Digital Citizenship Week - October 16 - October 20, 2023
Digital Citizenship Week - October 16 - October 20, 2023
Digital citizenship is the ability to navigate our digital environments in a way that's safe and responsible and to actively and respectfully engage in these spaces. The online environment should be a safe space in which everyone feels protected.
Three core digital citizenship principles are respect, educate and protect.
- Respect: the elements of etiquette, access and law are used to respect other digital users.
- Educate: the elements of literacy, communication, and commerce are used to learn about the appropriate use of the digital world.
- Protect: the elements of rights and responsibilities, security, and health and wellness are used to remain safe in the digital and non-digital world.
Within the three core principles, there are nine elements regarding digital citizenship:
- Digital access - some individuals may not have access to computers or internet
- Digital commerce - much of the economy is regulated online (i.e., online buying, use of credit cards, etc.)
- Digital communication - variety of online communication tools such as email, instant messaging, etc.
- Digital literacy - how to use various digital devices
- Digital etiquette - use of appropriate behavior and language
- Digital law - enforcement for illegal downloads, plagiarizing, hacking, viruses, identity theft, etc.
- Digital rights and responsibilities - rights that digital citizens have such as privacy and freedom speech.
- Digital health - physical stresses placed on you by internet use (i.e., eye strain, headaches, stress)
- Digital security - be safe by using secure passwords, virus protection, backups, etc.
Digital Citizenship Resources
Ready-to-teach lessons (free lessons for grades K-12