Digital Citizenship and Curriculum

This past week, the topic of discussion was the concept of digital citizenship.  Digitalcitizenship.net describes digital citizenship as “the continuously developing norms of appropriate, responsible, and empowered technology use.” If you are still a bit confused as to what this means, I have attached a 3-minute video below that discusses some areas of being a good digital citizen.

The Digitalcitizenship website also highlights nine elements of Digital Citizenship. These elements include: Digital Access, Digital Commerce, Digital Communication and Collaboration, Digital Etiquette, Digital Fluency, Digital Health and Welfare, Digital Law, Digital Rights and Responsibility, and Digital Security and Privacy.  According to Jason Ohler, there are two main trains of thought when it comes to digital citizenship in schools.  The first perspective says that “our students should live a traditional, digitally unplugged life at school and a second, digitally infused life outside school.” The other perspective says that it is “our job as educators to help students live one, integrated life, by inviting them to not only use their technology at school but also talk about it within the greater context of community and society.”

The second perspective is where I place myself, and I think most teachers-in-training would be in this perspective; we have grown up with technology and it is a major part of our lives.  It is important we pass that knowledge onto our students, and there are many great ways to do this.  Looking at the curriculum for Social Studies (my major), I have found various places where you could incorporate digital citizenship in teachings.

Social Studies 9:

Outcome: IN9.2 Compare the factors that shape worldviews in a society, including time and place, culture, language, religion, gender identity, socio-economic situation, and education.

Indicator: a. Explore personal student beliefs about some contemporary issues or problems (e.g., making friends; the role of technology in daily life; affordable housing; intergenerational families; global warming; post-secondary education; participating in religious or cultural ceremonies; designer clothing; healthy food choices; drinking and driving; violence).

Social Studies 10: Knowledge Objective: Know that when a society undergoes fundamental change another set of social relationships must be developed so that individuals understand their relationship to the larger society.

Social Studies 20: Knowledge objective: Know that the technological hardware and the supporting technological systems created to change the physical world also changes the social world which created it.

Social Studies 30: Knowledge Objective: Know that socialization is an interactive process in which the environment affects and shapes the individual and the individual, in turn, shapes the environment.

These are just a few examples I have found where you could incorporate digital citizenship into the curriculum, but I think digital citizenship could be incorporated into all areas of the curriculum, and in my classroom, I would like to try and do this.  How to navigate this new, digital world; how this new digital world has shaped and continues to shape our society.  And how to use this digital world to your advantage while staying safe are three areas I would like to focus on in my classroom.

Thanks for reading!