Teacher as Citizen
“When you can’t find someone to follow, you have to find a way to lead by example.”
Educators inspire students to positively contribute to and responsibly participate in the digital world.
3a: Create experiences for learners to make positive, socially responsible contributions and exhibit empathetic behavior online that build relationships and community.
3b: Establish a learning culture that promotes curiosity and critical examination of online resources and fosters digital literacy and media fluency.
3c: Mentor students in safe, legal and ethical practices with digital tools and the protection of intellectual rights and property.
3d: Model and promote management of personal data and digital identity and protect student data privacy.
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To kick off your study this week, please view "The Inner Net" by David Bowden. As you watch, consider how interconnected our lives are both on- and offline.
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As David Bowden suggests, the power and potential (positive or negative) of the internet is "in how we use it." This draws our attention to not just how we act online, but also how well we understand how the internet, sites, apps, platforms, etc. work in order to navigate them. So, we can think of digital citizenship as part ethics (where intention and action come together) and part knowledge and savviness in navigating tools--online and offline. Mike Ribble and Gerald Bailey have developed what they call the 9 Essential Elements of Digital Citizenship that stretched across these two domains.
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3 A, B, C & D: Skimming the surface of digital citizenship
Digital citizenship is more than being media and tech savvy. Just because our students are digital natives, does not mean that they are fully equipped to be positive digital citizens. Digital citizenship is not tied to one content area, or one grade level. It requires lifelong, integrated learning. Please read 9 Essential Elements of Digital Citizenship for their full definitions of each of the 9 Elements. Then read, How You Can Become a Champion of Digital Citizenship in Your Classroom, for one teacher's take on approaching digital citizenship in the classroom. (There is also a link to how to she sets up her Daily Tweeter system in this article. If you wonder if the 3rd grader she quotes is rare, check out this post about 5th graders in talking about audience both on- and offline: Say True Things: 5th Graders on Audiences On and Off the Grid)
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According to Common Sense Education, digital citizenship is about "empower[ing] students to think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly in our digital world." Common Sense has a full scope and sequence on Digital Citizenship. Take a moment to explore. Consider sharing a lesson you found with a colleague or on or on your social media pages using #digitialcitizenship and #TCH401. Think about how it links to one of the nine essential elements of digital citizenship.
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Listen to these K-12 students (and parents) discuss safety and citizenship on the internet.
Optional: Explore a game from Google's Be Internet Awesome curriculum called Interland. The game is geared toward grades 3-5 and teaches digital citizenship concepts using an immersive game experience. Click here to play the game.