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You can be Google Certified, Flip Grid certified, and many others so why not become Common Sense Certified?  Start the process today:  https://www.commonsense.org/education/recognition-educators

Step 1:  Register with Common Sense Media (all the way at the bottom of the page).

Step 2: Start learning and doing.
Learn by select one activity from their digital teaching playlist and one learning activity from their digital citizenship playlist.

Then you "do" by sharing two lessons with your students.

Lastly, reflect and apply for your certification.

Common Sense Media estimates this to be a 5 hour process.

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Estimated 30 minutes to complete this training. This training counts towards becoming a Microsoft Innovative Educator

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Interactive lessons and activities for all students!

Use digital citizenship lesson plans to address timely topics and prepare students to take ownership of their digital lives. Browse lessons by grade and topic below, or see an overview of the curriculum.
We've got more new lessons! Explore all lesson plans or check our lesson collections!

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DigCit Curriculum | Common Sense Education

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Research-backed digital citizenship lesson plans help schools navigate timely topics, such as cyberbullying, online safety, privacy, and media literacy.

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Click on the titles below to print age-appropriate lesson plans. These lesson plans are related to the online activities and easy to implement with few extra materials. Printable handouts are included. Parents may want to skim through the activities to get ideas for discussing Internet safety with their children.

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Estimated 75 minutes to complete training.

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1.5 hour online training that is self-paced and sponsored by Disney

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A free online training to help you teach K-12 students how to be better digital citizens.

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Technology is become more and more prevalent in our schools and our daily life. It's important as teachers (and parents) that we talk to our students and children about online safety, manners, and how to regulate our technology use. Her are some good, old-fashioned picture books to help you teach some of these concepts to young children.(This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.ca.)

Books for Teaching About Technology Addiction

Franklin becomes addicted to a computer game and stops hanging out with his friends or playing outside.

When the power goes out, Charlie needs to learn how to have fun without his electronics.

Bad Kitty has to take a break from his favourite video game and finds out there are other fun things to do instead.

Webster's Bedtime by Hannah Whaley
Webster the spider learns that all his devices need to go to sleep at nighttime, just like he does!

Jasper is addicted to his video games and has to learn to enjoy them, but have balance in his life.

Lydia teaches her family about all the fun they are missing when they are stuck on all their gadgets.

Doug the robot experiences everything through downloading information from a plug. One day he decides to go outside and experience everything first hand instead!

The Bear family becomes addicted to a computer that Papa Bear brings home, so he has to figure out a solution to get the family off the computer!

A parody of Laura Numeroff's books, a mouse becomes addicted to an iPhone and doesn't realize what is going on around him.

A parody of the book "Goodnight Moon", we realize that our life s not so quiet anymore with all the buzzing and beeping electronics around us.

Books About Being a Good Digital Citizen

The school librarian helps the students learn that not everything they read on the internet is true and helps the students learn to figure out what to believe or not.

A non-fiction book that covers topics such as staying safe, showing respect, and using technology wisely.

A non-fiction book that looks at what computers are used for, how to store information and search online, and playing games online.

Webster the spider learns that you need to use manners with technology. He learns there are appropriate times to use devices and times when you should put your devices away.

Webster the spider learns about email etiquette and how fast an email can travel around. When he sends a silly picture of his sister, he realizes that he can't get that email back and should think carefully about the emails he sends.

Books About Online Safety

Some of the fairy tale characters learn some lessons about online safety when a laptop suddenly arrives in Fairy Tale Land.

Chicken uses the farmer's computer to do some online shopping and then goes off to meet a friend she met online. Chicken learns a lesson when she does not tell her parents where she is going and the friend is not quite what she expected...

Elephant thinks all the students at his new school are weird and not like him, so he meets a friend online that looks the same and has the same interests as him. He gets a big surprise when he finally meets his new friend.

A non-fiction book that teaches about passwords and keeping your information safe online. Also talks about mindfulness when posting things online.

Aidan teaches his puppy how to be safe online.

Another non-fiction book about online safety. Discusses smart online searching, guarding your personal information, and how to make friends online safely.

An easy reader non-fiction book about ways to be safe online.

A Rookie Read-About Safety non-fiction book about being safe on the internet.

Webster the spider learns about telling the truth online and that sometimes the people you are talking to online are not who they seem...

Books About Cyberbullying

When Billy Goat finds the farmer's cell phone, he and his friend start sending nasty messages to the troll under the bridge. They learn a valuable lesson about cyberbullying when they actually meet the troll!

I hope you enjoy some of these books and that they help you have some good conversations with your students about how to be safe and respectful digital citizens.

