Digital citizenship
What is digital citizenship?
NetSafe defines a digital citizen as someone who:
"A digital citizen understands the rights and responsibilities of inhabiting cyberspace."
- is a confident and capable user of ICT
- uses technologies to participate in educational, cultural, and economic activities
- uses and develops critical thinking skills in cyberspace
- is literate in the language, symbols, and texts of digital technologies
- is aware of ICT challenges and can manage them effectively
- uses ICT to relate to others in positive, meaningful ways
- demonstrates honesty and integrity and ethical behaviour in their use of ICT
- respects the concepts of privacy and freedom of speech in a digital world
- contributes and actively promotes the values of digital citizenship.
Digital citizenship is a powerful enabler of inclusion in social, cultural and civil society.
Digital citizenship and The New Zealand Curriculum
Image source: NetSafe
The New Zealand Curriculum is a framework designed to ensure that all young New Zealanders are equipped with the knowledge, competencies, and values they will need to be successful citizens in the twenty-first century.
Sean Lyons, Development Manager from NetSafe, discusses the definition for digital citizenship and how it fits into the national curriculum.
Digital citizenship and digital fluency
Diagram 1: A definition of digital citizenship – NetSafe (2018)
Digital citizenship combines the confident use of:
- skills and strategies to access technology to communicate, connect, collaborate, and create
- attitudes, underpinned by values that support personal integrity and positive connection with others
- understanding and knowledge of the digital environments and contexts in which they are working, and how they integrate on/offline spaces.
And then, critically, for students to have the ability to draw on this competency of "digital fluency" to participate in life-enhancing opportunities (social, economic, cultural, civil) and achieve their goals in ways that make an important difference.
Key resources
Netsafe Schools is a free programme designed to help New Zealand schools and kura establish, develop and promote online safety, citizenship and wellbeing in their school community.
Staying safe online: 2018 Quick reference guide
A quick reference guide with advice, tips, and how-to guides for social media, online shopping, safe search and more.
The myLGP website has been developed by NetSafe, in collaboration with New Zealand teachers, to support the Learn Guide Protect Framework . The site promotes a student-centred approach to teaching and learning about cybersafety and digital citizenship across the curriculum.
Identify your current practice and some next steps
NetSafe recommend, digital citizenship should be planned for, and addressed, through multiple contexts including structured activities and wherever there is a meaningful opportunity to talk and learn about being online.
Use the discussion starters in conjunction with NetSafe Schools and the e-Learning Planning Framework to:
- explore your current practice
- identify your starting point
- plan next steps for your school community to build understanding and capability.
Discussion starters for principals and school leaders
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What is digital citizenship? Does the whole staff have a shared understanding of what it is, and what it means for teaching and learning?
- How are the key competencies reflected in the school’s vision for e-learning?
- What might it look like if staff and students are demonstrating digital citizenship behaviours?
- How will the school work with the wider community to explore and discuss the appropriate use of technologies, digital citizenship, and cybersafety?
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Discussion starters for teachers
- How do you and your students model safe and responsible attitudes, dispositions, behaviours, and practices when working online? What might this look like?
- How can you involve your wider community in discussions regarding cybersafety and responsible online behaviour?
Wellington High School DP, Dominic Killalea explains their Digital Citizenship programme, which begins at Year 9. Dominic also discusses some of the challenges they have faced opening up the network to students and how they have dealt with these challenges.
Principal, Mary Cuming explains the process the Board, teachers, and students worked through to develop a digital citizenship agreement at Apiti School. Mary also talks about how they ensure that students are safe and responsible online.
Develop classroom practice
Use these practical steps to develop your current school practices and policies around responsible behaviours as successful digital citizens.
Practical steps for principals and school leaders
- Gather data to find out how confident teachers and students feel when fostering and managing digital citizenship and cybersafety.
- Develop school-wide policies, curriculum design, and classroom practices that deliberately integrate digital citizenship (cybersafety, digital literacy, and key competencies). Ask all stakeholders to be involved in developing these policies.
- Provide professional learning opportunities to enhance teacher understanding of digital citizenship and cybersafety.
- Talk about how staff and students can model desirable, safe, responsible behaviours and practices as successful digital citizens.
- Extend messages of cybersafety and digital citizenship to the wider community to encourage greater understanding of their roles in mentoring and managing cybersafety and digital citizenship at home.
- Look at how you might use NetSafe’s guidance on developing the whole school approach to digital citizenship.
Practical steps for teachers
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Find out what your students know about responsible online behaviour.
- Provide clear guidelines to support appropriate activity in online spaces.
- Provide regular learning opportunities for students to work and collaborate online.
- Actively participate with students online and model appropriate behaviour.
- Ensure responsible in-school practice aligns with planning documents and school-wide policy, for example having an "Acceptable uses" policy.
- Involve the wider community so they become more informed about cybersafety and responsible online behaviour.
Digital citizenship modules
Use the self-paced Digital citizenship modules for developing your understanding along with your student's understanding of digital citizenship. The modules are designed to be flexible, so you can select the content that is relevant to you and your students from each of them.
The modules cover:
- Module 1: Understanding digital citizenship
- Module 2: Exploring cybersafety
- Module 3: Understanding copyright and applying creative commons
- Module 4: Digital citizenship at home
What to do if students are exposed to upsetting content
Netsafe has developed advice to guide you through this situation.
