Thursday, December 7, 2017

Digital Citizenship in Action

Mattson, Kristen. Digital Citizenship in Action: Empowering Students to Engage in Online Communities. International Society for Technology in Education, 2017. ISBN: 9781564843937

Note: The book's introduction indicates that the "book is intended for teachers of Grades 6-12, school librarians, administrators, and other adults in the school community who are responsible for developing and delivering digital citizenship lessons."

Publisher's Description
For years, much of the available curricula for teaching digital citizenship focused on “don’ts.” Don’t share addresses or phone numbers. Don’t give out passwords. Don’t bully other students. But the conversation then shifted and had many asking, “Why aren’t we teaching kids the power of social media?” Next, digital citizenship curriculum moved toward teaching students how to positively brand themselves so that they would stand out when it came to future scholarships and job opportunities.

In the end, both messages failed to address one of the most important aspects of citizenship: being in community with others. As citizens, we have a responsibility to give back to the community and to work toward social justice and equity. Digital citizenship curricula should strive to show students possibilities over problems, opportunities over risks and community successes over personal gain.

In Digital Citizenship in Action, you’ll find practical ways for taking digital citizenship lessons beyond a conversation about personal responsibility so that you can create opportunities for students to become participatory citizens, actively engaging in multiple levels of community and developing relationships based on mutual trust and understanding with others in these spaces.

This book includes:
  • Tips for creating a digital space where students can try something new, grow through mistakes, and learn what it means to be a citizen in different spaces.
  • “Spotlight Stories” from teachers engaged with participatory digital citizenship that demonstrate how these ideas play out in actual classrooms.
  • Featured activities to help you integrate these ideas into your classroom.
Table of contents and excerpt