly actions that follow gave my K and 1 students a big giggle.

First and Second graders watched the Common Sense Media video on "Media Balance". This free lesson can be accessed at https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/lesson/finding-my-media-balance.

To model this in a real life way, I gave a scenario of someone texting and trying to have a conversation and pretended to do so with a volunteer student. We laughed at how little I was able to comprehend of what the student was telling me. We then played a game that demonstrated how easily it is for electronics to be a distraction since the focus of this digital citizenship lesson was "media balance" https://www.digitalpassport.org/twalkers.html.  We discussed what "walkers" were (people who text, walk, and talk at the same time) and how often we see that in real life. 

Following this we talked about times where parents may tell them to put their electronics away. Students brainstormed times such as while doing homework, at dinner, visiting family members, and at bedtime. We then read Blackout by John Rocco. All K through 3 students LOVED this read aloud. I was able to find an animated version on YouTube (https://youtu.be/6xhrb0T12Dk). Grades K and 1 students then had to draw a picture of a time they did not use electronics while grades 2 and 3 had to write about a "specific" time that their parent or guardian told them they could not use an electronic.

Digital Citizenship: Why We Should Teach It

Digital Citizenship: Why Should We Teach It

Copyright Newport News Public Schools

Everyone at some point has seen questionable posts or maybe even reported obscene language or spam received on a platform. Adults can fall prey to receiving false information and giving personal information at the hands of manipulative tactics of anonymous individuals so it is only reasonable to believe children would have an even higher level of vulnerability lacking knowledge, experience, and insight of the dangers that exist in the online arena. Library Media Specialists have the huge responsibility of not only educating little tech users in how to be savvy with reputable online research but also be wary of the internet as a tool that can also hide hidden dangers and how to safely navigate through that world with confidence.

Digital Citizenship: What It Means

Digital Citizenship's 3 R's

Copyright Common Sense Media 

Digital Citizenship has meaning and purpose in the lives of anyone who participates in any social context whether something as simple as texting to a group of friends to a mom posting pictures of her daughter's recent recital.  According to Media Smarts, digital citizenship is defined as, "the ability to navigate our digital environments in a way that is safe and responsible and to actively and respectfully engage in those spaced" (Media 2022).  It involves using the internet safety and carefully creating our digital footprint while also knowing how to respect the rights of others.  

In exploring some of the resources for digital citizenship provided in this module, I found the infographic to summarize the key concepts of digital citizenship to perfectly outline what we should know as school librarians as well as guide our instruction to learners.

The infographic of being a digital citizen perfectly summarizes the key concepts to teach all learners which include being inclusive and engaging with others in a respectful manner; being informed and able to evaluate the validity of information online; being engaged and using the digital world for good; being balanced with knowing when and when not to engage in media; and being alert with creating safe spaces and being safe online.  The divide the exists between educators and students on digital citizenship is an important obstacle to navigate and find a solution for, especially in a time where digital usage is at an all time high in our educational system in all grades from kindergarten to high school.  It is interesting to note that beyond the education of internet safety and ethical and responsible usage, three new forms of digital citizenship have emerged under the concepts of digital agent, digital interactor, and digital self (ISTE 2017).  These include being careful on the creation of a digital identity as well as knowing the impact that the influence has on society.

Digital Citizenship involves the 

three R's for how to use technology:

Reasonably, Respectfully, and Responsibility  

In my K-3 school, all grades are taught to use technology reasonably.  This involves using technology for an intended purpose that is appropriate to the media form.  The first step requires a user learn how to identify the validity of the information gained.  We talk about how not everything on the internet is true.  The basic understanding of using resources that the school district gives, such as Pebble Go, are what are taught to learners.  For our third grade classes, we have a more in depth series of lessons that teach digital citizenship topic: reliable sources and giving credit to sources used in research.

The third grade lesson begins with the read aloud: But I Read it on the Internet by Toni Buzzeo.  For librarians who do not have access to the book, the book read aloud can be accessed on YouTube through several providers such as Kurtz Elementary School (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQoq1Dx3aIs).  It teaches students to highlight information that needs to be checked through another source (especially if it seems like it would not be factual).   

Using technology respectfully involves being considerate of others even in an online atmosphere.  People tend to lose a level of respectful interaction when a distance or anonymity separates them making it less personal.  Students are just as vulnerable to this.  Our students are read the book: Nerdy Birdy Tweets by Aaron Reynolds.  Elementary Booknerds has a great read aloud on YouTube that can be accessed at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32CaTEaa8Xo.

This picture book shows students how sometimes we spend too much time on electronics and we disregard relationships because of it.  It also depicts a situation involving a photo that Nerdy Birdy tweeted about his best friend, Vulture.  The tweet embarrassed Vulture and Vulture became mad and left.  Nerdy Birdy turns to his Tweet account to ask his "follower friends" but only three responded of the hundreds and all three comments were "unhelpful" and hurtful.  Nerdy Birdy realized he needed to walk away from his technology, find his real-life friend, and apologize.  

Using technology responsibly involves having safeguards and limits built in to protect the user from threats outside as well as protecting them from their own decisions in posting thoughts and revealing personal information.  Technology brings voices into the open world and creates a platform for anyone to be heard.  This is a power that can be yielded for both good and bad.  It is necessary to curate a positive digital footprint.  A great read aloud to pair with this concept is the book: Once Upon a Time Online by David Bedford.  The following link will take you to the read aloud by Book Hauls and Food: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IndMalNxLXU.  This book uses a great rhyming sequence to teach young readers about using the internet and technology responsibly by asking a grown up before going online.  

Did you know: It takes just 10 percent of the people in a community to set its values. Even a single voice can make other people less likely to conform and more likely to speak out (Media 2022).

References:

“What Is Digital Citizenship?” MediaSmarts, 8 Aug. 2022, https://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/general-information/digital-media-literacy-fundamentals/what-digital-citizenship.