Digital Citizenship

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Digital Citizenship is a complex concept which often includes connections to health and wellness, legality, safety and security, digital footprint, participation, rights and responsibilities, relationships, literacy and communication.  Citizenship includes an awareness of all these elements as well as comportment in digital spaces.

Digital Citizenship - Elements and Frameworks

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Citizenship Education Framework: SStudies Curriculum
The 2013 Ontario Social Studies, History & Geography curriculum document outlines a framework for Citizenship that can be re-visioned with digital technologies in mind. Key elements include
  • identity - developing a digital self that is connected, models civic self, considerate of others, has moral and ethical foundations, links to beliefs, values and perspectives
  • active participation - personal voice is digitally present, participates in digital communities, models collaboration and innovation, positive relationships with diverse groups in digital spaces, engaging in digital leadership and decisions
  • structures - understands and applies rules, engages in dynamic and complex relationships within/among digital systems, awareness of democratic and power structures in digital environments
  • attributes - works toward inclusive and equitable access, balances rights & responsibilities with fairness and justice, works co-operatively in collaborative digital spaces, demonstrates self respect and respect for others, models empathy and fosters civic engagement in online communications
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The Digital Citizenship network presents NINE themes of digital citizenship. These include digital access, digital commerce, digital communication, digital literacy, digital etiquette, digital law, digital rights and responsibilities, digital health & wellness, digital security and self protection. These encompass the concepts of RESPECT, CONNECT and PROTECT. More is available at THIS link. 
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ISTE provides an infographic that can be used to contrast how being a good citizen  compares to being a good digital citizen. 
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Adapted from OCDSB site

Ontario school and system requirements

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The Ottawa Catholic District School Board has produced a document Samaritans on the Digital Road that links digital citizenship to Catholic teaching. The document provides direction and lessons on the five topics in a variety of presentation formats (Smart Notebook, paper handouts, PDF). 
  1. Being a citizen
  2. Being a digital citizen
  3. Participating in an online community
  4. On the road
  5. Show your learning
Check with your own school board for resources similar to this that will shape the teaching and learning of digital citizenship skills in your school and classroom.

Code of Digital Conduct

Codes of conduct exist in every school and school district in Ontario. These are shaped by the Ontario Code of Conduct. From these codes of conduct come regulations and requirements for acceptable use in digital educational spaces as well as privacy, security and permissions. Linked into these documents will also be an awareness of Terms of Use and Privacy Policy from Web 2.0 tools. Take a moment to review some of these available documents and make sure you are informed for the school/school board where you teach.
Here is the link to some of the documents and resources available through a variety of schools/districts in Ontario:
Creative Commons License
DT&L 3239 by H J DeWaard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.