Digital Citizenship
What is digital citizenship? Digital citizenship is the way we behave as good online citizens. This includes the way we interact with one another, how we protect our information, and how we balance our time online. Just as it is important to be a good citizen in the physical world; as technology continues to take on a greater role in our work, school, and personal lives, it is also important to be a good digital citizen. Being a good digital citizen means being able to safely and responsibly access digital technologies, as well as "being an active and respectful member of society, both online and offline" (FutureLearn, 2021). Check out this article from FutureLearn for more in-depth overview: What is Digital Citizenship? A Guide for Teachers |
In District 56, we believe that students need to learn the basics of digital citizenship, beginning as young as kindergarten. Our curriculum is scaffolded, with students learning and practicing age-appropriate topics throughout their years in our district. In kindergarten, students learn the basics of digital literacy, how to take care of their iPad, and how to use the camera while respecting the privacy of others. In first grade, students learn to protect their passwords, and to THINK before they post (is it True? Helpful? Inspiring? Necessary? Kind?). In second grade, students learn about their digital footprint, digital rights, and being safe online. The full K-2 curriculum is taught and assessed during technology classes, and can be viewed here: digitalcitizenshipk-2.weebly.com
Digital Footprint
According to Common Sense Education, a digital footprint is "a record of what you do online, including the sites you visit and the things you share" (Common Sense Education, 2019). Once something is on the internet, it is there to stay, so be careful about the types of information you are putting out there!
A good rule is to never post private information, such as your full name, address, and passwords. Strangers could use this information to log into your accounts and steal your information, or pretend to be you and send nasty messages to your friends. It's also a good idea to THINK before you post, since everything you post could be on the internet forever. After you type out a message or post, stop and THINK. Is it True? Is it Helpful? Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary? Is it Kind? If you cannot answer "yes" to all of these questions, you should probably rethink your post.
Another thing to keep in mind is that your digital footprint can be viewed by your parents and teachers. School iPads are the property of the school, and the school district has access to see everything you do on your school iPad. Be aware of this fact when communicating or searching online, and don't type anything you wouldn't want your teachers or principal to read!
In some cases, companies can also access your digital footprint. Some companies, like Facebook, collect data about you in order to target ads toward you. If you are shown products you are likely to be interested in, you are more likely to buy these products, and Facebook makes more money from their ad marketing. Some websites sell the data they have collected about you to outside parties, and these outside parties can use your information in ways you might not agree with. Our school iPads are set up to protect student privacy from outside parties, as all apps must go through an approval process and all internet use is filtered, but it is still important to be aware of these possibilities, and update your privacy settings when possible to keep your information as private as possible. For example, I like to set my social media pages to "private." Additionally, after recent iPhone update where apps need your permission to track certain data points, I have been choosing "Ask app not to track" to protect my data.
For more information about digital footprints, check out this article from TeachThought (12 Tips for Students to Manage Their Digital Footprints) and watch the video below from Common Sense Education.
A good rule is to never post private information, such as your full name, address, and passwords. Strangers could use this information to log into your accounts and steal your information, or pretend to be you and send nasty messages to your friends. It's also a good idea to THINK before you post, since everything you post could be on the internet forever. After you type out a message or post, stop and THINK. Is it True? Is it Helpful? Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary? Is it Kind? If you cannot answer "yes" to all of these questions, you should probably rethink your post.
Another thing to keep in mind is that your digital footprint can be viewed by your parents and teachers. School iPads are the property of the school, and the school district has access to see everything you do on your school iPad. Be aware of this fact when communicating or searching online, and don't type anything you wouldn't want your teachers or principal to read!
In some cases, companies can also access your digital footprint. Some companies, like Facebook, collect data about you in order to target ads toward you. If you are shown products you are likely to be interested in, you are more likely to buy these products, and Facebook makes more money from their ad marketing. Some websites sell the data they have collected about you to outside parties, and these outside parties can use your information in ways you might not agree with. Our school iPads are set up to protect student privacy from outside parties, as all apps must go through an approval process and all internet use is filtered, but it is still important to be aware of these possibilities, and update your privacy settings when possible to keep your information as private as possible. For example, I like to set my social media pages to "private." Additionally, after recent iPhone update where apps need your permission to track certain data points, I have been choosing "Ask app not to track" to protect my data.
