21st Century Literacy: Citizenship and Ethical Literacy
Although some may lament that citizenship and ethics are sorely lacking in modern education, our Mission Statement has embedded these virtues into the very fabric of our institution:
More than ever our nation needs responsible men and women who can meet the challenges of this world with confidence and embrace all its people with compassion. The next generation must include those who think critically and resolve to stand for what is good and right.
Our School cherishes academic rigor, encourages and praises meaningful individual achievement, and fosters virtue. Our independent education prepares young people for higher learning and for lives of purpose and service.
In the 21st century, being able to “meet the challenges of this world” also includes the online world where we learn and socialize. Citizenship and Ethical Literacy, commonly referred to as Digital Citizenship, describe the character and actions of members of this new digital society.
Growing Up Online
Addressing citizenship and ethics in the contemporary sense can be challenging. The familiar concepts of community, rights and responsibilities, and moral principles still exist online, but their intricacies within that environment are largely unknown to adults. Earlier this year, PBS aired the Frontline documentary “Growing Up Online,” a candid and insightful look at how the Internet is transforming the experience of childhood. For those who have not yet seen the program, it is available here and provides parents and educators a window into a world that Frontline describes as being “largely hidden from adults.”
While resources such as the documentary can make these issues more visible and salient, incorporating Citizenship and Ethical Literacy into the curriculum requires a framework. We’ve selected Gerald Bailey and Mike Ribble’s Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship for our seventh grade 1:1 program. These themes, however, can be applied to students of every age within any academic setting.
Themes of Digital Citizenship
For many, the concept of Digital Citizenship is limited to Internet safety and cyberbullying. While these are certainly important topics, the issues of citizenship and ethics are multifaceted. Bailey and Ribble have identified nine general areas or themes that define digital behavior, organized into three general categories:
Student Learning and Academic Performance
1. Digital Access: full electronic participation in society
2. Digital Literacy: the process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology
3. Digital Communication: electronic exchange of informationSchool Environment and Student Behavior
4. Digital Security & Safety: electronic precautions to guarantee safety/physical well-being in a digital technology world
5. Digital Etiquette: electronic standards of conduct or procedure
6. Digital Rights and Responsibilities: those freedoms extended to everyone in a digital worldStudent Life Outside the School Environment
7. Digital Commerce: electronic buying and selling of goods
8. Digital Health and Wellness: physical and psychological well-being
9. Digital Law: rights and restrictions
Using these themes, we developed a Digital Citizenship program for seventh grade advisory. Each month, students, teachers, and parents collaboratively explore one of the nine elements. Learning together and from each other, they develop a collective sense of what it means to be a good Digital Citizen; everyone is a learner in this endeavor.
Broadening the Concept
Our seventh grade team has worked hard to establish the importance of Citizenship and Ethical Literacy, and we can benefit from their experience as we seek to broaden Digital Citizenship throughout the School. Regardless of the framework or approach, it is in everyone’s best interest to nurture citizenship and ethics. Those who “think critically and resolve to stand for what is good and right” must do so in whatever world they find themselves.