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25 Picture Books for Teaching Digital Citizenship

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Technology is become more and more prevalent in our schools and our daily life. It's important as teachers (and parents) that we talk to our students and children about online safety, manners, and how to regulate our technology use.

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2. Digital Commerce is the electronic buying and selling of goods and focuses on the tools and safeguards in place to assist those buying, selling, banking, or using money in any way in the digital space. Career and technical education use the tools of technology to show students the path for their future.

3. Digital Communication and Collaboration is the electronic exchange of information. All users need to define how they will share their thoughts so that others understand the message. For students struggling to understand their place in the world, technology can help them find their own voices and express themselves.

4. Digital Etiquette refers to electronic standards of conduct or procedures and has to do with the process of thinking about others when using digital devices. Teachers can include Digital Etiquette as part of the classroom rules or academic goals. Whether in the classroom or online, being aware of others is an important idea for everyone.

5. Digital Fluency is the process of understanding technology and its use. The better educated or "digitally fluent," students are, the more likely they are to make good decisions online, like supporting others instead of making negative comments. Digital literacy includes the discussion of media literacy and the ability to discern good information from poor, such as "fake news" from real news.

6. Digital Health and Welfare refers to the physical and psychological well-being in a digital world. Technology provides many opportunities and enjoyment, but knowing how to segment use with the needs of ourselves and others is key to a healthy, balanced life. Educators, especially in 1:1 schools or classrooms need to ask the question of how much screen time is appropriate for students. Common Sense media has developed a guide on this topic.

7. Digital Law refers to the electronic responsibility for actions and deeds and has to do with the creation of rules and policy that address issues related to the online world. Just as in the real world, the online world has had to create structure to protect those using these digital devices from harm. Support for issues such as cyberbullying and sexting are available from School Resource Officers and other school counsel. Administrators need to come up with positive approaches to these issues in their schools and districts.

8. Digital Rights and Responsibility are those requirements and freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world. This area of Digital Citizenship is about helping students understand that when they are provided opportunities, such as the access to the Internet and use of online products, they need to be diligent in helping others as well, such as informing adults of potential problems. Educators must help students understand that protecting others both online and in the real world are essential skills to have.

9. Digital Security and Privacy is the electronic precautions to guarantee safety. Viruses, worms and other bots can be passed along from one system to another just like an illness. When using devices in school or at home, understanding and being aware of attacks and how to prevent them are important skills for today and into the future.

Check out Amanda Brace's site - Ed Tech Endeavours - 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship Podcasts

S3 Framework (Safe, Savvy and Social)

Digital Citizenship classifies nine foundational elements in the following three guiding principles: Safe, Savvy and Social (or S3). The tenets of S3 are a way to support, as well as reinforce the framework of the themes of digital citizenship. Each theme/element encompasses three levels of support (Safe, Savvy and Social) which could (or should) be taught as soon as our children can first pick up a device and start to interact with it. The first guiding principal; Safety, focuses on protecting yourself and protecting others and creates the base of digital citizenship. The next is Savvy in which focuses on the concepts around educating yourself and connecting with others. These concepts build upon the concepts of Safety. And finally, the Social guiding principle commits to helping everyone make decisions exemplifying our commitment to respect ourselves and respect others. It is here that we fully realize the possibilities of the online experience.

Safety - Protecting Digital Citizens [being protected from or unlikely to cause danger, risk, or injury to yourself or others]

Technology is changing students coming to our schools which in turn moves education. The tools that have been provided to students and faculty are making tasks such as creating or sharing information (e.g., a document, presentation or video) much more streamlined. While technology affords users new opportunities the issues that occur are often are the lapses of judgment when the tool is not fully understood. These problems happen with moving to new and different tools that knowledge and rules are not fully established by those who use them. This is an attempt to apply older concepts to new ideas, which do not exactly fit. Now is the time to make the shift to how we will be utilizing the technology for the future. It is important that educators now begin making alterations to how technology is viewed and integrated into the classroom. The knowledge we share today will be passed along to the next generation.

