Module Learning Target:

Upon completion of this module, participants will:

• Gain a deeper understanding of what digital citizenship is

• Learn about the different topics and skills that make up digital citizenship

Module Success Criteria:

• Create and implement a lesson that teaches a specific  digital citizenship topic, that includes a student media creation component

It's likely you have experienced one or more of the following challenges with students: cyberbullying, plagiarism, inappropriate sharing online. We know that the average screen time for 8-18 year olds is about 7.5 hours per day, which does not including the time spent texting or talking on a cell phone. Because of these alarming statistics, digital citizenship is an important 21st Century Skill. To students, media is like the air they breathe. They are constantly searching, analyzing, socializing, communicating, and participating in online spaces. Because of the rapid increase of digital device use among students of all ages, it is so important that we teach them how to use these tools in a safe, responsible, and respectful way. An important part of being a Digital Educator is to help students build awareness about how to appropriately use digital media to become engaged, connected, and creative 21st century learners. It's about teaching students to create a culture of empathy, respect, collaboration, and responsible participation in online spaces. 

Common Sense Media has created six topics for digital citizenship: Media Balance and Well-Being, Privacy and Security, Digital Footprint and Identity, Relationships and Communication, Cyberbullying, Digital Drama and Hate Speech,  and News and Media Literacy. Explore each category by clicking on the title below. You will use your understanding of this exploration during the Demonstrate section of this module. 

Note: You may need to create a Common Sense account to access these resources. To do this, simply log in with your school Google account, and follow the prompts.

For the sake of this course, Digital literacy serves as the umbrella concept, encompassing key areas such as computer skills and access, authorship, reputation, and digital citizenship—which focuses on responsible and ethical participation in digital environments.  Media scholar Renee Hobbs refers to four areas of digital literacy: 1) Computer Skills and Access Issues; 2) Issues of Authorship; 3) Issues of Reputation, and 4) Online Social Responsibility. Being an informed media consumer and creator—essentially, being digitally literate—includes the ability to engage in digital citizenship, which focuses on responsible and ethical behavior in online spaces.  Watch the video below to get a better understanding of the importance of digital literacy.

AI, Digital Literacy & Digital Citizenship

Today’s students interact with content created by both humans and machines—and many don’t know the difference. As educators, it's our role to help students analyze, evaluate, and create digital content responsibly, especially as AI tools become more common in their daily lives.

AI has blurred the line between human and machine-created work. Students need support in:

• Evaluating AI-generated content (Is it accurate? Is it biased? Who created it?)
  
  

• Understanding the ethics of AI use (e.g., using AI responsibly for brainstorming or revision—not for copying or bypassing learning)
  
  

• Protecting personal data (e.g., never entering PII into generative tools)
  
  

As you explore digital citizenship topics like media literacy, authorship, and online responsibility, consider how AI tools are already shaping the digital world your students live in.

You’ll dive deeper into AI tools and ethical use in upcoming modules. For now, focus on helping students become critical thinkers and responsible participants in an AI-driven digital landscape.

ISTE includes Digital Citizenship as a component of their ISTE-S (see #2) and ISTE-T (see #3) standards. Take a look at the ISTE digital citizen definitions for both students and teachers. Be prepared to use your understanding in the below discussion. 

Next, watch the Common Sense Media videos below. While watching these videos think about the following question: Why do you think teaching students digital citizenship in schools is important?

Now, take some time to explore the Common Sense Media lessons for the grade level you teach by clicking here. While exploring these lessons, think about how these topics integrate with other concepts you currently teach in your classroom.

One strategy to get your students to "own" digital citizenship is to have them collaborate with other students to create their own media about their understanding of digital citizenship topics. When students share their voices about these digital citizenship topics, it not only creates awareness and a space for conversation, but it can be a powerful experience for the students who created it. In addition, by including student-produced media creation projects as part of learning, digital citizenship comes full circle because students get to enact responsible decision-making in the messages they create. 

Watch the student-produced PSA, "Wanted," below about cyberbullying and being an upstander.  While watching this video, think about how you can bring media creation into your classroom to integrate digital citizenship with core content.

Reflect on what kind of media creation your students have access to and what would engage students. Also, consider what digital citizenship topic(s) might connect with other topics in your curriculum.   

Now that you have learned about digital citizenship and literacy, it is time to create a lesson. Your assignment is to:

• Create a lesson using this lesson plan template that teaches students about a specific digital citizenship topic from Common Sense Media

• Include a student media creation component (i.e., poster contest, video, PSA, Infographic, digital AVID one-pager on a google slide etc.). Make sure to use one of the district-approved content creation tools found on the Edtech Tools and Best Practices Tab on our Technology Resources Website.

• Teach the lesson in your Classroom

• Reflect on the outcome by completing and submitting the below Google form

Please note you do not need to create a lesson that is at the transformation technology integration level. With your developing understanding of technology integration, decide your current technology integration comfort level, and design a lesson with that technology integration level in mind. Once you have created the lesson plan and taught the lesson, please submit your evidence and reflection with the Google Form below.