It’s no secret that students spend a lot of time online. A recent report from Common Sense Education found that 90% of 13-17 year olds have used social media, and 68% of teens text every day. However, just because students spend time online daily doesn’t mean that they have the skills necessary to be safe online.
A 2015 study found that students with poor digital citizenship skills, like respectful behavior and civic engagement, experience more online harassment, while students with digital citizenship skills are more likely to help prevent or report online harassment. It’s critical to support students to develop digital citizenship skills so that they can stay safe online and help keep others safe, too.
Here are 7 core digital citizenship skills, each of which can be reinforced through authentic online collaboration tools like PenPal Schools. You can find digital citizenship lessons to support each of these skills in the PenPal Schools 21st Century Skills Toolkit.
A 2015 study found that students with poor digital citizenship skills, like respectful behavior and civic engagement, experience more online harassment, while students with digital citizenship skills are more likely to help prevent or report online harassment. It’s critical to support students to develop digital citizenship skills so that they can stay safe online and help keep others safe, too.
Here are 7 core digital citizenship skills, each of which can be reinforced through authentic online collaboration tools like PenPal Schools. You can find digital citizenship lessons to support each of these skills in the PenPal Schools 21st Century Skills Toolkit.
Managing Your Digital Reputation
Everything that we share online stays online. This is a good mantra to teach your students. Just as it’s important to treat people nicely to earn a good reputation at school, it’s also important to act appropriately online to create a positive digital reputation. Help students learn how to manage their digital reputations by challenging them to think about the kind of content and information they share online and to reflect on whether they create a positive or negative reputation.
When Fatmanur from Turkey introduced herself to her PenPals as she started World Explorer, she made a great first impression by being polite, friendly, and asking questions!
When Fatmanur from Turkey introduced herself to her PenPals as she started World Explorer, she made a great first impression by being polite, friendly, and asking questions!
Creating a Username and Password
Learning how to create strong usernames and passwords helps students understand the importance of online security. Students need to learn how to consider what kind of personal information they might share through their username or password, and how to create usernames and passwords that they can actually remember. Many educational resources require students to create usernames and passwords, and it’s a good idea to teach them how to create appropriate, safe, and memorable usernames and passwords.
Protecting Personal Information
One of the hardest parts about connecting students with peers around the world is that you can’t control what information students will share. This is why it’s important to teach students how to protect their personal information online, and let them practice those skills in safe student-only communities like PenPal Schools.
While participating in World Explorer, Ann O from Ukraine was able to share a lot of details about her daily life in Ukraine without sharing personal information. She kept herself safe online while still helping her PenPals learn more about life in Ukraine! Learn more about Ann and her experience learning with PenPals here.
While participating in World Explorer, Ann O from Ukraine was able to share a lot of details about her daily life in Ukraine without sharing personal information. She kept herself safe online while still helping her PenPals learn more about life in Ukraine! Learn more about Ann and her experience learning with PenPals here.
Preventing Cyberbullying
Bullying doesn’t just happen within the school building anymore; more and more students are experiencing or witnessing cyberbullying and online harassment. It’s important to arm students with the tools to prevent cyberbullying since there may not be adults around to intervene. When students practice digital citizenship through global connections, they can practice preventing cyberbullying with the guidance of their teacher.
Practicing Empathy & International Mindedness
This may not be the first digital citizenship skill that comes to mind, but it is a critical that students learn how to practice empathy and international mindedness online. Global connections enable students to learn from peers who are truly different from them, who may even speak different languages! Luckily, technology presents opportunities to learn together regardless of where you life or what language you speak, and students need to have the skills to interact with people who are different from them.
When Courtney from the USA participated in World Explorer, a cultural difference provided an opportunity for her to learn more about sports around the world!
When Courtney from the USA participated in World Explorer, a cultural difference provided an opportunity for her to learn more about sports around the world!
Forming Healthy Habits of Online Discussion
In order to avoid emoji-based conversations, students need to be taught how to have healthy online discussions. Just like you provide structure and strategies to help students learn how to have in-class discussions, students need the same guidance for online discussions, especially to learn how to “listen” and respond in an online discussion.
Searching for Information Online
When the answers to many questions are only a Google away, it can be easy to forget the thinking that goes into searching for information online. While students learn how to conduct research, they need support to learn how to search for information online. Oftentimes, the hardest part about searching for information online is understanding what you are searching for and finding credible sources. Don’t underestimate how complicated a Google search can be for some students!
By helping students develop the 7 skills outlined here, you can ensure that your students aren’t just learning about digital citizenship, but practicing it regularly through authentic global connections. You can find digital citizenship lessons to support each of these skills in the PenPal Schools 21st Century Skills Toolkit.
Students need regular feedback from teachers as they practice digital citizenship. With the teacher dashboard, educators can assess their students' work using rubrics aligned to academic standards, providing students with critical feedback to improve these important skills.
By helping students develop the 7 skills outlined here, you can ensure that your students aren’t just learning about digital citizenship, but practicing it regularly through authentic global connections. You can find digital citizenship lessons to support each of these skills in the PenPal Schools 21st Century Skills Toolkit.
Students need regular feedback from teachers as they practice digital citizenship. With the teacher dashboard, educators can assess their students' work using rubrics aligned to academic standards, providing students with critical feedback to improve these important skills.
Keep learning about digital citizenship with these helpful additional resources:
Ask the PenPals: How to Teach 21st Century Skills with Technology
Improving Digital Literacy with PenPal Schools
How to Use Technology in the Classroom
Ask the PenPals: How to Teach 21st Century Skills with Technology
Improving Digital Literacy with PenPal Schools
How to Use Technology in the Classroom