Savvy - Creating Educated Digital Citizens [wisdom and practical knowledge; the understanding to make good judgments]

In many school or district mission statements or goals there is often some mention of "being lifelong learners". So what does this mean in the age of digital learning? The growth and changing nature of technology teaches everyone that we can never stop learning. And with the opportunities that these tools provide why would anyone? Technology has opened the possibilities of how to learn new skills and our responsibility to understand and maximize the potential of these tools. There has been an expectation that children innately understand technology since they were born in a time of expanding digital information. Children do show a willingness to use these technologies where adults may approach with more anxiety. It has also been discovered that device and app developers are creating these technologies to make them intuitive, "so that even a child could use." ​

- Educate Yourself/Educate Others

Social - Respecting Yourself as a Digital Citizen [creating cooperative and interdependent relationships and understanding of others]

When discussing the topic of digital citizenship, digital health, digital safety or whatever it may be called in your school or district there are certain universal themes that seem to surface and be at the heart of the issue. Whether it is through topics of cyberbullying, viewing (or posting) inappropriate content, or plagiarism these and other topics of concern that are discussed most among parents and educators. This section geared towards the "social" element defines the general topic of digital citizenship and its main elements of discussion. Humans are social by nature. People choosing to group with others like themselves in cities, states, and countries. As members of a community we tend to connect with those like us. This can be the difficult aspect of trying to interact with others online, everyone is given the opportunity to join this thing called the Internet and even though we try and stay with those most like us, it is almost impossible not to bump into others that want to try and change our minds, our beliefs.

- Respect Yourself/Respect Others

Go to the Progression Chart Page to learn more about implementing these elements into the classroom.

Language Translations of Nine Elements
Portuguese Translation - Nove Elementos da Cidadania Digital

http://www.miudossegurosna.net/nove-elementos-da-cidadania-digital.html (HTML Version)

http://miudossegurosna.net/MSNN-NOVE-ELEMENTOS-DA-CIDADANIA-DIGITAL-v1.pdf (PDF Version)

Italian Translation - I 9 elementi della Cittadinanza Digitale

http://ilgeekinblu.blogspot.it/2014/06/i-9-elementi-della-cittadinanza-digitale.html

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2. Digital Commerce is the electronic buying and selling of goods and focuses on the tools and safeguards in place to assist those buying, selling, banking, or using money in any way in the digital space. Career and technical education use the tools of technology to show students the path for their future.

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The Heart of Digital Citizenship | Anne Collier | TEDxGeneva

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The Challenges of Raising a Digital Native | Devorah Heitner, Ph.D. | TEDxNaperville

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Raising savvy cyber kids | Ben Halpert | TEDxKids@Vilnius

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Lessons On Digital Citizenship From Charlie Brown | Marialice Curran | TEDxYouth@BHS

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Even though I am "The Techie Teacher" there is nothing I like more than a good read aloud book. Kicking off a lesson in the reading corner with my students was one of my favorite things to do as a classroom teacher. As I merged into the role of a Technology Integrator, "story time" became obsolete in my world. I really felt like something was missing.

As I started collaborating and planning lessons with teachers, I scoured the Internet for read aloud books that we could use for various elements of our lesson. Not EVERY lesson I carry out with teachers involves a read aloud; however, you better believe if an opportunity arises, I break out the books😛

I have compiled a larger list by topic on THIS page of my blog if you are interested in even more titles!

Here are 10 titles (with my Amazon affiliate links) that techie teachers, librarians, STEM teachers, school counselors and anyone else can easily weave into their lessons that involve the use of technology.

If You Give a Mouse an iPhone is just like all of the other If You Give a Mouse a Cookie/Muffin/Brownie stories that are great to use when studying sequences in stories. This book was published in 2014 but I recently discovered it in a gift shop in Richmond, Virginia. Once again, WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

This book sends a great message to students (and adults) about how you can easily miss out on all that life has to offer when you are constantly on your devices. Great conversations can be had about the importance of putting technology away at the appropriate times.

Goodnight iPad... is a parody of the popular book Goodnight Moon. It is a story that reminds children (and adults) about the importance of powering down each day.

What Does It Mean to be Safe? is a story that touches on everything from physical safety to cyber-safety and presents ways children can protect themselves. This is a great read for teaching internet safety as well as protecting personal information and passwords.

Peter and Pablo the Printer is an awesome story about 3D printing, creating and innovating. This would be a great book to have in your MakerSpace!

The Internet Sleuths is a story about internet safety that provides valuable information on protecting your identity and not believing everything people say about themselves. This is a really good book to read around Christmas time since it is about a child who receives a new tablet for Christmas.

But I Read it on the Internet is one every librarian needs to have in his/her library! It is about 4th graders learning how to evaluate Internet resources for accuracy, ease of use and informativeness.

The Berenstain Bears Computer Trouble is a great lesson about using technology in moderation and the importance of being with family and playing outdoors.

Hello Ruby is a cute little story and activity book that introduces young children to the concept of coding and computer programming.

Bully is a book by Patricia Polacco that teaches a great lesson about cyber-bullying. This book is better suited for upper elementary and middle school students.

