In our increasingly digital world, teaching digital citizenship is no longer optional, it’s essential. While celebrating Digital Citizenship Week every year in October is great, we must take the time to incorporate digital literacy everyday in our schools. As educators, we play an important role in helping our students become responsible, ethical, and informed digital citizens. With students having the world at their fingertips, we must take the time to explicitly teach them the good, bad, and consequences of their decisions as it relates to digital citizenship.
There are many ways to promote digital citizenship and keep it at the forefront of students’ minds. No matter the approach taken, it is imperative that a learning organizations Instructional Technology Resource Teacher (ITRT) work with classroom teachers to create and deliver relevant, interactive, appropriate digital citizenship lessons for students.The goal of every learning organization should have some focus on laying a solid foundation for students to understand and build on appropriate digital citizenship throughout the year, and life. N.B. Clements Junior High School in Prince George County Virginia made that a priority throughout the 2024-2025 school year.
To accomplish the above stated goal, N.B. Clements Junior High School’s ITRT, Megan Wilder, worked with classroom teachers to engage students collaboratively in digital citizenship using task cards throughout the buildings and school wide jeopardy games. As Mrs. Wilder planned these activities, she took a year long professional learning approach and follows up monthly with newsletters and activities for students and staff which include a focus question, lesson plan, and hand out. She used the resources found on Common Sense Media to develop her year-long digital citizenship professional learning plan. Common Sense is a free resource chalked full of amazing, classroom ready activities.
The final important piece of creating a comprehensive digital citizenship program within a learning organization is one that is most often overlooked; creating a family connection. Mrs. Wilder always strives to include a family extension in her monthly newsletter which students can take and share at home. If learning organizations are actively sharing activities and keeping parents informed, it will provide the opportunity for everyone to be on the same page and fosters a sense of collaboration and shared responsibility between school and home, reinforcing the importance of digital citizenship both in and out of the classroom.
In conclusion, by prioritizing digital citizenship in our schools, we equip our students with the tools they need to navigate an ever-evolving digital landscape responsibly and ethically. We need to ensure that our students know it’s not just about following the rules but empowering them to make informed decisions and understand the impact of their online actions. If we take the time to all work collaboratively, we can create a strong foundation for digital literacy that extends beyond the classroom and prepares our students for life on and offline.
Authorship Information
Megan Wilder is in her second year as an Instructional Technology Resource Teacher with Prince George County Public Schools. This is her 14th year in education. Prior to becoming an ITRT, she taught fourth grade for 12 years.