As technology becomes a bigger part of our daily lives, it’s important to help students use it safely and responsibly. With the internet, social media, and electronics, I believe students need to understand how to make good choices online. Teaching digital citizenship helps students learn to use technology in a responsible way.
I feel confident in technology/digital citizenship and I give credits to my teachers in school and my parents because they both played a big part in it. After reading the articles for this week, I’ve gathered a lot more useful information that will guide how I teach this in my future classroom.
Why Digital Citizenship Matters
With technology growing so quickly, there are new challenges like cyberbullying, online misinformation, and privacy issues. Some schools deal with these problems by blocking websites, punishing students for bad behavior online and instilling fear of online. However, I believe it’s better to teach students about digital responsibility early on so they can make smart choices (Ohler, 2011).
By focusing on the 9 elements of digital citizenship, I want to help students learn how to make smart decisions online. The goal is to create responsible digital citizens who know how to use technology in a way that is beneficial.
The S3 Framework: Safety, Savvy, and Social
The S3 Framework is a helpful guide to teach digital citizenship. It breaks down the 9 elements into three simple categories: Safety, Savvy, and Social (Ribble, n.d.). Here’s how I plan to teach these ideas:
- Safety:
- Protecting Yourself and Others Online -The first step is teaching students how to protect their personal information and stay safe when interacting online. This includes discussions about cyberbullying, privacy, and how actions online can affect real life. I’ll make sure students understand the risks and know how to avoid them. I plan to not use the fear tactic and just be straight forward about the risks.
- Savvy:
- Using Technology Wisely- Being savvy means knowing how to use technology carefully and thoughtfully. I will teach students to assess online content, spot fake news, and use technology for learning and collaborating. In today’s world, it’s important to make good decisions when browsing the web. This was something my teachers did really well with teaching! I feel confident in finding credible sources and want to make sure my students are able to do the same.
- Social:
- Respecting Yourself and Others Online- The final category focuses on being respectful online. I’ll guide students to communicate politely, share ideas clearly, and be kind when posting or messaging others. We’ll also talk about how online actions affect real life and how to create positive digital communities. Making them aware of the REAL consequences of their actions online is crucial but doing it in a real manner rather than instilling fear is important.
(Ribble, n.d.)
Teaching the 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship
Teaching digital citizenship means helping students understand how to use technology safely and responsibly. This includes making sure everyone has access to digital tools, knowing how to communicate kindly online, and recognizing trustworthy information (Ribble, n.d.). It’s also important to teach students about online safety, protecting personal information, and following digital laws like copyright and privacy rules. Making them aware of this can help students understand the true risks of the digital world. Encouraging healthy screen time habits and understanding the impact of digital actions on others helps students become thoughtful digital citizens. By balancing their online and offline lives, they can use technology in positive and meaningful ways.
Understanding the Relationship Between Online and Offline Life
One of the challenges of teaching digital citizenship is helping students see how their online and offline lives are connected. Jurgenson (2012) talks about “digital overload,” where our lives are filled with digital interactions through texts, social media, and notifications. This makes it hard to separate online life from real life.
Some people worry that young people are becoming addicted to technology, and I was one of those people before this class and learning the benefits of technology. I believe that we can help students appreciate both their online and offline experiences. By teaching students that digital spaces can enhance real life, I can help them find balance between the two.
Bringing It All Together
Technology is a great tool for learning, but it’s important that students know how to use it responsibly. The goal is to teach students not only how to use technology but also how to think about the impact of their choices on themselves, others, and their future. By following the S3 Framework and focusing on the 9 elements of digital citizenship, I’m excited to help students become confident and thoughtful digital citizens.
References:
Jurgenson, N. (2012, June 28). The IRL fetish. The New Inquiry. Retrieved March 10, 2025, from https://www.thenewinquiry.com/the-irl-fetish/
Ohler, J. (2011). Character education for the digital age. ASCD. Retrieved March 10, 2025, from https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/character-education-for-the-digital-age
Ribble, M. (n.d.). Nine elements of digital citizenship. Digital Citizensh