Update! I stumbled upon another cute one and wrote an entire blog post about it HERE.

Do you know of any other technology themed books that I should add to my collection? Let me know in the comments below! I would love to add it to the Reader Recommendation List along with your name below:)

Reader Recommendation List:

Sandy Karas Liptak found this book Dot written by Randi Zuckerberg. Sandy says it is a great book to teach technology fluency vocabulary words ( swipe, tap, share, etc.) and is about a tech savvy girl who learns to disconnect herself from the tech world in order to enjoy the world surrounding her. How cute does this one look? Another item to add to my Amazon cart!

Mary Ledford in our Tech with Us Facebook Group discovered Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code and said she is going to use it to show the creative process one goes through as well as growth mindset, character traits and timelines. I'm looking forward to reading this one!

Another one to add to the list! The Technology Tail by Julia Cook is an adorable story about being aware of your digital footprint.

Follow me on Pinterest to get more techie ideas:

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Top 10 List of Technology Themed Read Aloud Books

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Even though I am "The Techie Teacher" there is nothing I like more than a good read aloud book. Kicking off a lesson in the reading corner with my students was one of my favorite things to do as a classroom teacher.

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VideoAmy explores the topic of digital citizenship with this playlist of videos on the importance of online safety, manners, privacy, and responsibility.

"Digital citizenship" is an umbrella term that covers a whole host of important issues. Broadly, it's the guidelines for responsible, appropriate behavior when one is using technology. But specifically, it can cover anything from "netiquette" to cyberbullying; technology access and the digital divide; online safety and privacy; copyright, plagiarism, and digital law, and more. In fact, some programs that teach digital citizenship have outlined no less than nine elements that intersect to inform a well-equipped digital citizen. It's an overwhelming array of skills to be taught and topics to explore.

But while there is much talk about the importance of teaching digital citizenship in this information society, not many are sure what that really looks like. What tools are out there for teaching it? And how in the world can teachers make time in an already overcrowded curriculum? This playlist is intended to offer tools to make the case that it's critical to teach this, and then launchpad videos to seed classroom discussions once you've carved out that precious time.

Video Playlist: Teaching Digital Citizenship

Watch the first video below, or watch the whole playlist on YouTube.

1. What is Digital Citizenship? (05:19)
This succinct video from BeCyberwise describes why digital citizenship is so important. Includes a clip of Howard Gardner speaking about his GoodPlay project and a peek at Common Sense Media's comprehensive Digital Citizenship curriculum.

2. Be a Digital Citizen (02:13)
Need a quick and simple clip to introduce the concept of digital citizenship to parents or students? This video gives some statistics about internet and social media usage and then describes the many ways in which we are all affected on a daily basis by our technology use.

3. Go Figure 2 -- Online Safety Version (04:15)
Produced by the international Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), this animated video zips through a flurry of statistics about young people and online safety. It paints a powerful picture of how important it is to get these conversations started.

4. Out Of Your Hands (01:06)
Watch in dismay as an inappropriate photograph travels from one poor naive teen girl to an online stalker, ending with the admonition "Think before you post." This interactive series of videos was produced by public service announcement (PSA) veterans the Ad Council.

5. TEDxUIUC - Sherry Turkle - Alone Together (16:24)
Thought-provoking TED Talk by MIT professor Sherry Turkle, who has spent much of the last 30 years researching how people relate with technology. It's a long clip at sixteen minutes, but would make a fabulous discussion starter for a lesson on how we function in this culture of connectivity.

6. Digital Dossier (04:24)
This fascinating narrative follows the digital journey of the fictional "Andy" from pre-birth to adulthood by tracking his "digital footprint." It can be illuminating to stop and think about how much personal information we're putting out on the Web. Produced by the Digital Natives Project.

7. YouTube Digital Citizenship Curriculum (01:35)
Another option for free digital literacy curriculum is this one developed by Google and YouTube, who have strong motivations for training young people to be savvy tech users. If YouTube is blocked in your school, please do check out YouTube for Schools, a portal that allows your school to access white-listed educational YouTube content safely and securely.

8. Invasion of the Data Snatchers: How To Protect Your Online Privacy (04:02)
This animated video from Reputation.com manages to be at once cute and menacing. Though geared towards adults, it's a great wake-up call about online privacy issues, and although they're ultimately pushing a paid product, they have some good free resources and privacy protection tools.

9. Our Kids' Connected Culture - Overview for Parents and Teachers (05:56)
This is a great video from Common Sense Media. The MySpace references make it feel little dated, but the issues the teen girl is talking about are just as typical today. It's nice to hear directly from young people about their experiences, and there is a section of tips at the end that are really useful. Also worth watching: this video on their cyberbullying curriculum.

