Digital Citizenship in Action: Empowering Students to Engage in Online Communities

By Kristen Mattson

Discover ways to help students develop relationships based on mutual trust and understanding in digital spaces and become active, participatory citizens in these spaces.

For years, much of the available curricula for teaching digital citizenship focused on “don’ts.” Don’t share addresses or phone numbers. Don’t give out passwords. Don’t bully other students. The conversation then shifted, with digital citizenship curriculum moving toward teaching students how to positively brand themselves so that they would stand out for future scholarships and job opportunities.

In the end, both messages failed to address one of the most important aspects of citizenship: being in community with others. As citizens, we have a responsibility to give back to the community and to work toward social justice and equity. Digital citizenship curricula should strive to show students possibilities over problems, opportunities over risks and community successes over personal gain. Digital Citizenship in Action aims to do just that.

This book includes:

• Tips for creating a digital space where students can try something new, grow through mistakes, and learn what it means to be a citizen in different spaces.
• “Spotlight Stories” from teachers engaged with participatory digital citizenship that demonstrate how these ideas play out in actual classrooms.
• Featured activities to help you integrate these ideas into your classroom.

In this book, you’ll find practical ways to take digital citizenship beyond a conversation about personal responsibility so that you can create opportunities for students to become participatory citizens in online spaces.

Audience: 6-12 educators, curriculum directors and library media specialists

• Language: English
• Publisher: International Society for Technology in Education
• Release date: Oct 15, 2017
• ISBN: 9781564846440

Kristen Mattson

Kristen Mattson is a former middle school English teacher and high school library media specialist who has long supported teachers, leaders and learners with innovative curriculum and instruction. She currently serves as managing partner for Edvolve, which aims to help teachers and leaders transform digital citizenship education. She also teaches graduate courses on media literacy and digital citizenship at the University of Illinois. In addition to Digital Citizenship In Action, she is the author of Ethics in a Digital World (ISTE, 2021). She was named an ISTE Emerging Leader in 2018, and developed one of ISTE U’s first courses, Digital Citizenship in Action.