What is digital citizenship?

Digital Citizenship is a concept in which individuals learn

and understand how to use technology appropriately. Here is a link to a website regarding
digital citizenship, Digital Citizenship. Understanding digital citizenship prepares
individuals and users of technology for the technological world we live in today. No
matter what it is called around the world, digital citizenship brings forth the same issue,
and that issue is determining if users are acting appropriate and with integrity online
(Digital Citizenship, 2015). There are nine themes of digital citizenship, and they are
digital access, digital commerce, digital communication, digital literacy, digital etiquette,
digital law, digital rights and responsibilities, digital health and wellness and digital
security. Digital access essentially means full electronic participation in society. To
ensure all of my students have access to technology in the classroom, I will implement a
technology drive. I will allow individuals to bring in their used technology in order for
other students to use. I can also write grants for iPADs; doing this will ensure each
student in the class will have access to an iPAD. Digital commerce is the buying and
selling of goods. Digital communication means the electronic exchange of information;
basically, I will state what is appropriate to say and share online. I will stress the use of
privacy settings, especially in regards to social media sites. Digital literacy is the process
of teaching and learning about technology. Do the students understand how to use
technology and do they understand how powerful the tool is? Digital etiquette means
appropriate conduct practiced by each individual. I will stress that it is equally important
for individuals to show proper etiquette both face-to-face and online. Digital law
discusses copyright and fair use. Are my students aware of sound copyright and citation
methods? Do they understand how important it is to give credit where credit is due?
Digital rights and responsibilities mean freedoms and rights given to everyone in the
technological word we live in today; it is imperative to stress that with those rights there
are going to be more responsibility. Digital health and wellness refers to the physical and
psychological health with the use of technology. Finally, digital security means electronic
precautions to ensure safety (Nine Elements, 2015.)

Depending on grade level, it is crucial to discuss copyright, fair use and Creative
Commons in the classroom. Explaining copyright to a group of young children could be

somewhat challenging; therefore, it is crucial I understand ways in which I can explain

copyright at an easier level. Copyright is protection given to an author or creator of a
piece of work (Copyright Kids!, n.d.) Fair use is a concept that allows an individual to
reproduce copyrighted material for a certain purpose ("What is fair use? - Definition from
WhatIs.com," 2015.) Here is a link that explains fair use in greater detail,
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/fair-use. This leads me to Creative Commons.
Creative Commons is an organization that allows users to share, use, or build from their
own work using free and legal tools (About- Creative Commons, n.d.) Here is a link
that discusses Creative Commons is more detail, http://creativecommons.org/about. Now
that I understand what digital citizenship is, the next step is to determine how I will teach
and model digital citizenship to my students and encourage effective online behavior.
There are many ways in which I can implement digital citizenship into my curriculum.
One way is to have my students create digital presentations. When I have my students
create content they will share online, I will also implement a lesson on fair use and
copyright. During this time I will explain what digital citizenship is and encourage
appropriate online behavior; as I said above I plan to teach in an Early Childhood
classroom; therefore, I must explain it in a way that the students will understand. Here is
an example video I would show my students concerning digital citizenship,
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/video/educators/digital-citizenship. Once they have
created their content to share online, I will ask the students how they would want their
work to be shared? Would they want others to make a profit, change, or use their own
work? It is vital that I ask my students questions and turn the tables on them; this really
gets them thinking for themselves in critical situations. I would also ask my students how
they would want others to see them online? Are they presenting themselves in a
respectable and responsible manner? It is also imperative that I let my students know they
are publishing their work for a much bigger audience then just myself; this may give the
students more of an incentive when creating presentations.
Here is an example activity to model digital citizenship and to encourage my students to
think outside of the box. Lets say we are studying a historical figure in class; for the
lesson I would have my students discuss with a partner how each historical figure would
present themselves on the Internet, more specifically on social media. Twitter, Facebook
and more are booming with younger generations; therefore, it is my duty as the educator
to acknowledge the rise in social media sites, as well as acknowledge the interests of my
students and use that when instructing course curriculum. I would have my students
create different posts, or tweets, that they think the important individuals in history would
post or tweet. This is a unique activity that incorporates digital citizenship and gets the
students thinking in a different perspective
Digital Citizenship is imperative to understand when incorporating technology into the
classroom. With the increase in technology, there is undoubtedly going to be an increase
in protection, security, and responsibility. It is my obligation to acknowledge the
importance of digital citizenship and instruct my students to be technology literate
individuals.