For more information about digital footprints, check out this article from TeachThought (12 Tips for Students to Manage Their Digital Footprints) and watch the video below from Common Sense Education.
Cyberbullying
"Cyberbullying" is the word for being mean to, or bullying, others online. Cyberbullying can make people feel sad, alone, or afraid. Just like in-person bullying is never okay, cyberbullying is also never okay.
In District 56, cyberbullying is covered in the second grade digital citizenship curriculum. Prior to second grade, we focus on in-person interpersonal relationships through social-emotional learning lessons. Students learn how to interact with one another respectfully in person, and then are able to transfer these skills to an online environment beginning in second grade. Students learn to THINK before they post, to make sure that they are saying things that are True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, and Kind.
If a student sees something online that might be cyberbullying, they should tell an adult right away. Adults can make sure the situation is handled quickly, and the cyberbully is not allowed to continue bullying others. In the image below, Common Sense Education recommends to STOP if you see cyberbullying online (Common Sense Education 2019). Step away, tell a trusted adult, only go on sites that an adult has said are ok and with an adult's permission, and pause and think: would it be helpful to talk to the person being mean? Sometimes it is helpful to let a person know they have said something hurtful, but sometimes engaging only opens the door for that person to say more hurtful things.
Our district's technology Acceptable Use Policy covers cyberbullying under a few different headings. For example, under "Student Responsibility," the policy reads that the student is responsible for "Obeying general school and district rules concerning behavior and communication." Students are expected to behave appropriately and respectfully, whether they are in the classroom or online. Consequences for cyberbullying are in line with consequences for bullying, but can also include the loss of technology privileges. The full D56 iPad Handbook can be found on the district website here: il02217856.schoolwires.net/Page/912
For more information on identifying and putting a stop to cyberbullying, check out www.stopbullying.gov/
In District 56, cyberbullying is covered in the second grade digital citizenship curriculum. Prior to second grade, we focus on in-person interpersonal relationships through social-emotional learning lessons. Students learn how to interact with one another respectfully in person, and then are able to transfer these skills to an online environment beginning in second grade. Students learn to THINK before they post, to make sure that they are saying things that are True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, and Kind.
If a student sees something online that might be cyberbullying, they should tell an adult right away. Adults can make sure the situation is handled quickly, and the cyberbully is not allowed to continue bullying others. In the image below, Common Sense Education recommends to STOP if you see cyberbullying online (Common Sense Education 2019). Step away, tell a trusted adult, only go on sites that an adult has said are ok and with an adult's permission, and pause and think: would it be helpful to talk to the person being mean? Sometimes it is helpful to let a person know they have said something hurtful, but sometimes engaging only opens the door for that person to say more hurtful things.
Our district's technology Acceptable Use Policy covers cyberbullying under a few different headings. For example, under "Student Responsibility," the policy reads that the student is responsible for "Obeying general school and district rules concerning behavior and communication." Students are expected to behave appropriately and respectfully, whether they are in the classroom or online. Consequences for cyberbullying are in line with consequences for bullying, but can also include the loss of technology privileges. The full D56 iPad Handbook can be found on the district website here: il02217856.schoolwires.net/Page/912
For more information on identifying and putting a stop to cyberbullying, check out www.stopbullying.gov/
Online Privacy and Security
As discussed previously in the Digital Footprint section, online privacy and security are important for digital citizens. Our D56 Digital Citizenship curriculum covers privacy and security, including keeping passwords safe and secure, and not sharing personal information online.
While privacy and security are similar concepts, they are not exactly the same. "Privacy relates to any rights you have to control your personal information and how it’s used... Security, on the other hand, refers to how your personal information is protected" (Symanovich, 2021). You can protect your privacy by choosing how much personal information to share online. You can protect your security by choosing where to share that information, based on the security measures that platform may provide.
