Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship

I will be the very first person to admit that I can be a grump about spending too much time online… I think that it’s important to experience everything around you without having a phone in your hand, and that slowing down is good for everyone. Like Kate Murphy says in her book You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why it Matters, “It’s hard to concentrate on what’s happening in the real world when you’re preoccupied with what could be happening in the virtual one.” She then goes on to say that experts have brought up concerns that “… we are even losing our ability to daydream, as fantasizing, too, requires some level of attention.” (page 173)

On the other hand, I know that the use of technology can bring amazing things. When the war in Ukraine escalated in February 2022, Facebook helped my aunts and uncles locate their cousin Igor, the nephew of an aunt who had disappeared in World War II. Months after finding him, his wife and daughters were able to come to Canada to escape the war and stay with my parents, and just one year after that he was allowed to join them. Fast-forward to 2024, he is now a local business owner, living in Canada with family away from the ongoing war. Talk about an amazing use of social media and technology!!

So with all that said, in this class I am really working on seeing more than just the negative parts of technology. Enter Dr. Ribble, the person behind the phrase “digital citizenship.”

Dr. Mike Ribble and the Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship

1. Digital Access: This is basically making sure that all students have the same access to technology. The first thing that comes to mind in my teaching practice is when chromebooks and internet access were provided to families without any during the COVID-19 pandemic. I was, and am still, blown away by the hard work that went into making sure every single student was able to continue to learn in an online format.

On the other hand, prior to the pandemic (and after), students have not always had access to devices and an internet connection outside of school. This is why it’s been important to always have an offline/print version, or to allow students to get their homework done before they leave the building at the end of the day.

2. Digital Commerce: The act of buying, selling, and banking online. I’ve actually never considered teaching this to students (especially in Career Education). It’s very important to learn how to keep passwords safe and avoid any scamming messages… I consider myself to be pretty tech savvy and I fell prey to one of these earlier this year. Someone spent over $900 on a subscription to stock photos… I hope they were good ones!

Digital Commerce is challenging to keep up with in an ever-changing digital landscape, but is so important when it comes to being digitally responsible.

3. Digital Communication and Collaboration: This one refers to the “electronic exchange of information.” What an amazing tool technology has been when it comes to communication and collaboration. That being said, it’s important to instruct students on how to be safe and accountable when it comes to online communication.

4. Digital Etiquette: Digital Etiquette is the standards of conduct and considering others when you are using digital devices… this takes me back to the quote from Kate Murphy at the beginning of this post. We have all spent time with friends who are scrolling on their phones the entire conversation. It doesn’t feel very good, does it?

Making the effort to give your focus and attention to those around you is always a good idea. There are definitely times to be immersed in the digital world or spend time with others in the digitial world. We try to teach our students that phones need to be away when you’re learning and when it is time to close the Chromebooks to take part in activities or class discussions.

5. Digital Fluency: Ribble states that this is “the process of understanding technology and its use.”This is such a big one in my mind. I’ve always tried to instil this in students… it’s so important to consider where messages are coming from, and how to allow others to have different opinions.

It’s so easy to turn into a “keyboard warrior” when you see a view or opinion that you strongly disagree with. I have always tried to teach my students that it’s important to empathize with WHO is speaking and WHY they would speak that way. At the end of the day, when is it worth the argument? Is it better to acknowledge that someone has a different view and, even if you totally disagree, try to understand why and then move on?

6. Digital Health and Welfare: How much screen time is too much screen time? Is all screen time created equally?

As someone who spent the majority of her teaching career in a 1:1 classroom, this has been a balancing act. I was at a school one year during what we called The Great Paper Shortage of 2015… someone used a ridiculous amount of paper photocopying monthly “fun” booklets for their students, and as a result, we ran out of paper in April. So I started doing everything online. In the years following, I was running my classroom on little to no paper; when I did need to print rubrics, I used the good side of left over paper to do so. At one point, however, I was asked if I think my students did too much work on their chromebooks.

I know that screen time has negative effects, but I also wonder if all screen time is created equally? I’ve since worked to find a balance between when to utilize technology and when to put it away. I also take time to teach students about their posture when they’re using tech, and the pressure it can put on their necks when they are craning over looking at a screen.

7. Digital Law: Just like in the “real world,” there are rules and laws that need to be followed in the digital one. Things like plagarism and copyright laws to online bullying. While I believe there is a time and a place to bring in a resource officer to talk about their side of things, it’s important to introduce these expectations consistently in the classroom.

We spend so much time at the beginning of the school year creating class expectations/rules/beliefs/contracts… it’s important that teachers include digital law in these as well.

8. Digital Rights and Responsibility: “With great power comes great responsibility…” Uncle Ben really knew what he was talking about! We are so blessed to be living in a place and time where we have the world at our fingertips. Technology can be used for so much good, but it can also be used for evil. While I have always swayed toward seeing the negative aspects of tech, my goal this term is to shift that focus to also seeing the good.

We were all born with the ability to make choices (good or bad) whether that be in the digital world or IRL. Teachers can’t expect to teach one lesson on rights and responsibilities and expect that to be the end of it… it’s something that needs to be incorporated consistently all year long.

9. Digital Security and Privacy: This last one is what I’ve always thought of when I hear the phrase “Digital Citizenship.” That being said, I haven’t really focused on it as a teacher… probably because I’ve never felt totally comfortable with it myself. Like, what is a cookie? Do we always accept cookies? Remember Trojan Horses… what was that all about??

To Sum it Up…

I definitely put off writing this blog post (and the last) longer than I should have… we have a new foster pup and she has consumed a lot of my time. I also like to write these over a number of sittings so I can really spend time thinking through things. All that said, I always learn so much from getting ideas down onto the blog.

What I’m taking from this is how much more there is to teach students about Digital Citizenship… and looking at how these nine elements can be taught within the curriculum without needing to be part of a specific “Digital Citizenship” unit. The best part is that as a Learning Facilitator, this is something I can dive deeper into and share with our teachers to give our students the best possible education when it comes to living and learning online.

Thanks for reading! I genuinely am curious what everyone thinks about how much screen time is too much screen time in schools… how do you balance it all?