10. Digital Citizen (01:00)
Here's a great idea for a classroom project that teaches about copyright and usage issues while also exploring the themes of digital literacy: have kids create a slideshow video with Creative Commons images about the big questions of digital citizenship.

11. Netiquette - Playing Nice on the Internet (03:20)
Look past the slightly cheesy opening -- this video is a tidy roundup of the basics of good netiquette, something all of us could use a refresher on. Did you know the rules of netiquette pre-date the Web as we know it?

More Resources for Learning About Digital Citizenship

While we haven't solved the problem of finding time in the schedule to teach these essential topics, there is a wealth of great free resources to be found -- many of them aligned to standards, either the Common Core ELA standards, or ISTE's NETS, or both. Whatever the angle you'd like to focus on, you should be able to find some strong materials to supplement your work. Here's a list of resources, organizations, and reading materials to help you get started.

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5-Minute Film Festival: Teaching Digital Citizenship

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VideoAmy explores the topic of digital citizenship with this playlist of videos on the importance of online safety, manners, privacy, and responsibility. "Digital citizenship" is an umbrella term that covers a whole host of important issues. Broadly, it's the guidelines for responsible, appropriate behavior when one is using technology.

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Five Resources for Middle and High School Students

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In response to yesterday's post about digital citizenship lesson materials for elementary school students I received requests for middle school and high school resources. Here are five of my favorite resources for teaching digital safety and digital citizenship to middle and high school students.

Cyber Streetwise is a site developed for the purpose of sharing tips and techniques for protecting your identity and your electronic devices. The site is set-up as digital street that you walk along to learn about protecting your electronic devices, your identity, and digital footprint. Much of the content is geared toward businesses, but there is some good content for students and teachers too. Some of the content that applies to students and teachers includes crafting strong passwords, protecting mobile devices from malware, and responsible use of social media. Much of what you'll find through Cyber Streetwise is hosted on other sites, but the Streetwise setting provides a good way to find that information in one place.

A Thin Line is a digital safety education resource produced by MTV in collaboration with other media partners. The purpose of the site is to educate teenagers and young adults about the possible repercussions of their digital activities. A Thin Line offers a series of fact sheets about topics like sexting, digital spying, and excessive text messaging and instant messaging. A Thin Line gives students advice on how to recognize those behaviors, the dangers of those behaviors, and how to protect your digital identity. Students can also take a short quiz to practice identifying risky digital behaviors.

Own Your Space is a free ebook designed to educate tweens and teens about protecting themselves and their stuff online. This ebook isn't a fluffy, general overview book. Each chapter goes into great detail explaining the technical threats that students' computers face online as well as the personal threats to data that students can face online. For example, in the first chapter students learn about different types of malware and the importance of installing security patches to prevent malware infections. The fourteenth chapter explains the differences between secured and unsecured wireless networks, the potential dangers of an unsecured network, and how to lock-down a network.

Google has a good set of lesson plans on digital citizenship and digital literacy that middle school teachers should take a look at. The lesson plans are divided into three sections; becoming a digital sleuth, managing digital footprints, and identifying online tricks and scams. These digital citizenship lessons are part of Google's Good to Know site. Good to Know is an excellent site on which you can find good and clear explanations of web basics. The detailed lesson plans can be saved in your Google Drive account. Even if you don't use the entire lessons as they were written, they're still worth saving in Google Drive to refer to as you build your own digital citizenship lesson plans.

ThinkB4U is a series of web safety videos and tutorials from Google and its partners. Using the "choose your own adventure" aspect of YouTube video editing, ThinkB4U offers interactive videos to educate viewers about things like protecting online reputations, avoiding scams, research and critical thinking, and responsible text messaging. ThinkB4U is divided into three basic sections; students, parents, and educators. Each section addresses nine different topics related to safe and responsible use of the Internet and cell phones. The sections include short videos about the topics, a short written lesson, and some interactive games on the topics of responsible use of the Internet and of cell phones. The Educators' section of ThinkB4U offers lesson plans from Common Sense Media and the National Consumer League. There are lesson plans designed for elementary school, middle school, and high school use.

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Five Good Resources for Teaching Digital Citizenship to Middle School and High School Students

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In response to yesterday's post about digital citizenship lesson materials for elementary school students I received requests for middle school and high school resources. Here are five of my favorite resources for teaching digital safety and digital citizenship to middle and high school students.

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We extend our warmest wishes for a safe holiday season to all of you.

