making

social media and caring

common
digital citizenship project

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
Digital Citizenship is a holistic and positive approach to helping children learn how to be safe and
secure, as well as smart and effective participants in a digital world. That means helping them
understand their rights and responsibilities, recognize the benefits and risks, and realize the
personal and ethical implications of their actions. Helping a child become a good digital citizen cuts
across all curricular disciplines and includes knowledge, awareness, and skills in three key areas:

Safety & Security: Understanding the risks that we face from others as well as from our own
conduct, and the dangers posed by applications like viruses and phishing.

Digital Literacy: Learning how to find, sort, manage, evaluate and create information in digital
forms. These literacy skills build on but are somewhat different from the traditional literacy
of reading and writing.

Ethics & Community: Becoming aware of and practicing appropriate and ethical behaviors in
a variety of digital environments. This area includes shaping your digital reputation and being
a responsible citizen of the communities in which you participate, from social networks, to
games, to neighborhood civic forums.

Source: www.ciconline.org/DigitalCitizenship

BASICS IN DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP AND CYBERBULLYING FOR EDUCATORS

Edutopia: Digital Citizenship Resources
Edutopias Digital Citizenship: Resource Roundup is a collection of articles, videos, and
resources on cyberbullying, netiquette, and internet safety.

Edutopia

www.edutopia.org/cyberbullying-internet-digital-citizenship-resources

iKeepSafe: Digital Citizenship Resources

The iKeepSafe Digital Citizenship C3 MatrixTM is designed to assist educators in integrating

the concepts of cyber-safety, cyber-security, and cyber-ethics into existing curriculum and
practices.
 iKeepSafe

http://www.ikeepsafe.org/educators/more/c3-matrix/

Cyberbullying Factsheet
The cyberbullying factsheet from the Cyberbullying Research Center provides general
information on identification, prevention, and response to cyberbullying.

www.cyberbullying.us/Cyberbullying_Identification_Prevention_Response_Fact_Sheet.pdf

BEST PRACTICES GUIDELINES

Digital Citizenship Professional Learning Community
Digital Citizenship is a Professional Learning Community (PLC) that provides ideas and
discussions about how to help kids be safe, responsible, and respectful participants in a
digital world. Educators can ask questions and participate in discussions and webinars.

Common Sense Media

http://www.edweb.net/digitalcitizenship

Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online

This guide provides information for parents and educators about how to talk to children and
teens about online safety, including social media and the use of mobile phones. The guide
addresses general safety topics as well as key considerations by age.

OnGuardOnline.gov

http://www.onguardonline.gov/articles/pdf-0001-netcetera.pdf

CURRICULA AND LESSON PLANS

Common Sense Media Curriculum
Common Sense Medias materials are designed to empower students (K-12) to think
critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly in the digital world. These cross-
curricular units address digital literacy and citizenship topics in an age-appropriate way. Units
include internet safety, cyberbullying, digital footprint and reputation, information literacy,
relationships and communication, and more.

Common Sense Media

www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence#grades-6-8

iKeepSafe and Google Curriculum

In collaboration, iKeepSafe and Google created a curriculum for educators to teach
 students what it means to be a responsible digital citizen. The curriculum is designed
to be interactive, allowing students to learn through hands-on and scenario activities.
Each workshop contains a resource booklet for both educators and students that can be
downloaded in PDF form, presentations to accompany the lesson and animated videos to
help frame the conversation. Lesson include: Become an Online Sleuth, Manage Your
Digital Reputation, and Identify Tricks and Scams.

iKeepSafe

www.ikeepsafe.org/educators/more/google-digital-literacy-tour/

National Organization for Media Literacy Education

Our Space is a set of curricular materials designed to encourage high school students to
reflect on the ethical dimensions of their participation in new media environments. Through
role-playing activities and reflective exercises, students are asked to consider the ethical
responsibilities of other people, and whether and how they behave ethically online.

www.newmedialiteracies.org/our-space-being-a-responsible-citizen-of-the-digital-world/

Stay on the Path: Teaching Kids to be Safe and Ethical Online

This resource kit, developed for middle school students, provides a self-directed tutorial,
lesson plans for teachers, and tip sheets for parents.

http://www.prevnet.ca/resources/cyber-tool

Cable in the Classroom

Cable in the Classroom has developed a series of lessons that teach key digital citizenship
concepts. These lessons, for students in grades 4-8, are designed to engage students
through inquiry-based activities, and collaborative and creative opportunities. Lessons
include Working Together Digitally, Your Digital Footprint, Stand Up [to Cyberbullying],
and more.

www.ciconline.org/digitalcitizenship/inctrl

MATERIAL TO SHARE WITH FAMILIES

Common Sense Media
Common Sense Medias program helps parents and caregivers navigate and discuss the
impact of digital media on kids social, emotional, and intellectual development. Using
resources based on the K-12 Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum, educators and
parents, together, can empower young people to harness the power of the Internet and digital
technology for learning and life, both in the classroom and at home. Includes an outreach
kit, advice videos, family tip sheets, family media agreements, and more (some resources
available in Spanish).

www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/educate-families
Connect Safely
A parents guide to cyber safety. Includes helpful information on internet safety and tips for
preparing and protecting their children.

www.connectsafely.org/wp-content/uploads/securityguide.pdf

WEBSITES

Childnet International
http://www.childnet.com/

Common Sense Media

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/

Edutopia
http://www.edutopia.org/social-media-education-resources

National Crime Prevention Council

http://www.ncpc.org/topics/internet-safety

SafetyNet, American Academy of Pediatrics

http://safetynet.aap.org/

Stay Safe Online, National Cyber Security Alliance

http://www.staysafeonline.org/

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