Digital citizenship refers to the responsible use of technology by anyone who uses computers, the Internet, and digital devices to engage with society on any level. As students spend more and more time online, digital citizenship is becoming increasingly important for students to master. Here are some key ideas and techniques for promoting digital citizenship in students:

• Teach digital citizenship skills: Students need digital citizenship skills to participate fully in their communities and make smart choices online and in life. These skills include knowledge, skills, and practices to engage safely and responsibly in a digital environment.

• Use a curriculum: Implementing digital citizenship into your school’s technology curriculum is an important step to promoting digital literacy in students. There are many research-backed digital citizenship lesson plans available to help schools navigate timely topics, such as cyberbullying, online safety, privacy, and media literacy.

• Encourage empathy and community-building: Being a digital citizen is about working to ensure you are contributing to the health and well-being of your communities. Encourage students to practice empathy and community-building online by reminding themselves that theres a real person behind the screen, reaching out to help if they see someone being cyberbullied, and taking a break before doing anything when they get angry.

• Provide opportunities for student creativity: Ask students to create a brochure or ad promoting a digital citizenship skill that is important to them, or to create a tutorial or lesson about a specific digital literacy concept.

• Promote online safety and security: Teach students how to protect themselves from internet dangers and respect each other’s human rights. This includes teaching them how to use the internet responsibly and safely, and how to protect themselves from fraudsters and predators.

By teaching students digital citizenship skills and promoting responsible online behavior, educators can help prepare students for a society full of technology and ensure they are contributing to a positive culture online.