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Teaching digital citizenship and keeping students in the classroom safe online (and off of course!) is a priority for teachers when using iPads, Google Apps, and other devices & websites in the classroom. While even the best laid digital citizenship plans can lay the foundation, teachers need to continue revisiting topics and guiding students all year.

I'm sharing some tips and lesson ideas plus I've teamed up with my Tech with Us Community to bring you more must-read ideas for teaching digital citizenship linked at the end.

Here are some things I advise any teacher looking to integrate technology into the classroom to consider when addressing digital citizenship:

Acknowledge that students use technology outside of school

Wait, don't just yell "Duh!" at your screen and click X. I promise you will be rethinking this statement in a moment!

Many times when the topic of digital citizenship and safety comes up, educators will turn to outside sources that limit students access to the internet. They will say, "Well we use such and such so students can only log into this one device and one site and I see everything they are doing." That is all well and good and I'm not suggesting that the way your school or district has set up devices is wrong.

However, you at least need to acknowledge that that is not the real world and plan to address real world situations with your students. What I mean is, if we lock down everything used at school and only use technology in a bubble, we limit students' problem solving and know-how outside of school where they might be using technology with a lot less restriction.

If you think that teaching digital citizenship and internet safety means students can only go onto a vetted school-based site with everything filtered and locked down, then you are doing your students a disservice.

Rather than ignore the issues, teach students how to navigate, how to search, how to comment, how to report, how to deal with advertisements, and how to vet content. You might have to do this in a "mock" way if you are operating under a strict set of rules, but that is vastly better than doing nothing.

Digital Citizenship is Not a One Time Lesson at the Beginning of the Year.

I know it is tempting to make your awesome giant digital footprint collaborative poster and iAm a Digital Citizen Pic College project and call it a day. But while those lessons are perfect for introducing the topic and promoting deep discussions, you need to plan to revisit and discuss digital citizenship all year long.

I suggest displaying projects created when you first introduce digital citizenship on a permanent bulletin board. Then leave it up so that you can reference it as needed. Plus, I think having a visual all year long is a great way to show students this isn't a seasonal thing.

In my class, I had students explore by reading about digital citizenship and watching videos I included on a mini anchor chart. They used what they learned to create a digital poster on Pic Collage with drawings, pictures, quotes and text. Get the templates, anchor chart and directions here.

We tie this into a lesson about earning a license to use the school devices and sign the acceptable use policy of our school. I used to have students earn their license and never talked about it again! But I have learned that if you do a lesson in the beginning of the year where students are earning a device licence, be sure to include plans for students to renew their licences throughout the year to make it more meaningful.

We want students to understand digital citizenship and internet safety should be on their minds ANY time they use a device online.

To keep digital citizenship in the forefront of students' minds, I have created a digital citizenship punch card set that can be used all year long. Each icon on the punch card stands for one of the main principles of good digital citizenship. I included a poster to hang up so students are clear on what the icons mean.

Whenever students engage in an appropriate behavior online or they notice a classmate doing so, they write it up, circle which part of digital citizenship they were demonstrating, and turn the slip into me.

I review the slips and they can earn a punch on their cards on the corresponding icon.

At the end of the lesson, they share what they did to earn their punch as another way to hold them accountable and set examples for other students.

The cards are editable, so you just need to type student names in once, save the file and then print them out as needed. You can hang fully punched cards up for recognition or have another prize for students to earn. Since each icon is represented twice on each card, students will need to focus on all areas of digital citizenship - not just the "easy" ones. I also allow them to fill out forms if they made a good choice at home with a parent signature.

Get the set of digital citizenship punch cards, posters, and writing paper here - it also includes ink-friendly blackline of all items.

If the Shoe Fits...Consider Age Appropriate Examples When Teaching Digital Citizenship.

While your beginning of the year lessons should touch on the elements of digital citizenship (I have seen 9 tenets used most frequently) and the big ideas as outlined by the digital citizenship standards by ISTE, give students strategies and tips they can implement right away. Much of the content of what we call DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP is part of a larger goal of teaching students to be internet savvy, safe, and to minimize the risks of sharing on and using the web.

However, just like students all have different sized feet, we can't approach the concept of Digital Footprint the same way in all grade levels.

We need to be somewhat hip to what students at different ages are doing on the internet as well as what is in their immediate future. In elementary, that might be discussing YouTube, Minecraft Servers, Google Search and whatever social network they frequent - last year some of my students used Pic Collage at home this way for example. But in high school that will look very different.

