Teacher takeaways
The use of technology in education continues to grow at a rapid pace and so does the imperative for learners to acquire digital citizenship skills.
Good digital citizenship skills can’t be taught or mastered all at once. Educators should look at the different components of good digital citizenship and find ways to integrate them into lessons and activities already being presented in the classroom. Teaching digital citizenship through a positive lens helps influence the growth of learners toward understanding the digital age.
Implementation requires careful planning, practice, and patience. It's why the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards are learner-driven and focus in on the empowerment of learner voice. This example guides learners from being mere online users and consumers to becoming good digital citizens:
A science educator uses a "Now, Soon, Later" planning document to identify good digital citizenship skills that run adjacent to class lesson plans, like integrating Minecraft Education's Element Scavenger Hunt. The educator discusses how to work collaboratively in the game using the chat feature as a mini-lesson. This document helps educators extract the components of good digital citizenship, by planning when to teach certain skills integrated into existing content lessons.
As technology continues to evolve and become more prominent in schools, it's imperative that good digital citizenship skills are covered. This doesn't mean rule-laden "no" statements, but rather an opportunity to focus on the positive aspects and promote thoughtful and empathetic intentions. These "Be Statements" promote collaboration with peers and learners, challenge educators to rethink traditional approaches, and prepare students to consider others first and drive their own learning in an online world.
Be AI-aware
With the rapid integration of AI into everyday tools, learners and educators must understand how to use AI responsibly and ethically. AI-generated content requires new literacies: Learners should be able to evaluate the accuracy, bias, and provenance of AI outputs and compare them with verified sources.
Microsoft Copilot and other generative AI tools can augment learning, but educators should teach learners to be transparent when AI is used and to verify results before acting on them. Topics include awareness of AI fabrications, bias in model outputs, data privacy considerations, and academic integrity when AI assists in work.