Our school district uses high-quality filtering software; both on student iPads, and on the district wifi. While on school premises and connected to the district wifi, students will not be able to access certain sites or search terms. This applies to school devices as well as personal devices connected to the wifi. When students are at home, the internet traffic is not filtered, but student iPads are still blocked from accessing sites such as YouTube, which may have inappropriate videos. At home, we recommend that parents monitor their child's internet usage to ensure their online safety.
Our acceptable use policy prohibits students from attempting to bypass the filter, as the filter is there to protect them from accessing inappropriate materials on the internet. According to our iPad handbook; "Filtering software is installed on all equipment provided to students while on school property to safeguard against students inadvertently accessing objectionable content from outside the school district walls" (Gurnee, 2017). For more information about our district's internet filtering policies, see the iPad Handbook on our district website here: il02217856.schoolwires.net/domain/201
Common Sense Education offers many resources to teach children about privacy and security as part of their digital citizenship curriculum. Check out the video below, which is geared towards kindergarteners, and gives three rules for staying safe online (Common Sense Education, 2019):
While privacy and security are similar concepts, they are not exactly the same. "Privacy relates to any rights you have to control your personal information and how it’s used... Security, on the other hand, refers to how your personal information is protected" (Symanovich, 2021). You can protect your privacy by choosing how much personal information to share online. You can protect your security by choosing where to share that information, based on the security measures that platform may provide.
Our school district uses high-quality filtering software; both on student iPads, and on the district wifi. While on school premises and connected to the district wifi, students will not be able to access certain sites or search terms. This applies to school devices as well as personal devices connected to the wifi. When students are at home, the internet traffic is not filtered, but student iPads are still blocked from accessing sites such as YouTube, which may have inappropriate videos. At home, we recommend that parents monitor their child's internet usage to ensure their online safety.
Our acceptable use policy prohibits students from attempting to bypass the filter, as the filter is there to protect them from accessing inappropriate materials on the internet. According to our iPad handbook; "Filtering software is installed on all equipment provided to students while on school property to safeguard against students inadvertently accessing objectionable content from outside the school district walls" (Gurnee, 2017). For more information about our district's internet filtering policies, see the iPad Handbook on our district website here: il02217856.schoolwires.net/domain/201
Common Sense Education offers many resources to teach children about privacy and security as part of their digital citizenship curriculum. Check out the video below, which is geared towards kindergarteners, and gives three rules for staying safe online (Common Sense Education, 2019):
- Ask your parents first.
- Only talk to people you know.
- Stick to places just right for you (Common Sense Education 2019).
Credible Online Sources
As we all know, not all of the information found online is credible and true. At the K-2 primary level, students are beginning to develop critical thinking skills, but are not skilled enough yet to be evaluating sources online by themselves. Instead, students should be accessing credible sites and sources approved by their teachers, and learning why those sites are credible.
For example, in the library, we do research using library books and the PebbleGo database. We can discuss how we know these sources are credible by using the CRAAP test (Kurpiel, 2022):
By using pre-approved credible sources and discussing how we can tell that these sources are credible using the CRAAP test, students begin to develop their critical thinking skills. This will set them up to be successful when evaluating sources on their own in the future.
Media Literacy is a skill that students will develop as they become more internet savvy and learn to think critically about their sources. For more information about what makes students successful fact-checkers, check out this article from Edutopia: www.edutopia.org/article/what-fact-checkers-know-about-media-literacy-and-students-should-too
Additionally, Common Sense Education offers media literacy lessons as part of their digital citizenship curriculum. Checking sources for credibility isn't part of their K-2 curriculum, but here's a video (below) that explains how to evaluate online news articles for fifth grade if you'd like a peek ahead at what your student will be learning in a few years! (Common Sense Education, 2019).
For a great example of a pre-approved credible source, check out PebbleGo; a high quality, primary-friendly research database that our district subscribes to! pebblego.com
For a fun example of a NON-credible source, see if you can use the CRAAP test to debunk this website about the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus! zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
For example, in the library, we do research using library books and the PebbleGo database. We can discuss how we know these sources are credible by using the CRAAP test (Kurpiel, 2022):
- C - is the information Current?
