Teaching Digital Citizenship

Today, most of us split our time between the physical and digital worlds. Children are growing up online as much as they are growing up in "real life." Digital citizenship isn't just important for their well-being now; it's also important to their future and their career. Teaching digital citizenship is about teaching children how to interact with this newly digital society.

Learning How to Navigate the Digital World With an Information Literacy Curriculum

Though children today may take to the digital world much more naturally than before, they still need to be taught where to go for information and how to process it. Part of digital citizenship is about learning how to distinguish real information from false information, and what to do with that information when found.

Even adults today can find it difficult to convey their tone of voice or their social implications when they're speaking online. Digital citizenship classes explain how to best interact in the digital world.

Reducing the Impact of the Digital World on the Physical World

Teaching digital citizenship is additionally about helping children separate the digital from the physical. Under a digital citizenship in education plan, children will be taught how to respond to cyberbullying, and how to avoid bullying themselves. They'll be taught how to compartmentalize between the digital world and the real world, and how to protect their identities and their content—such as their photos and identifying information.

The Digital World as a Tool for the Future

Most children are going to be interacting with colleagues, employees, and employers in the digital world in the future. An education plan prepares them for utilizing the digital world for their career, hobbies, and other interests. By better understanding the tools in front of them, they can also better leverage them moving into the future.

Does your school need to create a digital citizenship in education plan? Do you want to establish an information literacy curriculum? If you want to start engaging your students or your children regarding cyber civics, the time is now. Contact Cyber Civics today to learn more.