Digital Citizenship + The Saskatchewan Curriculum

Digital Citizenship is currently defined as “the continuously developing norms of appropriate, responsible, and empowered technology use”. 

– Digital Citizenship: Using Technology Appropriately

I believe that this definition is excellent as it recognizes the continuous evolvement of tech. 

According to Ribble’s nine elements of digital citizenship, we are to demonstrate the following:

  • Lead and assist others in building positive digital experiences
  • Recognize that our actions have consequences to others 
  • Participate in a manner of common good

As time progresses, so does the world of technology, and I believe that it is our job as teachers to prepare/ guide students to access this valuable resource in a safe and positive way. Students should not be made to feel afraid of the “what ifs”, instead they should be aware of how to handle different situations that may arise, and how to use technology in the most effective way!

The Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship Explained
laptop teaching

Now I am going to take a look at the Saskatchewan curriculum and identify ways in which we as teachers can include the teachings of Ribble’s nine themes of digital citizenship to meet outcomes and indicators. 

First, I want to make note that I have not found an outcome or indicator that is explicitly for teaching digital citizenship (this is definitely true in elementary years). Before taking this class, I did not realize just how important it is to teach young individuals about this… But now I am left wondering, why is this not an outcome/indicator to be taught? I believe that students of all grade levels should be receiving education on this topic as technology plays such a huge role in our everyday lives!

I did however find different possibilities for connecting it to grade levels, subjects and outcomes/indicators. The following are a few examples from grades that am interested in teaching within the future:

Grade: 4

Subject: Health

Outcome: USC4.3 Examine healthy interpersonal skills and determine strategies to effectively develop new relationships and/or negotiate disagreements in relationships.

Indicator: 

(b) Describe and recommend healthy behaviours, including positive communication skills for getting along with others in play and competitive situations (e.g., an appreciation of silence as an opportunity to reflect and refrain from “jumping in”, analyzing and criticizing ideas and not the people offering them).

Connection: 

  • Digital Etiquette

When implementing Digital etiquette with indicator b), educators can teach the importance of being aware of others, as well as using positive communication to get along with individuals. It’s important to be kind and understand how others’ feelings may be affected within the digital world and the classroom when interacting. Teachers can show how to communicate online and be considerate of individuals (other classmates) who are online with them in an educational game (play and competitive situations).

Indicator:

(c) Recognize how various factors, including peer pressure, communication strategies, and assumptions affect relationships.

Connection: 

  • Digital communication and collaboration

Students can learn how to communicate through digital technology in a way that ensures others understand what they are trying to convey. Educators can provide a platform as well as guide students to communicate and share ideas. Using this as a tool will teach students effective communication strategies to create relationships with classmates. The teacher can show examples of how miscommunication can occur which can then affect relationships.

  • Rights and Responsibility

Within this indicator, students can learn the responsibility of informing adults when there is a potential problem such as peer pressure that occurs online. It is important to avoid negative situations and this can be done by being diligent in helping others. Educators can discuss different situations that can happen online and how it can affect others, students can then brainstorm ideas on what to tell an adult when something happens.

Grade: 5

Subject: Health 

Outcome: USC5.4 Analyze the connections between personal identity and personal well-being, and establish strategies to develop and support a positive self-image.

Indicator: (b) Discuss criteria that can be used to determine if a health source is reliable.

Connection: 

  • Digital Fluency

Educators can teach students how to identify if  health sources found online are credible/reliable. This can be done by examining different websites as a class and pointing out things that look like fake news. Teachers can discuss with students that believing everything that is shared online is not appropriate as anyone can post anything. After whole class learning, students can then work in groups to investigate different health websites and report back to the class on if they believe the source is credible and their reasons that support their conclusion.

Grade: 6

Subject: Career Education

Outcome: LW6.1 Examine effective practices such as responsible decision making, cooperation, and accepting diversity and predict their continued importance in one’s own career.

Indicator: (b)Evaluate the impact of personal decisions on self and others

Connection:

  • Digital Rights and Responsibilities & Digital Health and Welfare

Educators can use this outcome/indicator as an opportunity to teach students the responsibilities of technology use and how upholding their responsibilities can help students in their future careers. It is also important that students understand the importance of protecting themselves and others both in person and online. Additionally, students can learn about the responsibility of taking care of their own personal health within the world of technology, as technology is typically used within careers and everyday life.

Grade: 6

Subject: English Language Arts

Outcome: CR6.1 View, listen to, read, comprehend, and respond to a variety of texts that address identity (e.g., Growing Up), social responsibility (e.g., Going the Distance), and efficacy (e.g., Making Our Community More Peaceful).

Indicator: (a) View, listen to, read, and respond to a variety of visual, multimedia (including digital), oral, and print texts that address the grade-level themes and issues related to identity, social responsibility, and efficacy including those that reflect diverse personal identities, worldviews, and backgrounds (e.g., appearance, culture, socio-economic status, ability, age, gender, sexual orientation, language, career pathway).

Connection:

  • Digital Law

Digital law can definitely be taught to students when they are practising responses to different texts. Educators can discuss the term plagiarism and have students practise citing resources that they are using within their work.

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Conclusion: Within this blog post, I chose to look at different subjects and grades to demonstrate that the nine elements can be integrated into many different areas of learning. As a teacher I would like to educate students on digital citizenship as much as possible by implementing the nine elements within different lessons and assignments. Possible ideas include having students create posters on the nine elements to define what they mean, having students complete their own research to gain a better understanding of the tech world, and demonstrating effective use. Technology is such a huge part of life, and without the proper knowledge on how it can be used in a positive way, students may be faced with certain hardships that could have been avoided. 

Resources on this topic to check out:

Extra: Our classmate, Karlee Scott is an online teacher, and has a beautiful blogging platform. Karlee uploaded a post that highlights her favourite online tools. I would suggest checking this page out for awesome resources that can be implemented within your teaching!

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