Digital Citizenship and the Curriculum
Last week, in my EDTC 300 class we started the discussion of digital citizenship. I would have not considered myself to have any digital citizenship. However, I do believe that it is important to have positive digital citizenship. I will continue to work on my own personal digital identity and focus on how I can create digital citizenship. In the classroom, it is essential that teach about digital citizenship means and how to create one.
Digital Access
One element of Ribble’s nine elements of digital citizenship that needs to be considered in every classroom is digital access. Not every student will have the same access to technologies. I think it is very important for teachers to understand this and that assigning work over the internet or other sources, may not be possible for every student. Also, your school may not have access to a large number of technologies, hindering what can be completed in the classroom.
Digital Fluency
Digital fluency is the process in which individuals learn how to properly use technology. Students need to learn how to be fluent, as this helps them navigate resources and identify fake news and inaccurate information. I explored the Saskatchewan curriculum and looked for ways that digital fluency can be integrated into the classroom.
Outcomes:
CC4.1Compose and create a range of visual, multimedia, oral, and written texts that explore:
- identity (e.g., Expressing Myself)
- community (e.g., Celebrating and Honouring Others)
- social responsibility (e.g., Within My Circle) through personal experiences and inquiry
Indicators:
(c)Use inquiry to explore authentic problems, questions, and issues associated with identity, community, and social responsibility including:
- assessing the usefulness, authenticity, and reliability of information for inquiry or research needs using pre-established criteria
This is only one outcome and indicator that can be used to have lessons and discussions about digital citizenship and more specifically digital fluency. Students will need to explore and assess the quality of the research and the information presented to them. Educators can have conversations about how to recognize a credible source.
Digital Rights and Responsibility
Ribble addresses digital rights and responsibilities for students to know when to approach a parent or adult with potential problems. This is something that I believe should be taught at a young age. As I stated before students are exposed to technologies from very young ages and should understand how to keep themselves safe both in real life and over the internet. Since this is something that should be addressed at a young age, I explored the Kindergarten and grade one curriculum to find outcome and indicators that
Outcome
APK.1 Demonstrate, with guidance, initial steps for developing basic health habits, establishing healthy relationships, supporting safety, and exploring “self”.
Indicator
(c) Practise healthy habits related to:
- exploring “self”
- healthy choices
- playing safely at home or at school
- developing relationships.
Again this is only one example of an outcome and indicator that can be used to support digital citizenship in the classroom. Students need to understand how to keep theirselves safe and that includes the internet.
Questions for Thought
- Does the Saskatchewan Curriculum need to be changed and edited to better fit digital citizenship?
- How else are the elements of digital citizenship expressed through the curriculum or grades?
- How would you approach the idea of digital citizenship with younger students?
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