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Should Schools Be Required to Teach Digital Citizenship?
YES
Not only should
teaching digital
citizenship be re-
quired, it should
become the pri-
mary lens through
which our children
view the world. Our prosperity, human-
ity, and even survival may depend on it.
The core of our efforts should consist of helping students understand the
implications of living side by side with
immensely powerful machines of our
own creation that amplify our every
move within the massively connected
mediascape that has become our second
home. We should call on all teachers
to work together to provide an integrated curriculum that asks students
NO
Schools should
not be required to
“teach” digital cit-
izenship. Rather,
they should pro-
vide digital learn-
ing environments
where students can develop and prac-
tice citizenship and safe behavior.
The irony is that we lock down all
social media within the walls of our
schools and then think we can “teach”
kids how to behave appropriately online. How can a child learn to swim
without access to water?
Recommendations to Congress
( tinyurl.com/3khnasx) made by the
Online Safety and Technology Work-
ing Group stated that working with
to become “de-tech-tives” who develop
creative, research-driven projects that
explore the opportunities, limitations,
and ethics of living a digital lifestyle.
1. Think bigger. Right now policy-
makers, parents, and community
members are focused on the
particulars of digital citizenship,
such as cyberbullying and online
safety. They need to think more
expansively. They also need to
develop a more foundational,
integrated approach to digital
citizenship to address issues
that will emerge in the future.
School districts need to include
children using the tools of their world
is critical if we are going to help them
develop the skills they need to function
safely and successfully in a networked
world.
At home and in school, we con-
stantly model and mentor skills that
will help our children play and work
together productively and safely, and
yet we tend to think of digital media
as a separate activity. Social media is
fully embedded in their daily lives.
Because social norms are set by early
adolescence, we need to start younger
if we are to help children develop the
same healthy norms online that we ex-
pect elsewhere. No, I’m not advocat-
ing Facebook for fourth graders! I am
suggesting that we start by examining
something like the following in
their mission statements: “Students
will study the personal, social, and
environmental impacts of every
technology and media application
they use in school.”
We must include students on any
team that develops guidelines for
digital behavior. They will bring
tremendous experience and insight
to the table and be more respectful
of whatever the team produces.
