Digital Citizenship is an important theme in today’s online world. Educational systems are actively developing strategies to weave this concept into the curriculum. Mike Ribble describes Digital Citizenship as the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use. He believes Digital Citizenship is characterized by 9 elements.
1. Digital Etiquette: electronic standards of conduct or procedure.
2. Digital Communication: electronic exchange of information.
3. Digital Literacy: process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology.
4. Digital Access: full electronic participation in society.
5. Digital Commerce: electronic buying and selling of goods.
6. Digital Law: electronic responsibility for actions and deeds (ethical use)
7. Digital Rights and Responsibilities: those freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world.
8. Digital Health and Wellness: physical and psychological well-being in a digital technology world.
9. Digital Security (self-protection): electronic precautions to guarantee safety.
The full details of the 9 elements are online at DigitalCitizenship.net.
In our Board, Digital Citizenship will handled as part of our Character Development initiative. While this is certainly a topic for most grades, we feel the greatest impact will be achieved working with students grade 4 through 9. We are in the midst of preparing classroom resources to assist with the delivery of this initiative.
To date, we have purchased reference books for each school library, shared some resources and teaching strategies with our Technology Steering Committee and designed a poster which will be distributed to all schools and also used for electronic media. Elements of the electronic media will be used as the background for the computer desktop display image.
The books we purchased for school libraries are:
Digital Citizenship in Schools by Mike Ribble and Gerald Bailey (ISTE) and
Raising a Digital Child by Mike Ribble (ISTE)
Links:
Digital Citizenship and Creative Content
Brain Pop: Spotlight on Digital Citizenship
Safe Surfing, An Introduction to the Internet
Doug Johnson’s technology ethics
Web Awareness Workshop Series Note: This series is licensed for use in Ontario publicly funded schools by OSAPAC. OSAPAC priorities for 2009/2010 will include Digital Citizenship and Online Safety through online delivery.
Thank you for teaching, promoting and role modeling Digital Citizenship.
~ Mark
~ Mark's Musings ~ blog.markwcarbone.ca 