Digital Citizenship – ‘One life’ or ‘Two lives’?

A policy planning guide, Digital Citizenship Education in Saskatchewan Schools, published by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education defines digital citizenship as “the norms of appropriate and responsible online behaviour (12).”  The updated Digital Citizenship defines Digital citizenship as the continuously developing norms of appropriate, responsible, and empowered technology use.

Looking back at my schooling in the 1990s, I would say that cyber safety or digital citizenship was approached from the “two lives” perspective where students should live a traditional, digitally unplugged life at school and a second, digitally infused life outside school. Digital technology was perceived as too expensive, problematic, or distracting to use effectively and responsibly at school.  Any student caught with a digital device was either severely punished or expelled from the school. I found this approach disturbing and limiting as I grew up unfolding issues of cyber safety, technological responsibility, and digital citizenship without the help of teachers or the education system.

I must say that I agree with the words of Jason Ohler that we must help our digital kids balance the individual empowerment of digital technology use with a sense of personal, community, and global responsibility if we want to pursue a future that celebrates success not only in terms of abundance but also in terms of humanity. Introducing the “one life” perspective to approaching digital citizenship in schools will help students become capable digital citizens who can effectively and responsibly utilize technology.

As educators, we can help our students become good digital citizens by educating them about using technology within the greater context of community and society while integrating technology in school. Undoubtedly, technology use could have adverse effects on children, so establishing character education programs on digital technology use in schools and integrating digital citizenship instruction through all subjects can help curb these concerns ergo, ensuring that the students become responsible digital citizens.

The policy planning guide states that Ribble’s nine elements of Digital Citizenship provide a helpful framework for understanding the major components of digital citizenship.

These skills are important in grooming children to build and maintain a positive digital footprint. As educators, it’s vital to help students bridge the gap between how to use a device and ways to effectively and responsibly utilize technology by introducing these 9 elements in our classrooms. Though the Saskatchewan curriculum does not have outcomes to teach students Digital Education, educators can explore the Digital Citizenship Continuum document, Ribble’s Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship, and the Policy Planning Guide in teaching students Digital Literacy and guiding them toward these 9 elements of Digital Citizenship.