Re-framing Digital Citizenship as Global Citizenship

A Fad or a Fundamental

In K-12 education, it feels as if there is a new “save-our-students” (SOS) curriculum each year. From whole language to phonics, project-based math to skill-and-drill basics, educators are always subjected to the ebb and flow of curriculum.  In the recent tidal shift, digital citizenship has made a resurgence.

Image from MaxPixel.
 Available through Creative Commons Zero - CC0

In 2002, as a program director for a Boys and Girls Club, I taught Internet safety to students through online game modules intended to teach participants to protect their personal information.  Last year, while attending the 2016 iNACOL Symposium, I found myself experiencing deja vu in a workshop on digital citizenship by one of many vendors of the new wave of curricula.

All educational cynicism aside, I am forced to evaluate whether digital citizenship is a fad or is it the rewriting of 100+ years of traditional citizenship classes.  Is digital citizenship a set of technology competencies or is it truly a set of lessons on safe, productive, and effective global interaction?

Defining Citizenship

After months of studying for naturalization as an American citizen, the individuals in this video have thoughts on how to define citizenship:

As citizenship is not a concept unique to America, I am particularly fond of these definitions provided by the Citizenship Foundation of the United Kingdom:

Citizens are members of a state or a nation. Citizenship is the process of being such a member. It is how we make society work, together.Citizenship education gives people the knowledge and skills to understand, challenge and engage with the main pillars of our democracy: politics, the economy and the law. (Citizenship Foundation 2017)

Defining Digital Citizenship

I took a moment to compare the digital citizenship outlines of several frameworks (ISTE Digital Citizenship Standards for Students, Google For Education Digital Citizenship Curriculum, and Common Sense Education Digital Citizenship Curriculum).  They share these tenets:

• Maintaining digital identity and reputation
• Positive, safe, legal and ethical online behavior
• Ethical and legal use of intellectual property
• Maintenance of personal digital privacy and security
• Information literacy/research skills

By GDJ [CC0],
via Wikimedia Commons

The knowledge and skills represented by these frameworks identify necessary competencies for safe and effective interactions in a global, online environment.  These competencies promote legal and ethical behavior, rights and responsibilities, and even personal and professional relationships. This is starting to sound like a global citizenship class and not merely a computer class.

So What?

The more I compare digital citizenship to traditional citizenship, I feel fairly confident that we are muting the importance of the digital citizenship curricula by framing it as technology skills.

The role of a teacher is to promote the development of knowledge and skills necessary for success as a productive adult.  As such, I feel teachers need to lead the charge by taking a closer look at the global skills our students will need when they leave our care.

Let’s move from teaching about digital identity as a way to stay employable toward lessons on how technology is the new historical recorder.  In history as young as the 20th century, newspapers, encyclopedias, and books only recorded the activity of famous citizens - those noteworthy for music, acting, scientific feats, or politics.  With the internet, there is no more bias toward fame/fortune.  When a picture is posted or a comment made, it becomes a permanent part of history.  The question isn’t “Would you want your boss to see that” it is “Is that the historical record you want people to judge you by”.

Safe online behavior isn’t just taught to prevent cyberbullying or becoming prey to criminals.  It is a course in legal rights and responsibilities.  It is the online version of reminders to walk in a group at night, lock your doors, let the law help you with harassment issues, etc.  It is knowing how freedom of speech extends to Internet posts.

"Bill of Rights" by Nick Youngson.
Available through CC BY-SA 3.0

On a final thought related to reframing our digital citizenship curricula, in traditional citizenship classes in America, immigrants and school-age students learn the history and events that shaped our culture.  Perhaps we ought to add that to our digital citizenship curricula.  I’m not suggesting students learn the history of the Internet, but rather, to learn a little more about the global cultures they could encounter on the web.  In America, it could be very powerful to know that our freedom of speech gives us greater access to information and more liberty in our posts than nearly any other country in the world.  Teaching this concept as means of understanding the perspective of others they may meet online and as a way of encouraging awareness of personal liberties would give more heft to classes that largely feel like a computer course.

Now What?

Whether you are a parent, teacher, coach or random Internet surfer who came unwittingly across this blog, I challenge you to consider whether you have the skills to engage globally, in a society that will largely interact online.  Digital citizenship classes may not be posed to get to you there yet, but hopefully, this post will open your eyes to what is missing and encourage you to think bigger.

References
Citizenship Foundation (2017). What is Citizenship? Retrieved from: http://www.citizenshipfoundation.org.uk/main/page.php?427