If your lessons and discussions about digital citizenship are not tailored to your group, they will tune you out and your very sound advice seems inauthentic. With older students, I think painting the brushstrokes and having students step up and present the specifics can help. Younger students are more open with adults and asking a group of 1st graders what websites and apps they use will give you an anchor chart of answers in minutes.

Offer Concrete Digital Citizenship and Internet Safety Strategies

This might be the most important aspect of teaching digital citizenship and internet safety in the classroom, but also one of the most tricky ones as technology is a moving target.

Teaching digital citizenship is NOT the same as promoting classroom community, kindness, or character education.

While of course these ideas are extremely important, you cannot only address face-to-face interactions and expect it to transfer when students are online. Compelling research suggests that most of us change somewhat when interacting online. Just as students need to be guided in the classroom on what "being" kind is, they need explicit instruction with regard to their online behavior, choices and safety.

Students do best when they have a go-to specific strategy to use in a tricky situation.

For example, rather than tell students "don't search that or don't use image search" on Pic Collage, I have them write search terms on a post-it that I check off. If a term pings my teacher antennae (totally a real thing!), I try it myself or advise the student how and why to change it. After students search, I tell them never to scroll past what is presented on the screen. I explain that the results shown first are usually the closest match.

Rather than just present what is "bad" or what NOT to do, always give students a strategy. In elementary, that might be learning how to click X to close an ad, how to close a window, or what avatar name to use in place of their own. Speaking of avatars, this is another lesson in being specific - just telling students to use "another name" is not enough as many will continue to use their first name or identifying nick name.

I also advise teaching students how to comment. For example, many students communicate with Emojis or will use them as part of their sentences online. I know many teachers that ban the use of Emojis on comments. I know we want to teach best practices for writing and using Emojis seems counter-intuitive. HOWEVER, a huge part of writing instruction involves writing to a specific audience.

Teaching students to look at other comments and noticing the tone or use of Emojis is a great place to start. I personally think Emojis can help students write kinder on the internet as Emojis help give tone to a sentence, especially when students lack the ability to craft nuance. In addition, pointing out the use of capital letters, multiple punctuation marks and other quirks common to internet comments goes further in helping students make informed choices instead of banning their use outright.

These types of mini lessons and teachable moments are specific to what project we are doing so the discussions are meaningful and actionable.

Give Students Safe Spaces to Practice

This applies more for younger students, but I highly recommend using Google Classroom, Edmodo, Seesaw, DogoNews, ClassKick, Kidblog, or other safe site where students can comment and interact with others online. It's tricky to teach students about the tone of a comment without giving them space to construct comments and respond to others.

Kidblog, Edublog, Edmodo, Seesaw, Classkick and Google Classroom are the most internal options as the teacher can filter comments. DogoNews and Padlet allows the teacher to monitor the class account and see who posts what and when.

Practice What You Preach

Some teachers advocate for students to be involved in sharing their story on social media sites via a class or teacher account.

This strategy can be incredibly empowering for students and the teachers that are speaking about this are experts at giving their students that authentic experience in a safe way. Before embarking on this route:

Understand the various social media platforms inside and out.

Have complete parent and school permission. Many districts have specific permission forms to use or you can create your own media release.

Remove the photo's location tag from any photo taken on your devices.

Always test out various hashtags to see what other users are posting under that hashtag before using it yourself.

If all students have permission, feature them equally.

Be sure to discuss with students likes, hearts, favorites - depends on the public site you use - as students will be sensitive to this and could feel sad if their post is not met with the same reception as other posts.

Keep it positive and light. Steer away from posts that mention hot-button topics or terms - the last thing you want to do is attract trolls to your classroom social media account!

Regardless of photo permission consider using group shots, blurring, or clever angles as your default. You never know when a family's preference could change.

You can also use a private sharing website and app like Homeroom or Seesaw to share with parents too! Regardless if you go public or keep it private, some type of sharing site is a great way to model for students.

I hope you found some ideas to help you infuse digital citizenship into any online lessons. I've linked up with 5 other incredible technology-integrating educators from the Tech with Us Facebook Community to share more digital citizenship lessons and ideas in honor of Digital Learning Day on February 23rd. While the obvious goal of Digital Learning Day is to see digital learning find a place in schools all year long, it is also the perfect time to revisit digital citizenship a second time if you haven't yet this year.

Click the links below to learn more tips, ideas, and lessons for teaching digital citizenship on Digital Learning Day and beyond!
Engaging Digital Citizenship Activity for Any Time of Year Digital Learning Day Ideas: 4 Strategies to Teach Digital Citizenship How to Get Students Excited for Online Research: Biography Lessons for Promoting a Growth Mindset Digital Citizenship Tips for Elementary Classroom Ideas for Teaching Digital Citizenship with Edpuzzle
Looking for more Digital Learning Day ideas? We teamed up last year and "Scanned" our way to Digital Learning Day with a QR code themed hop. Check out those posts here.

