Digital Citizenship- Much More than "Stranger Danger"

Teens and online learning have gone together long enough, that I remember when all digital citizenship was, was "stranger danger". We taught the students not to give personal information, we taught them not to tell the "bad guy" where they would be, and- in those days, it seemed to be enough. 

But now, the world has changed, and the way that students use technology has changed. The State of Illinois requires that internet safety is incorporated into the curriculum, and they outline topics that could be covered. But,  As Common Sense Media States, "Being a good digital citizen is more than knowing your way around the web. It’s about empowering your students with skills to think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly online, allowing them to connect and collaborate in meaningful ways".  When we think about what that means for our classrooms, all of these rights, responsibilities, and behaviors, affect how the students learn and create in our classes.  

One of my favorite resources, Common Sense Media, does a great job breaking down the enormous idea of digital citizenship into smaller concepts

• Self Image and Identity
• Relationships and Communication
• Digital Footprint and Reputation
• Cyberbullying and Digital Drama
• Information Literacy
• Internet Safety
• Privacy and Security
• Creative Credit and Copyright

Many of these topics, such as copyright, or information literacy can be incorporated directly into the classes you're teaching, as you are teaching them.  For example, It is logical to discuss reputable sources while doing a research paper.  Other topics might best be taught in as mini-lessons, or in classes like "Power Hour" where students could learn about them in isolation.  In these cases, I think it's powerful to turn the students into experts where they can be teaching each other sharing their learning with others who might need it. 

No matter how you decide to cover the topics, there are many resources out there to use.  Here are a few..

Common Sense Media -  This is probably my favorite resource for a few reasons.  First, because it has content for students and parents in both English and Spanish. Also, it provides a scope and sequence and provides media, discussion prompts, and activities.  It also aligns the lessons to both the common core ELA content and the ISTE standards. Best of all, it's free (though you do need to create an educator account)

Brain Pop - Brain pop has a series of videos that can serve to be an introduction to digital citizenship.  It too, has some resources and lesson plans but it definitely isn't as comprehensive as Common Sense Media.  This one, I would see as a jumping off point. 

Be Internet Awesome-  Google provides both resources for teachers and students.  For students, there is a game, but honestly, I'm not sure that the game really teaches the students anything about digital safety.  On the other hand, they do provide some teacher resources and activities. I think this is a nice start, but I'm hopeful that it will become more developed in the future. 

NetSmartz - Similar to Commonsense Media, NetSmartz provides free resources to teachers and students.  They have many different subcategories for kids, educators, teens, and even law enforcement.  The Teen section has some games the students could play as well as "real story" videos. 

All of these are good resources, but again, I think the best way to use them is as references or resources to use while interweaving it with your curriculum or while the students are becoming experts to teach others.  

I'd be curious to know if you have any other resources that might be useful to middle school students.  If so, please let me know!