Digital Literacy & Citizenship Resources

“If you are on social media, and you are not learning, not laughing, not being inspired or not networking, then you are using it wrong.” ― Germany Kent

The only constant in this world is change. The world that many educators grew up in does not exist for our students today. We are connected to the world like never before, but the world also has unprecedented access to us. Navigating the digital world is an essential skill for all learners.

ISTE Student Standard 2: Digital Citizen Students recognize the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways that are safe, legal and ethical.

I believe that it is important for educators, students, and parents to recognize that we all have a digital tattoo. Something is added to our digital tattoo almost every time we are online.  I like this analogy because once we share something with the digital world it is very hard to erase it, just like it is hard to remove a tattoo. Good or bad, our online resume is part of us now and in the future.

I believe all educators have a responsibility to help our students become digitally literate and my PLN has been helping us organize resources to support all students now and in the future.

__________ Featured Books Connected to Digital Citizenship and Media Literacy

• Digital Citizenship in Schools: Nine Elements All Students Should Know
  This new edition includes the nine elements of digital citizenship and how to incorporate them in the classroom along with lesson plans and professional development activities designed to instill digital citizenship concepts.
• Digital Citizenship in Action: Empowering Students to Engage in Online Communities
  In Digital Citizenship in Action, you’ll find practical ways for taking digital citizenship lessons beyond a conversation about personal responsibility so that you can create opportunities for students to become participatory citizens, actively engaging in multiple levels of community and developing relationships based on mutual trust and understanding with others in these spaces.
• Social LEADia: Moving Students from Digital Citizenship to Digital Leadership
  Equipping students for their future begins by helping them become digital leaders now. In our networked society, students need to learn how to leverage social media to connect to people, passions, and opportunities to grow and make a difference. 
• Fact Vs. Fiction: Teaching Critical Thinking Skills in the Age of Fake News
  Fact vs. Fiction provides educators with tools and resources to help students discern fact from fiction in the information they access not only at school, but on the devices they carry in their pockets and backpacks.

__________ Featured Digital Citizenship & Digital Literacy Resources

• Be Internet Awesome - Google's Digital Safety Resources for the classroom and home. Pear Deck has partnered with Google to create an interactive curriculum connected to the Be Internet Awesome resources. 
• Common Sense Media Digital Citizenship - Empower your students to make safe, smart, and ethical decisions online.
• Google Digital Citizenship & Safety Course - Learn how to stay safe online and equip your students to become responsible digital citizens with this free and interactive course.
• ISTE - Digital Citizenship - Articles and resources connected to digital citizenship in schools. 
• Resources - Safety Center - Google - Google and their partners have compiled a short list of helpful resources for getting to know the web.
• Common Sense Education YouTube Channel - Videos include tips on teaching with technology, lessons on digital citizenship, and ways teachers can protect students’ privacy on social media.
• Google’s Applied Digital Skills - Ready-to-use video lessons teach digital skills that have immediate, real-life application.

__________

Additional resources and a Digital Literacy Video Playlist can be found on our Digital Learning website.

Wicked EdTech - Digital Learning

What resources will you use to support digital literacy and citizenship in your classrooms?