Digi-what? The who, what, and why of Digital Citizenship

I believe there are differences between digital citizenship and citizenship, however I also believe they share some distinct similarities. Oftentimes, I establish the connections for students on digital citizenship by analyzing those words. What does “digital” mean? What does “citizenship” mean? Heick (2020) takes a similar approach and defines citizenship as “the quality of an individual’s response to membership in a community” and goes on to clarify that is much more than legality but an all-encompassing and complex picture of interactions, knowledge of self and others, and respect. In simplest terms, we can add the word ‘digital' to Heick’s definition.

My definition of digital citizenship is taking the essence of traditional citizenship and applying it to a digital world. So what is citizenship? This is a member of a community, large or small, that abides by the same rules to make sure the community functions properly. Being a citizen of your neighborhood or city means you take care of that area, respect other members, maintain your personal space, etc. while being a digital citizen means that you apply the same principles online. Ohler (2011) states that “Digital Citizenship means character education for the digital age.” The rapid growth and evolution of the digital world means we need to teach how to navigate, not the tool itself and Ribble (2015) states that it is “continuously developing.” The effects may not be immediate or viewable by all, and not as easily enforced because of ambiguity or newness. It is very easy to have “keyboard courage” and this type of behavior can bleed over into real life, affecting traditional citizenship. Just like the use of technology for purpose, we cannot assume that students come to us knowing how to behave and conduct themselves online, as Curran and Polgar corroborate. We have to explicitly teach the skills and expectations we want from our students.

Often, I ask students to identify what it is to be a GOOD digital citizen, not just what a digital citizen is. This makes students stop and discern between behaviors that are acceptable and those that are not. For teachers that are new to the idea of teaching digital citizenship, I always get them started with Common Sense Media. I love this resource because it crosses all grade levels and elements needed to be a well-rounded digital citizen and the teacher often benefits from teaching them as well. More experiences teachers may enjoy a PBL type of experience and allow students to address an issue they see, brainstorm on ways to teach others, and really make a strong impact in the school and community.

Ribble (2015) identifies nine elements of digital citizenship as follows:

1. Digital Access: Digital equity in availability and exposure

2. Digital Commerce: Safety for conducting business online - both for the buyer and seller

3. Digital Communication and Collaboration: Exploring tools, methods, and modes to work together and send/receive messages online

4. Digital Etiquette: Expectations for appropriate behavior with physical technology as well as when interacting with others online

5. Digital Fluency: Building a toolbox that allows users to navigate emerging tools, not just the ones already out there

6. Digital Health and Wellness: Understanding balance and being aware of ergonomics

7. Digital Law: Copyright and other policies pertaining to work online

8. Digital Rights and Responsibilities: Understanding our place - what is allowed and what should be done when interacting online

9. Digital Security and Privacy: Taking passwords and what we post online seriously

Ribble groups these nine elements into categories - the individual, the community, and outside the community. This breakdown reminds me of a Common Sense Media lesson - Rings of Responsibility in which the students have to explore scenarios and see where the responsibility for a certain online event may lie. Ribble also categorizes the elements in the S3 Framework - Safety (protecting yourself and others), Savvy (educating yourself and others), and Social (respecting yourself and others).

Of the nine elements of digital citizenship, I begin to focus on etiquette - the correct way to conduct yourself. I believe this is most important because etiquette can all lead into all of the other elements. Etiquette can easily spur conversations dealing with proper communication as well as rights, responsibilities, and laws online. Are you conducting yourself correctly if you were communicating in a rude manner, infringing upon others rights, or breaking laws? Etiquette can also lead to conversations of digital literacy and the idea of fake news. Is it best for the community to spread false information? This topic also leads to commerce. Who should you conduct business with? How should you handle your own online business? Security and personal health can also be connected by considering who to share information with and personal boundaries. A practical way to introduce these elements involves a continuum. These topics can get very intense and thorough but even the youngest learner can understand a simplified picture of etiquette.

References

Digital citizenship. Common Sense Education. (2021, August 24). https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship.

Heick, T. (2020, September 8). The definition of digital citizenship. TeachThought. https://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/the-definition-of-digital-citzenship/.

Ohler, J. (2011). Digital Citizenship Means Character Education for the Digital Age. Retrieved from Blackboard.

Polgar, D. R. & Curran, M. (2017, December 5). We shouldn't assume people know what digital citizenship is. TeachThought. https://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/we-shouldnt-assume-people-know-what-digital-citizenship-is/.

Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools: Nine elements all students should know. International Society for Technology in Education.