Digital Citizenship in Action: Empowering Students to Engage in Online Communities

For years, much of the available curricula for teaching digital citizenship focused on “don’ts.” Don’t share addresses or phone numbers. Don’t give out passwords. Don’t bully other students. But the conversation then shifted and had many asking, “Why aren’t we teaching kids the power of social media?” Next, digital citizenship curriculum moved toward teaching students how to positively brand themselves so that they would stand out when it came to future scholarships and job opportunities. In the end, both messages failed to address one of the most important aspects of citizenship: being in community with others.

As citizens, we have a responsibility to give back to the community and to work toward social justice and equity. Digital citizenship curricula should strive to show students possibilities over problems, opportunities over risks and community successes over personal gain. In Digital Citizenship in Action, you’ll find practical ways for taking digital citizenship lessons beyond a conversation about personal responsibility so that you can create opportunities for students to become participatory citizens, actively engaging in multiple levels of community and developing relationships based on mutual trust and understanding with others in these spaces.

• Digital Citizenship in Schools: Nine Elements All Students Should Know
• The Google Infused Classroom: A Guidebook to Making Thinking Visible and Amplifying Student Voice
• Fact Vs. Fiction: Teaching Critical Thinking Skills in the Age of Fake News
• Social LEADia: Moving Students from Digital Citizenship to Digital Leadership
• Raising Humans in a Digital World: Helping Kids Build a Healthy Relationship with Technology
• Innovate Inside the Box: Empowering Learners Through UDL and the Innovator's Mindset
• Learning First, Technology Second: The Educator's Guide to Designing Authentic Lessons
• Media Literacy in the K-12 Classroom, 2nd Edition
• The Digital Citizenship Handbook for School Leaders: Fostering Positive Interactions Online
• Coding for Kids in Scratch 3: The Complete Guide to Creating Art, Artificial Intelligence, and Computer Games for Beginners