According to Mirriam-Webster, citizenship is defined briefly as having membership within a community.  Communities can be seen as a type of culture one is born into.  As a person is more and more involved in the community, it becomes easier to live within the acceptable norms of that society.  There may be experts in what is acceptable behavior for a member of the community in addition to customary ways of thinking and culture.  Digital citizenship, however, is more global.  At times, this blurs the line between the appropriate, or ethical, behavior one chooses to participate in due to the uncommon knowledge of how this behavior may be perceived or even used.  I agree with the nine elements of digital citizenship.  They are more concrete elements of how to conduct oneself online among many other inhabitants who may or may not be aware of safe, respectful and responsible social behavior online.   

Of the nine elements of digital citizenship I am most significantly affected by digital communication and digital literacy.  In the most basic transfer of information, it is important to understand how to use tools and complete tasks online (email, spreadsheets, etc.).  With access to so many tools that now include broadband communication, it is important to ensure that when communicating with my education community (parents, teachers, school administration, etc.) I am always considering the most efficient and effective way to give information.  The words or tone used, the frequency of messages and the types of information sent are all important parts of this element of digital communication.

When researching and learning about digital citizenship, there are three particular definitions that were most impactiful of my understanding on this topic.  The first (Ribble, 2005) defines digital citizenship as a teaching solution that addresses the appropriateness of behaviors in a digital society.  Ideas and concepts from the past are integrated with the best tools of the present that leave the opportunity for a better way of learning on a digital platform.  

Another explanation of digital citizenship (Heick, 2018) uses two examples to define digital citizenship.  The first definition is for educators.  It is defined as “the quality of habits, actions, and consumption patterns that impact the ecology of digital content and communities.”  Although this is very specific, it may be too expansive for students to understand.  In this case, there is another definition for digital citizenship.  Students will find the following definition more useful: “the self-monitored habits that sustain and improve the digital communities you enjoy or depend on.”  

The last example of digital citizenship (Ogler, 2012) used a title for his article to clearly define Digital Citizenship as Character Education for the Digital Age.  More specifically, this concept is built on ideas from the community that promote well-guided use of technology from aspects not only limited to cost or academic integration, but also in terms of cyber behavior, digital ethics, and other confounding issues.

When considering all three definitions of digital citizenship, I can conclude that digital citizenship is the ethical and appropriate digital behavior, habits and utilization of tools and information for all users within the greater digital community.  All behaviors, whether professional or personal should be guided by digital citizenship.  For those who may not be aware of this topic, it is important that citizenship or members of any community abide by a code of conduct and have expectations that result in the greater good of the group.  Digital citizenship adds the added element of technology and how it is best utilized to ensure this quality of character resides both online and in person whether the user is at school or off campus.