The goal of Digital Citizenship is to give teachers, parents, and all technology leaders a basis of what their students and/or children should know to use technology in a safe and responsible manner. Digital Citizenship is a way to prepare students for their future full of technology usage. Just as there are many norms of what is appropriate in society, there are norms to the online world as well. The more that Digital Citizenship is taught, the less we will see students as well as adults misusing or abusing technology. Helping students take ownership of their digital lives can begin at a very young age. Educating students starting at a young age will help them make smart choices online and in life.
There are nine key elements to digital citizenship that help define the norms for appropriate, responsible behavior while online. By focusing on these elements we will help protect and educate young people. The nine elements include: Access, Commerce, Communication, Etiquette, Health & Wellness, Law, Literacy, Rights & Responsibilities, and Security. These elements can easily be incorporated into the classroom policies regarding technology usage. These elements were identified to focus on today’s most common issues, but they also have the flexibility to serve technology as it changes in the future.
Digital Access refers to full electronic participation in society. This includes helping to make sure everyone has equal access to technology and the Internet. Students need to be aware that not everyone has the same access to technology as they might at home, at school, or elsewhere. Ultimately we want our students, our future, to fight to make sure that no one is denied digital access. This means equal opportunity to technology. At a young age this would just mean raising student awareness to inequality in digital access even within their own class.
Digital Commerce is the buying and selling of goods on the Internet. Giving students the knowledge of what to share and what to keep private. Students should also be able to make well-informed decisions relating to buying and downloading materials online. Digital communication goes hand in hand with this as well. Students will be faced with so many different Digital Communication options, such as when and how to send an email versus a text or casual social media post. Many times students have not been taught how to make appropriate decisions and unfortunately that may land them in a form of trouble that they are unfamiliar with how to fix it.
Digital Etiquette is the electronic standards of conduct or procedure while on the Internet. Etiquette is a real weakness in the online world today, however it can be taught beginning at a very young age. Digital etiquette should be an important part of education of our youth. There are ways that one should interact and address others no matter if you are online or in person. Teachers, parents, and technology leaders should be willing to communicate these ‘common sense’ pieces of etiquette at an early age so that students can be more prepared to make decisions on their own as they get older. When digital etiquette reaches its potential students will be able to not only recognize inappropriate behavior, but they will know how to act and react appropriately as well.