- R - is the information Relevant to my topic?
- A - is the Author a credible source on the topic?
- A - to the best of my knowledge, is the information Accurate?
- P - what is the author's Purpose for writing? (ie. to entertain, inform, sell products?)
By using pre-approved credible sources and discussing how we can tell that these sources are credible using the CRAAP test, students begin to develop their critical thinking skills. This will set them up to be successful when evaluating sources on their own in the future.
Media Literacy is a skill that students will develop as they become more internet savvy and learn to think critically about their sources. For more information about what makes students successful fact-checkers, check out this article from Edutopia: www.edutopia.org/article/what-fact-checkers-know-about-media-literacy-and-students-should-too
Additionally, Common Sense Education offers media literacy lessons as part of their digital citizenship curriculum. Checking sources for credibility isn't part of their K-2 curriculum, but here's a video (below) that explains how to evaluate online news articles for fifth grade if you'd like a peek ahead at what your student will be learning in a few years! (Common Sense Education, 2019).
For a great example of a pre-approved credible source, check out PebbleGo; a high quality, primary-friendly research database that our district subscribes to! pebblego.com
For a fun example of a NON-credible source, see if you can use the CRAAP test to debunk this website about the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus! zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
References
Boyle, J. (2021, December 29). 12 tips for students to manage their digital footprints. TeachThought. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/digital-footprints/
Common Sense Education. (2021, February 23). Digital Citizenship Curriculum. Common Sense Education. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/curriculum?grades=k%2C1%2C2
FutureLearn. (2021, September 3). What is Digital Citizenship?: The Basics for Teachers. FutureLearn. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://www.futurelearn.com/info/blog/what-is-digital-citizenship-teacher-guide
Gurnee School District 56 (2017). iPad Procedures, Information, and Agreement Handbook. D56. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://il02217856.schoolwires.net/Page/912
Gurnee School District 56 (n.d.). K-2 Digital Citizenship Curriculum. D56. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://digitalcitizenshipk-2.weebly.com/
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). (2022, March 29). Stop bullying home page. StopBullying.gov. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://www.stopbullying.gov/
Kurpiel, S. (2022, April 13). Evaluating sources: The CRAAP test. Benedictine University. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://researchguides.ben.edu/source-evaluation
Symanovich, S. (2021, January 18). Privacy vs. security: What's the difference? NortonLifeLock. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-privacy-privacy-vs-security-whats-the-difference.html#
Terada, Y. (2022, May 26). What fact-checkers know about media literacy-and students should, too. Edutopia. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/what-fact-checkers-know-about-media-literacy-and-students-should-too
Zapato, L. (2022, May 5). Help save the endangered pacific northwest tree octopus from extinction! Zapato Productions intradimensional. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
Common Sense Education. (2021, February 23). Digital Citizenship Curriculum. Common Sense Education. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/curriculum?grades=k%2C1%2C2
FutureLearn. (2021, September 3). What is Digital Citizenship?: The Basics for Teachers. FutureLearn. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://www.futurelearn.com/info/blog/what-is-digital-citizenship-teacher-guide
Gurnee School District 56 (2017). iPad Procedures, Information, and Agreement Handbook. D56. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://il02217856.schoolwires.net/Page/912
Gurnee School District 56 (n.d.). K-2 Digital Citizenship Curriculum. D56. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://digitalcitizenshipk-2.weebly.com/
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). (2022, March 29). Stop bullying home page. StopBullying.gov. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://www.stopbullying.gov/
Kurpiel, S. (2022, April 13). Evaluating sources: The CRAAP test. Benedictine University. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://researchguides.ben.edu/source-evaluation
Symanovich, S. (2021, January 18). Privacy vs. security: What's the difference? NortonLifeLock. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-privacy-privacy-vs-security-whats-the-difference.html#
Terada, Y. (2022, May 26). What fact-checkers know about media literacy-and students should, too. Edutopia. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/what-fact-checkers-know-about-media-literacy-and-students-should-too
Zapato, L. (2022, May 5). Help save the endangered pacific northwest tree octopus from extinction! Zapato Productions intradimensional. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/