When I looked up the term “digital citizenship”, the first definition that I found was the following:
…teaching users the rules of good citizenship online; this usually includes email ettiquette, protecting private information, staying safe online, and how to deal with bullying, whether you’re a target or a bystander.
For the past couple of years, I have been really focusing on the notion of digital leadership, and although I have not seen a formal definition of what that would mean, I would like to think of it as this:
Using the vast reach of technology (especially the use of social media) to improve the lives, well-being, and circumstances of others.
I have written about students such as Martha Payne before, as well as teachers who work to empower the voice of their students. Yesterday though, I saw another great example of how a student is making a difference in the lives of his peers. In our schools, it is understandable that we work towards (as a minimum) students understanding the notion of digital citizenship, but how often do we stop there?
We really need to push our students to make a change in their world and highlight how social media can give them an opportunity that we never were given as students. Just being “citizens” online is the average; kids already exist online. We should be pushing for much more than this. Hopefully the video below can serve as an example and conversation starter for what a person can really do now to make a difference.
