Digital citizenship skills are essential for all students to be able to fully participate in their communities and make informed decisions online and in real life.
Many educators feel that they don’t have enough time to teach digital citizenship. It can be difficult to set aside time for responsible technology use, let alone the planning of lessons, when you already have a long list of teaching objectives.
These skills should not be taught in the homeroom. Or the media specialist during library time. Many schools find that integrating digital citizenship into their classes is a good idea. It allows for school-wide implementation and clear measurement. Digital citizenship skills do not have to be taught as a lesson. These skills can be integrated into everyday teaching.
These are three ways that digital citizenship can be integrated into how you teach, and not a separate thing:
1.Highlight research and media literacy skills
Research is essential for learning in both general and subject-based classrooms. How can we help students find credible information online, as most student research starts with a Google search or Wikipedia search? Students can build solid research skills by learning fact-checking and reading the page.
You might also consider introducing students the SEARCH strategy for supporting research across all content areas.
- S – Search tools and research questions for. Ask one or more questions that are relevant to your search. You should also choose the search engines and tools that are most relevant to your search.
- E Keywords and terms extracted Highlighting key terms from your research questions can help you find keywords that are effective.
- A Use search strategies such as adding quotation marks, a minus sign, or specifying what type of information you require.
- R Start your search. You can run a search using the terms you have chosen, and then review the results. You should always check multiple sources.
- CH Chart to help you with your search. You can avoid repeating the work you have already done by noting down what you searched for and where it was searched.
2.Establish communication norms in collaboration environments
Many classrooms use collaborative tools to create assignments, collaborate on group projects and give feedback. Tools such as Microsoft OneNote and Google Drive allow for more direct feedback that is not tied to school and can be accessed in real time. We should set expectations for students’ communication in the classroom and reinforce those ideas in their online collaborative learning spaces. Establishing communication norms online and in class will help you to be more consistent.
Students can also be encouraged to give feedback online during class. This will add an extra layer of learning. Students who feel uncomfortable giving feedback in person should reconsider whether the comments they posted online were appropriate.
3.Digital citizenship through social media: Models
Your role as a role model for technology use is one of the best ways you can teach digital citizenship skills to your students. Role modeling is possible in both school-based and public social media platforms. Use an online discussion tool such as Backchannel chat to keep track of the conversations and intervene to correct misuse. Talk to your students about how you decided on the credibility of an article before they share it online.
If educators are interested in exploring how students might use social media platforms to learn, they might consider setting up an approval process through a collaborative online document for tweets, snaps, and general posts. You might also consider tools such as Class Intercom that allow students to create posts for school social media accounts that can be reviewed before being published live. These practices can be used to set a new standard for school communities using social media tools.
While it is possible to address digital citizenship through a separate curriculum or set of lessons, this may not be feasible for all educators. These skills can be kept top of mind and incorporated into daily instruction to help students develop better habits at school and home.