Tool #11 Digital Citizenship

To be good digital citizens the students should understand the following:

1.) Safety: Students need to be aware of possible danger online. They should not exchange information with strangers or give out personal data.

2.) Etiquette: Students need to conduct themselves appropriately when interacting with others on the internet. They should use proper language.

3.) Literacy: Students need to know that everything they read online is not necessarily accurate. They should verify the information.

4.) Learning Strategies: Students need to learn how to search through different websites. We want them to be able to discriminate websites that are appropriate for them to view and those that are not.

To teach about digital citizenship I would start by brainstorming with them. "Do you work on the computer at home?" "What do you do online?" "Do you have a favorite website?" I'd ask questions to lead up to the topic. "Is safety important?" "Why do you think so?" Do we need to be kind to people when we comment about their work online?"

After collecting their thoughts I would organize them in some type of graph.
As a finished product the students could get into groups and make their own posters and present it to the class. We could then post these around the computer lab for others to follow.