Recognising fake news
Fake news is an increasing issue. Support your learners to think critically about the information they see, hear, and read.
Begin by exploring what fake news is and why it is increasing. Then develop their media literacy skills to evaluate news critically.
What is fake news?
Fake news is false information created to mislead people into believing lies or doubting the truth.
- Disinformation – false information created with the intention of harming a person, group, organisation or even a country.
- Misinformation – false information that people didn’t create with the intention to hurt others. For example, some health conspiracy theories circulate with good intentions for the wellbeing of others.
Useful classroom resources
- Fake news: What to do – Information from Netsafe
- Your news bulletin – Can you beat fake news at its own game? – Information and an online trainer to help with recognising fake news.
- Fact checking and fake news lesson plans – The ultimate teacher guide – Practical lesson resources and tools to support students' with recognising and exploring fake news and its dangers.
- Help your students spot false news – A collection of resources from around the BBC to help your students spot fake news and false information. Activities cover a range of ages including 6-12 and 11-14.
- Lesson 1: Real versus fake news – From BBC Teach, this lesson contains practical exercises in recognising what is real and what is fake.
Examples, resources, and ideas supporting teachers and learners with cyber safety, online responsibility, and digital literacy.
Digital citizenship at Apiti School
Staff and students from Apiti School explain some of the practical strategies they have put in place to ensure they are safe and responsible digital citizens.
Apiti School – Process for developing a digital citizenship agreement
Principal, Mary Cuming explains the process the Board, teachers, and students worked through to develop a digital citizenship agreement at Apiti School.
Connecting learning and the community
Teacher, Nicki Fielder and students from Apiti School explain the different social media tools they use to connect with parents and the wider community.
WHS Digital citizenship programme
Wellington High School DP, Dominic Killalea explains their Digital Citizenship programme, which begins at Year 9. Dominic also discusses some of the challenges they have faced opening up the network to students and how they have dealt with these challenges.
Improving student writing using blogs
Wairakei School teacher and her student explain why blogging encourages students to produce better quality work because it is being seen and commented on by an authentic audience.
BYOD – Benefits for students
Students from Pakuranga College, along with their deputy principal, Billy Merchant, share how using their digital devices to access online resources supports their learning.
Digital citizenship, systems, and infrastructure for BYOD and GAFE
ICT leader, Fraser Malins explains some key considerations for setting up a safe network that parents and students can access easily at Halswell School.
Digital citizenship and cybersafety
Sean Lyons, Development Manager from NetSafe, discusses the definition for digital citizenship and how it fits into the National Curriculum.
Digital citizenship and technology use
Deputy principal Miranda Makin describes how Albany Senior High School supports students to be digital citizens.
Using e-competencies in the classroom
Teacher Kellie McRobert describes how she incorporated five e-competencies into a unit of work looking at heroes.
e-Competencies in action at the KidsCan Film Festival
At the KidsCan film festival in Nelson 70 students were put together for three days to create films. Kellie McRoberts describes students' development of e-competencies within this project.
Digital citizenship
St Hilda's Collegiate keep their Internet as open as possible and manage its usage by educating their students.
Explaining e-competencies
Kellie McRobert, e-learning lead teacher, Nayland Primary School, explains e-competencies
NetSafe - Learn Guide Protect
Sean Lyons, from NetSafe, explains the Learn Guide Protect (LGP) website.
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Digital Technology – Safe and responsible use in schools
General advice for schools about preventing incidents by promoting safe and responsible use of digital technology. It was produced by the cross-sector Online Safety Advisory Group convened by the Ministry of Education. NetSafe is a member of this group and led the content development of this guide.
Teacher standards: Learning-focused culture
Examples and resources to support using e-learning to actively promote the well-being of all ākonga for students.
Designed to make learning interactive and fun for young people, DQ World helps to prepare them for the demands of digital life. DQ World covers 8 core DQ Citizenship Skills.
A short, online chapter book with an antibullying theme available in te reo Māori and English. Reading options include: read, read to me, and watch. This resource has been developed by the Ministry of Education. It contains information for parents, discussion questions, and links to bullying information and resources.
ICON – In case of online negativity
A web app offering young people comprehensive solutions around dealing with online bullying and other issues. Sticks 'n' Stones have developed this online resource.
Netsafe resources
Netsafe Schools is a free programme designed to help New Zealand schools and kura establish, develop and promote online safety, citizenship and wellbeing in their school community.
The myLGP website supports the Learn Guide Protect Framework . The site promotes a student-centred approach to teaching and learning about cybersafety and digital citizenship across the curriculum. Developed by NetSafe, in collaboration with New Zealand teachers.
Netsafe promote this international day with a website of resources that include: Online safety conversation starters, tips to spark your thinking, posters and a parent toolkit.
Netsafe's research team regularly publishes their findings to better understand how NZ young people are using the internet and digital technology and how we can reduce online harm.
Digital citizenship modules
Free, self-paced learning modules for personal or staff professional development. The modules are designed to be flexible, so you can select the content that is relevant to you and your school from each of them. Each module should take approximately four weeks to complete.
The modules cover:
- Understanding digital citizenship
- Exploring cybersafety
- Understanding copyright and applying creative commons
- Digital citizenship at home