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The Digital Age is Upon Us!

Now that we live in a digital age, citizenship and digital citizenship go hand-in-hand. Cellular smart devices are basically attached to bodies at all times, as more time is spent communicating and entertaining ourselves through devices. Students are relying more and more upon technology to foster their friendships, especially with habits created during COVID. Being a good citizen of the world now naturally requires students to be good digital citizens. Our students had to rely on technology to foster friendships and relationships with each other during a pandemic where they couldn't be face-to-face. Students must successfully learn how to safely respect themselves and others, educate themselves and connect with others, and protect themselves and others (Ribble, 2015). It takes a village to create a safe online environment for all. As educators, the underlying important factors of having good digital citizens are explicitly modeling and teaching how to be a good digital citizen, and teaching empathy.

In 2011, a Pew study discovered that 95 percent of teens aged 12 through 17 are actively online (Shapiro, 2014). It is likely the percentage is even higher now. Unfortunately, although students are digital natives, we cannot assume students understand what digital citizenship entails, as the span of the topic is very broad (Pulgar & Curran, 2017). As citizens of the world, students must keep the three elements of citizenship, the civil, political, and social aspects, in mind while exploring how to better citizens (Marshall, 1950). When it comes down to it, we cannot be good citizens without being good digital citizens. The idea of virtual reality and real-life blending requires us to find balance as citizens of both “worlds” (Ohler, 2015).

Ribble (2015) organizes digital citizenship into three different categories that are all intertwined. As teachers, all three categories and 9 subcategories are important. However, as a middle school teacher, it is especially relevant to discuss the subcategories of digital etiquette, communication, and digital wellness.

References:

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Brewer, G., & Kerslake, J. (2015). Cyberbullying, self-esteem, empathy and loneliness. Computers in Human Behavior, 48, 255-260. Brewer_Cyberbullying_Self-esteem_Empathy_Loneliness.pdf

"Computer keyboard" by newfilm.dk is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Essex, N. L. (2016). School law and the public school: A practical guide for educational leaders. (6th ed.) (pp.111-114). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. Essex_Cyberbullying.pdf

"heart" by plasticrevolver is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J.W. (2015). Developing a positive school climate: Top ten tips to prevent bullying and cyberbullying. Cyberbullying Research Center. Hinduja_Patchin_School-Climate-Top-Ten-Tips-To-Prevent-Cyberbullying.pdf

"Lockers" by 20'cents is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Marshall, T.H. (1950). Citizenship and social class: and other essays. Cambridge, MA: University Press.

"monopoly-e-commerce" by danielbroche is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Ohler, J. (2015, September 22). Digital Citizenship: An Opportunity for Everyone. Corwin Connect. https://corwin-connect.com/2015/09/digital-citizenship-an-opportunity-for-everyone/.

Ohler, J. (2012). Digital citizenship means character education for the digital age. Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 77(8), 14-17. (PDF: Ohler_Digital_citizenship_means_character_education_2012.pdf)

Polgar, D. R., & Curran, M. B. F. X. (2017, December 5). "We shouldn't assume people know what digital citizenship is.". TeachThought. https://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/we-shouldnt-assume-people-know-what-digital-citizenship-is/.

Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools: Nine elements all students should know (3rd ed.). Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education

Shapiro, E. (2014, January 22). The Case for Teaching Digital Citizenship. The Jewish Press JewishPresscom. https://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/the-case-for-teaching-digital-citizenship/2014/01/23/.