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DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP – PART I

Course Overview

Students in Elementary Digital Citizenship – Part I will explore ways to become a good digital citizen in today's world. In each unit students will be introduced to various digital citizenship elements: Digital Literacy, Digital Access, Digital Rights and Responsibilities, and most importantly Digital Safety. Throughout this course students will have opportunities to watch videos and complete activities. To watch a video, just click on it. A number of links will have printable documents pertaining to the unit, which are in a PDF format and ready for printing. Some units will have games for you to play and practice the skill or understand the information. Each unit will have questions for you to answer so you can demonstrate your learning. The course is aligned with national standards for technology and curriculum. If you should have trouble with the material at any time, please talk to your parents or teacher.

In this course you will:

recognize how to participate properly with technology,
realize how to protect yourself online,
improve your technology skills,
be ready for the challenges in future jobs, and
build skills for lifelong learning

Message to Parents and Teacher

The parents should discuss with their children the ways to be a good digital citizen. Parents should sign the Safety Pledge, and the teacher should collect it.

Unit Overview

Welcome to Elementary Digital Citizenship – Part I! Everywhere you look you see computers and technology! People use computers and technology for all kinds of activities. Computers and technology can be used for work. You can use a computer to type a letter to a boss. Computers and technology can be used to calculate and store information. When your parents get money from a bank machine, a computer keeps track of the money. Computers can be used for fun too. You can play games on computers. Smartphones, desktops, laptops, and tablets are all computers and called digital devices. Technology often means the Internet and technical ways of doing things.

When you have completed this unit, you will:

learn why you should be a good digital citizen,
discover what make up digital citizenship,
find out the rules to be a good digital citizen, and
pledge to be a good digital citizen.

Activity: To understand the information in this unit, you should know the following words. Click on the play button to hear the word and then hit the stop button. Give your definition and then listen to the definition. After listening to the definitions, talk to your parents or teacher about what each word means.

Words to Know
Digital Citizen	A person who is a member of the technology world
Digital	Electronic technology
Digital Literacy	Your ability to use computers, technology, and the Internet.
Digital Rights and Responsibilities	Your rights and privileges to use technology and the duties that come with the privilege like respecting others and acting properly
Digital Safety	Keeping you and your belongings safe while using technology
Digital Etiquette	Basic rules you should follow in order to properly type an email
Digital Communication	The ways to communicate with others using technology
Digital Productivity	Using technology resources effectively
Digital Law	Knowing that copying and pasting information from a website into an assignment is wrong and downloading music without paying for it is wrong
Digital Access	How you use technology and how much time is spent using it
Digital Commerce	Buying and selling goods online
Digital Health and Wellness	Protecting you against eye strain and back problems while using digital devices

Throughout this course you will learn more about each of these areas.

Digital Citizenship

We live and play in a digital world. A digital citizen is someone who uses computers and technology. Computers, technology, and the Internet give you lots of cool things to do. But, it can be dangerous too. How we act and behave in this digital world is not always clear. When using computers and technology, a good digital citizen:

acts and behaves responsibly,
is respectfully to others,
stays safe and out of trouble, and
knows good digital citizenship.

Click on the link to watch the video "An Introduction to Digital Citizenship" or click on the video.

Good Digital Citizenship

A good digital citizen means that you act properly online when using the Internet. The following rules will guide you toward good digital citizenship. You should:

Click on the link to watch the video "It Starts With Me" or click on the video.

Activity:Take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle of it. Put School (Offline) Behavior on one side. Put Online (Internet) Behavior on the other side. List five rules for good behavior in school under School (Offline) Behavior. List five rules for good digital citizenship while on the computer under Online (Internet) Behavior. Share those with your parents and teacher.

Wrap-up and Pledge

Digital citizens often go on the Internet to play games, get information, or communicate with others. When you go online using a laptop, tablet, desktop, smartphone, or gaming console, you should always practice good digital citizenship. Good digital citizenship follows the same basic rules as good classroom behavior: respect others, act sensibly, be safe, be informed, and obey the law. So, whether you are in the classroom or using digital devices and technology, you should behave properly.

Activity: Click on the Follow the Computer Rules image to the left. Read The Internet Safety Pledge, print, and sign it. Have your parents read and sign it too. After everyone has signed it, return it to your teacher.

Before you answer the questions, you should review the words from the beginning of the unit.

Below are additional educational resources and activities for this unit.

Unit 1 Letters

Unit 1 Wordsearch