Digital Citizenship in the Classroom

Digital citizenship is extremely important to teach in the classroom, especially in this day and age. Technology is continuously advancing as stated in Character Education for the Digital Age, “Our current technological trajectory promises unfathomable, roller coaster innovation with no braking system”. (Ohler, 2011).

To ensure I am assisting my students in developing the skills to use technology in an appropriate, responsible and empowering way, I intend on taking from the nine themes of digital citizenship and implementing them into my classroom. The nine themes are as follows:

1. Digital Access: I will provide each of my students with equal access to technology in the classroom, whether each student has access to their own I pad or laptop, or if it is incorporated into group work.
2. Digital Commerce: I will ensure my students know how to safely purchase items online and how to safely sell things online. In addition, I will educate my students on the stock market.
3. Digital Communication and Collaboration: I want my students to know how to safely communicate with friends online and that they should not be giving their information out to strangers online.
4. Digital Etiquette: Digital etiquette is something that I want to address at the beginning of the year. I want my students to know that their actions and words that go online are permanent and that it is important to stay extremely mindful of what they are posting.
5. Digital Fluency: I will teach my students digital fluency by integrating technology into multiple subject areas and knowing what is real versus not real and knowing what to post versus not post.
6. Digital Health and Welfare: I want my students to be aware of some of the health risks that too much technology can have on a person and how to create a balance with using technology.
7. Digital Law: I will discuss serious issues regarding technology use such as cyberbullying and sexting, as well as discussing the effects that these actions can have on others.
8. Digital Rights and Responsibility: I want my students to know that they can feel comfortable in sharing any issues or questions with me that they have regarding their online technology use.
9. Digital Security and Privacy: I want to educate my students on how to protect themselves, their personal information and their device from any harm.