The need to teach responsible and ethical digital habits has never been more pressing. For students, digital citizenship isn't just a skill—it's essential for navigating everything from staying connected with your friends to learning about the world around you and preparing for college and career. But with technology advancing so quickly, how can we help young people make healthy choices?
Richard Culataexecutive director of SOUGHT+ASCDhas called us to rethink what it means to be a digital citizen. In a recent conversation with EdSurge, he explained why digital citizenship is about much more than just online safety. Their approach calls for a broader approach that encourages students to use technology creatively and meaningfully, for the good of society. As artificial intelligence and other innovations transform the digital space, there is an urgent need to prepare students to thrive in the future.
EdSurge: How is digital citizenship defined?
Bedroom: When we think about digital citizenship, we mean how we present ourselves in our digital communities. This is a key distinction from previous definitions that focused primarily on online security and the protection of personal information. Those earlier concepts seemed self-centered and emphasized individual protection above all else.
Being a digital citizen today means understanding that we are all in a very real, albeit virtual, community with other individuals. Our actions can significantly impact other members of the community and vice versa. This change changes the way we approach teaching digital citizenship to young people.
Participating in this virtual world is not optional; It is where many of life's most important moments now occur. But understanding how to show up and use our voice for good in this space is a skill we can choose to develop. Digital citizenship is no longer just about creating strong passwords; It's about using technology to make our digital community a better place.
Why should educators and families prioritize digital citizenship?
Understanding how to leverage the digital world for personal success and social contribution is one of the most valuable skills for today's youth. We often incorrectly assume that children will figure out how to navigate the digital world on their own, but that is not the case. It is much more difficult for young people to observe and model effective digital skills compared to other life skills.
For example, we can easily demonstrate respect for shared spaces in the physical world, such as picking up trash in a park. Children can visibly watch as we bend down to pick up a discarded can and throw it in the trash. However, when adults engage in positive digital behaviors, such as sharing uplifting content, tactfully addressing misinformation, or using online tools for community engagement, kids may just watch Dad sitting in front of his laptop.
That's why it's so important to openly teach good digital citizenship skills. Unlike other parts of our children's lives, without this intentional instruction, we risk leaving a significant gap in our children's preparation for the digital world they will inherit.
How could access to generative ai influence digital citizenship?
I don't think generative ai will fundamentally change the basic digital well-being skills we need to teach; it just adds urgency to teaching them. ai is a powerful accelerator that has the potential to improve both healthy and harmful purposes. The determination depends on how we choose to use it.
Like any technological tool, striking a balance in our use of technology, engaging meaningfully with others, and using technology to foster curiosity are critical skills. However, we should be concerned that we are introducing ai at a time when we have not yet prioritized teaching these fundamental digital citizenship skills. It's a bit like giving someone the keys to a Ferrari before you even get your driving license.
ai should be a catalyst for a conversation about what skills should remain uniquely human versus those that technology could take over. We should make that determination by trying to understand how ai can help us be better humans. Human beings excel in discernment, judgment, humor, civility, and creativity. However, we have difficulty with tasks such as brainstorming or synthesizing large amounts of information. These are areas where ai excels, which could allow humans to focus more energy on improving our skills, such as making ethical decisions.
Understanding that ai is not magic is essential for students to understand how to best apply it in their lives.
That is why ISTE+ASCD is launching one of its largest campaigns, GenerationAIto help educators rethink learning design in an ai world. We are shifting the focus from how to use ai tools to the more important question of how to redesign learning for a connected future.
How are schools addressing the mobile phone ban in relation to digital citizenship?
Schools that have not prioritized teaching digital citizenship skills often resort to banning devices. However, we must teach young people how to use technology to learn and solve problems so they are prepared for a healthy future. If we don't teach these essential skills in school, in collaboration with parents, where will they learn them?
The healthy use of technology at school requires having the right conditions. Many schools rely on acceptable use policies that students sign without ever discussing or making sure they understand what they are signing. Even worse is when schools offer acceptable use policies in complex legal language that students don't even understand. Instead, we should approach technology use as if they were classroom rules: discuss them and establish them with students in plain language. ISTE and CoSN have created a Helpful guide on creating healthy norms for technology use which offers examples of how to create effective standards.
Schools that take the time to establish appropriate standards of technology use with students see healthier environments and children learning lifelong skills. Banning the technology may seem like a quick fix, but it creates bigger problems down the road when students never learn critical skills for digital well-being. Banning devices at school means that children will learn digital behaviors from sources other than parents and teachers, such as social media or peers who have also not developed healthy technology habits, which is very concerning.
It is important to note that if a school's technology culture has become dysfunctional, it is entirely appropriate to discontinue use of the device. temporarily while taking the time to establish healthy norms and teach key digital citizenship concepts. However, long-term categorical bans on technologies that are critical to children's future success are not a good option.
What are some of the ways ISTE+ASCD is supporting educators to strengthen digital citizenship competencies with their students?
We offer several resources on digital citizenshipincluding a set of free digital citizenship lessons for teachers to use with students from kindergarten to high school seniors. We also offer online courses to help teachers and school leaders better understand how to teach digital well-being. And, of course, this is a topic that we address in all of our events.
If a school's technology policies are just a list of “don'ts” (things that No we want children to do with technology), we are missing the opportunity to practice positive behaviors. It would be like teaching mathematics by only listing incorrect answers and never practicing solving equations. We need to explain and model the digital skills that want children to develop. The goal is to go beyond prohibitions and focus on teaching positive and constructive ways to use technology effectively.
We also have a free online community called Connectwhere educators can share what's working and discuss developing healthy digital skills.
How can schools partner with parents to reinforce digital citizenship beyond the classroom?
Schools can help by sharing the ways they encourage positive use of technology: fact-checking, encouraging curiosity, managing tasks, and supporting the school community. They can also provide examples of healthy technology standards for home use.
Balance is key, but it's important to understand that setting a single “screen time” limit is much less helpful than discussing the value of individual activities that take place on a screen. We shouldn't lump all screen activities together any more than we would lump all outdoor activities together as “outdoor time”: some types of activities deserve more time than others, depending on the value they bring.
Instead of focusing on “screen time,” we should shift to thinking about “screen value,” evaluating the quality of individual digital activities rather than time spent on a device. This approach helps children understand the difference between valuable and less valuable on-screen activities.
If we are diligent in teaching digital citizenship skills, we will lay the foundation for a much healthier and more inclusive future online world.
Bring digital citizenship to the classroom in a meaningful way. Check out ISTE Digital Citizenship in Educationwhich includes lessons from DigCit.
