Teaching Digital Citizenship

Ready-Made Lesson Plans to Launch Learning About Digital Citizenship

Ready-made lesson plans about digital citizenship can serve as the perfect launchpad for discussing this topic in class. The following resources have what you need to help you organize your thoughts and present digital citizenship in an appealing way:

• In honor of Digital Citizenship week, Edutopia put together a list of the latest and best resources to help educators bring digital citizenship awareness to their classrooms. Digizen made the cut. It welcomes visitors with this appealing description of its main goal — the website “shares specific advice and resources on issues such as social networking and cyberbullying and how these relate to and affect their own and other people’s online experiences and behaviours.” The glossary section is particularly useful, as it defines computer-related terms that your students — and you — may not be familiar with. Some of the information here is specifically geared toward educators.
• The good folks at Google have joined up with iKeepSafe to develop a curriculum that highlights three vital areas of responsible online behavior: differentiating between truth and lies on the Web, using wise practices to manage online reputation, and being able to pick out harmful scams. Each part of the curriculum includes a lesson plan, handouts, and at least one video.
• Common Sense Media offers a resource for educators to teach students about digital literacy and citizenship that includes a bounty of other resources about digital citizenship. Short videos use personal accounts to illustrate the importance of digital citizenship. The website also showcases a printable curriculum and colorful posters that highlight important points.
• Cyberwise follows the mantra, “No grownup left behind!” Their website has a host of information geared toward educators and parents. For a small fee, you can take an online course to hone how you teach your students about digital citizenship. The blog is also worth a look; it provides regular updates and reminders about how kids and adults can stay safe in cyberspace.
• The Kings Canyon school district in California offers a list of digital citizenship lessons organized by grade level. The lessons include PowerPoint presentations, worksheets, and other materials.
• Brainpop serves up a selection of adaptable digital citizenship lessons that you can tweak to fit any classroom between kindergarten and 12th grade. The material addresses things like bullying, online safety, and research.