Be sure to check out my digital citizenship resources on www.shoperintegration.com and my digital citizenship Pinterest Board!

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TEACHING DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP ALL YEAR IN THE CLASSROOM - Erintegration

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Teaching digital citizenship and keeping students in the classroom safe online (and off of course!) is a priority for teachers when using iPads, Google Apps, and other devices & websites in the classroom. Â While even the best laid digital citizenship plans can lay the foundation, teachers need to continue revisiting topics and guiding students all year.

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Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

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Today, I am sharing with you Edutopia's resources on Digital Citizenship. These articles are really a treasure trove of insightful knowledge on everything you and your students need to know about digital citizenship. Check them out below and make sure you book mark them for future return visits :

The Importance of Netiquette

1- Teaching Digital Citizenship in the Elementary Classroom
Blogger Mary Beth Hertz believes that teaching digital citizenship and internet safety is a lot more meaningful when students can engage in authentic online experiences.

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A Must Have List of Resources on Digital Citizenship for Teachers

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Today, I am sharing with you Edutopia's resources on Digital Citizenship. These articles are really a treasure trove of insightful knowledge on everything you and your students need to know about digital citizenship.

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A collection of articles, videos, and other resources on internet safety, cyberbullying, digital responsibility, and media and digital literacy.

Digital Responsibility

The Basics of Open Technology by Ira Socol (2015): From abundant tools and smart budgeting to accessibility and trust, the Albemarle County Public Schools district maintains a tech program that leverages digital literacy for all students.

Five-Minute Film Festival: Are We Addicted to Technology? by Amy Erin Borovoy (2014): Can't put your device down? Obsessing over social media? You may want to dig in to this playlist of videos and resources to help educators, parents, and students reflect on their relationship with technology.

Common Core in Action: Teaching Online Ethics by Heather Wolpert-Gawron (2014): A look at a key element of digital citizenship-responsible use of intellectual property-and the eighth-grade Common Core standard for gathering, using, and attributing relevant information.

Five-Minute Film Festival: Copyright and Fair Use for Educators by Amy Borovoy (2013): In K-12 education, it's a challenge to navigate the copyright and fair use waters. What can educators use? How can they use it? We have some fun, engaging videos to help teachers and students understand this confusing subject.

Media and Digital Literacy

Other Resources From Edutopia

Additional Resources on the Web

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A collection of articles, videos, and other resources on internet safety, cyberbullying, digital responsibility, and media and digital literacy.

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Introduce students in grades 6-8 to Digital Compass™ by Common Sense Education. The award-winning game is an innovative way to give students the freedom to explore how decisions made in their digital lives can affect their relationships and futures.

Through the suite of popular choose-your-own-path games, students play through the perspective of one of eight main characters, each of whom is facing a different digital citizenship dilemma. The varied story paths and multiple decision points encourage students to play repeatedly in order to explore alternative courses of action. Games are also available in Spanish.

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Digital Compass by Common Sense Education

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Introduce students in grades 6-8 to Digital Compass™ by Common Sense Education. The award-winning game is an innovative way to give students the freedom to explore how decisions made in their digital lives can affect their relationships and futures.

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We're retiring Digital Passport in June 2024.

Heads up! Digital Passport will be retired on June 30, 2024. But don't worry-we still have you covered! Elementary school students can watch our Meet the Digital Citizens and Device Advice videos.

Until then, introduce students in grades 3-5 to Digital Passport™ by Common Sense Education. The award-winning suite of six interactive games addresses key issues kids face in today's digital world. Each engaging game teaches critical digital citizenship skills that help students learn to use technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate. Games are available in Spanish.

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Digital Passport by Common Sense Education

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Teach your students the ins and outs of online safety and communication with Digital Passport™, Common Sense's award-winning suite of digital citizenship learning games for elementary students.

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Interactive lessons and activities for all students!

Use digital citizenship lesson plans to address timely topics and prepare students to take ownership of their digital lives. Browse lessons by grade and topic below, or learn more about our approach to the curriculum.

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Digital Citizenship Curriculum | Common Sense Education

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New and improved digital citizenship lesson plans from Common Sense Education. The research-backed approach educators know and trust, with expanded teaching tools and student activities. Engage students with learning games and navigate tough topics, including cyberbullying, online safety, privacy, and media literacy.