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Digital Citizenship and the Curriculum

In thinking about the role of teachers in educating about digital citizenship, I had a few ideas of what I thought made the most sense in connecting digital citizenship to the Saskatchewan curriculum. Initially, when thinking about the underlying concepts within the nine elements of digital citizenship as outlined by Ribble, there were a few obvious connections that I made.

The first clear connection between these elements and the curriculum related to Social Studies.


Social Studies

When considering the first element, Digital Access, it is clear that the equitable access to technology and online resources fits within the larger subject of social studies and the themes of equity, equality, and access to resources. The central themes in the curriculum for social studies include dynamic relationships, power and authority, and resources and wealth. These seem like natural fits for not only Digital Access, but also the concepts of Digital Law and Digital Rights and Responsibilities. However, when exploring the grade 8 outcomes in Social Studies, there did not seem to be an obvious or natural fit anywhere throughout related to this overarching theme of digital citizenship. To some extent, I feel as though outcome RW 8.2 (Assess the implications of personal consumer choices) may allow for some connection to digital rights and responsibilities as the use of technology and sustainability are somewhat connected, but there is no obvious connection. Additionally, outcome IN 8.1 (Investigate the meaning of culture and the origins of Canadian cultural diversity) may provide some value in understanding the role that digital technology plays in the cultural landscape of Canada and also across the world. However, again, it seems to be less than clear regarding making direct connections between any of the grade 8 social studies outcomes and the nine elements. There does seem to be a more natural connection specifically related to health and well-being.


https://www.liberty.edu/students/health-wellness/wp-content/uploads/sites/94/2021/08/digital-wellness-infographic-2.jpg

Health Education

In reviewing the nine elements of digital citizenship, the most clear connection to the Saskatchewan curriculum appears to be Digital Health and Well-being. Clearly, this is related to health and seems like an obvious space to teach about digital citizenship within the overarching holistic well-being of students. The first outcome that seems to have some connection is USC 8.1 (Analyze and establish effective strategies of support for purposes of helping others increase health-enhancing behaviours). The term health-enhancing behaviours provides a wide-range of possibilities related to balanced overall health. Clearly, the use of technology and finding balance in this area is an important connection and one which students could develop strategies to promote amongst their classmates and the larger school. One idea I have for this is for students to create a school-wide campaign to promote healthy use of technology amongst their peers. Another connection to the health curriculum is USC8.5 (Assess how body image satisfaction/dissatisfaction and over-reliance on appearance as a source of identity and self-esteem affects the quality of life of self and family). This outcome specifically focuses on body image, which has been significantly impacted by the growth of social media and apps such as Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. The awareness of the role that technology plays in digital health and well-being related to body image satisfaction is an obvious and important connection in developing healthy perspectives for young students. These appear to be the two most clear-cut connections between digital citizenship and the grade 8 health outcomes, although I believe others could also be made. Although these connections appear obvious, the subject that most explicitly connects to digital technology and citizenship appears to be English.


English Language Arts

When I first began exploring the grade 8 curriculum to discover natural connections to the use of technology and digital citizenship, English appeared to be the only subject that explicitly talked about the use of technology. The outcomes and indicators that were identified include:

  • CC8.2 Create and present a group inquiry project related to a topic, theme, or issue studied in English language arts.

    • d. Collaborate with others using technology to plan inquiry

    • i. Sort, organize, classify, and extend data using information technology tools.

  • CC8.5 Create and present a variety of visual and multimedia presentations including an illustrated report, a role play that ends with a tableau, a dramatization, presentation software, a newscast with adequate detail, clarity, and organization to explain (e.g., an important concept), to persuade (e.g., an opinion on an issue, a mini-debate), and to entertain (e.g., a humourous incident).

    • a. Explore ideas and express understanding using various forms of representing (e.g., storyboarding, illustrating, role playing, e-mailing, preparing a concept map).

    • c. Choose appropriate technology (including digital) to represent understanding and enhance communication.

    • h. Experiment with representing in a variety of familiar and unfamiliar forms (e.g., presentation software, dramatization, illustrated report). i. Use more than one type of media in a presentation.

Within these outcomes, the connection to digital technology is obvious, and it also appears to connect to the elements of Digital Fluency and Digital Communication and Collaboration. The wonderful aspect of technology is that it provides another opportunity to communicate and express ourselves. This is especially important in the learning and evaluation process where we are trying to understand what some students know, understand, and can do. By providing alternative methods to present and experiment with technology, it not only increases their digital citizenship, but also provides them valuable skills that they can carry into the world. Digital Fluency is also important, the ability for students to be able to distinguish information online and understand what is real vs. fake, but also to develop the skills of critical thinking. In this case, there seems to be an obvious connection for some cross-curricular work between ELA and Social Studies in understanding the way that news is presented online and the need to be critical thinkers. Ultimately, I feel as though English provides the most clear opportunity to use technology while also developing skills and focusing on the elements above within digital citizenship.


Science - STEM

The final connection I made is related to science and the use of technology. Within the title STEM, technology is clearly identified as an important concept within the overall subject of Science. Although technology is mentioned heavily throughout the grade 8 Science curriculum, I feel as though the connection to the concept of digital citizenship is not as clear. The use of technology within the field of science is vital and students would likely heavily access technology while learning, but it doesn't appear that any of the nine elements naturally fit with the role of science in the sphere of education.


Overall, I plan to incorporate teachings about digital citizenship into my practice as a teacher. Although there are not always explicit connections to technology and digital citizenship within the curriculum, it is clear that teaching students these fundamental aspects of digital citizenship are vital to their overall well-being and growth. We live in a digital age where being able to access, understand, and utilize technology and interact within the digital world is vital for everyday life. As a teacher, our roles are important for developing students into well-rounded citizens who can positively contribute to their world. The use of technology is vital for that to happen.

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