Here are the nine themes that define Digital Citizenship, according to Mike Ribble, and examples of how these rules of the digital road can apply to multiple classrooms:

 

1. Digital Access – The principle that not everyone has equal access to technology. Example Lesson: In a social studies class, look at third world countries and cultures that struggle with access to technology. Investigate some of the initiatives being done to provide access to technology. Analyze if and how it is making a difference to better the society.

 

2.  Digital Commerce – Buying and selling goods online safely.
Example Lesson: In a math or personal finance class, breakdown the fees associated with opening a store on Etsy and selling something. Analyze how you know, from Etsy’s privacy policy, where your funds are being held after making a sale and how they are dispersed to you.

 

3.  Digital Communication – Sharing information online properly and safely.
Example Lesson: In an English class, have students differentiate between forms of communication that are acceptable to use when reaching out to a teacher: phone call vs. text message vs. email vs. twitter vs. in person office hours. Advise on how you would address each form of communication (proper way to leave a voicemail & compose a formal email) and illustrate acceptable times of use for each communication method.

 

4.  Digital Literacy – Ongoing education on how to use digital technologies.
Example Lesson: In a computer class, look at how technology around “chat rooms” has evolved. Analyze the difference between the early days of something like AOL Instant Messenger to current video conferencing tools such as Google Hangout. Understand the precautions users need to be aware of to be safe in each setting.

 

5.  Digital Etiquette – Using technology following a respectable code of conduct. 
Example Lesson: In a media class, have an interactive discussion about students’ favorite forms of social media. Ask them to give anonymous examples of how they have seen someone use social media to be hurtful, either in real life or in the news. Discuss the effects this could have had on the individual who was the victim of the social media incident. Have the students counter this by sharing examples of students using social media positively (either in real life or in the news), in a way that if a college admissions officer or employer saw this they would get a great impression of the student.

 

6.  Digital Law – The lawful use of technology & content found online.
Example Lesson: In a middle school history class, have students document their findings of a certain historical event using information found from various online outlets such as a blog, a newspaper, and a YouTube video. Have them analyze the way the various media outlets source their findings and describe any unethical, unsourced reporting or undocumented findings.

 

7.  Digital Rights & Responsibilities – You have freedom on the Internet but also a responsibility to act responsibly.
Example Lesson: In an art class, give students a drawing of a foot. Using permanent markers, ask them to draw apps or list ways they use the Internet within the foot. Discuss the drawings with the students and explain that everything they do from videos they watch, to things they search for, to comments they make, all leave a mark, that’s permanent. Explain how the paper footprint represents our digital footprint and how it’s important to be sure to leave a positive digital footprint.

 

8.  Digital Health & Wellness – Physical & psychological well-being in a digital world.
Example Lesson: In a physical education class, use a digital fitness-tracking tool such as a Fit Bit or GPS distance tracker. Analyze how the offline activity is what’s increasing an individual’s physical well – being but look at how the digital tool can assist in maximizing these benefits. Stress that it’s about finding a balance between online and offline activities for increased well being.

 

9.  Digital Security – Protect your safety online. 
Example Lesson: In a reading class, ask your students their favorite forms of social media. Read the privacy polices and terms of use of the top two, as a group. Discuss what these mean.