Welcome to the first part of a 5 part series on Digital Citizenship! This set of lessons is designed to lead you, the teacher, and your students through the difficult topics related to Digital Citizenship. Each lesson is flexible in length, dependent on the depth that you discuss each resource.

According to Shannon Miller, being a Digital Citizen "means that you are aware, responsible, and part of the world that we know, which is filled with technology, collaboration, and connecting to one another in a variety of ways. Everyone is digital, and is using technology in so many areas of life, it’s quickly becoming redundant to continue including the word 'digital' in the term digital citizenship...

It is just part of who we all are as citizens."

In the form below, tell us what you think Digital Citizenship means for both you, and your students!

How we behave online has a lot to do with our perception of the "internet", how we utilize it, and how we (and future generations) will use it. Young teachers now are part of the first group of children to grow up with internet access. What we choose to allow, concerning online behavior, sets the standard for the current/future users.

Almost everyone has a "common sense filter" (in some capacity) that we use in our everyday publicly-interactive lives. Just like we choose our words before we speak them in a face-to-face conversation, we should also think about what we are "saying" online. This includes words (Texts, Messages, Chats, Posts, Comments, and Emails), but also includes actions (Rating, Liking), and how those interactions will be perceived.

To teach good Digital Citizenship skills, we need to know them well, and practice them ourselves. While not at all a complete list, some examples of Digital Citizenship skills are listed below:

• Being aware of and avoiding dangerous situations
  
• Thinking before posting
• Understanding the nature of the internet
• Evaluating website credibility
• Protecting oneself before over-sharing
• Protecting one's own privacy
• Communicating respectfully
• Refusing to cyber-bully or to be cyber-bullied
• Participating in positive online networks
• Knowing how to search effectively
• Understanding and respecting copyright
• Utilizing proper online research skills
• Establishing and maintaining a positive digital footprint

A very important topic for students to understand is how much over-sharing happens in an everyday conversation. When we do this face-to-face, it's not very risky. However, when we accidentally over-share online, the results can be disastrous.

Discuss: What does it mean to over-share information?

• Can you think of an example of when YOU over-shared in real-life?
  
• Can you think of an example when YOU over-shared online?
  
• Were there consequences to over-sharing?
  
• What do you think might happen to the information you shared?
  
• What kinds of information might be considered over-sharing?
• If you notice someone over-sharing online, what should you do?

Sometimes, we share things with our close friends that we would never tell someone else. Could that be considered over-sharing? It could if you decide to post it online! If your Twitter account is set to Public, then anyone/everyone in the WORLD can see your tweet (unless you've sent a direct message, which is private)! On Facebook, if you're posting publicly, not to "Friends Only", anyone can see everything that you post. And it's the same on pretty much every Social Media website... Instagram, Pinterest, Skype, etc.. We'll discuss more about this in an upcoming lesson.

Up Next:

Cyber-Bullying

Online Etiquette

Photo taking/sharing

Coming Soon:

Privacy

Privacy Settings

Copyright

Digital Footprints

"Friends" and Followers

Building a Positive Footprint

Preparing for the Future

Wrapup

Curriculum Resources