Observed annually on June 30, Social Media Day was created by Mashable in 2010 to celebrate the power of social media for connecting the globe. Today, social media is the hub of global communication. Social media platforms allow us to quickly and conveniently connect with friends and family, make new friends, pursue business opportunities, and network on a global scale. It seems fitting that we celebrate how social media has revolutionized how we communicate globally!
Social media has redefined how teachers and students interact in a global culture, making digital citizenship more important than ever before. In a globally connected world, digital citizenship skills are critical to harnessing the potential of technology. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) writes, “Digital citizenship goes beyond conversations about personal responsibility. It’s about being active citizens who see possibilities instead of problems, and opportunities instead of risks as they curate a positive and effective digital footprint.” We must teach our students to be good stewards of the digital world through social media and help them become safe, responsible, and effective global digital citizens. Listed below are digital citizenship resources to help you focus on all aspects of your students’ digital lives.
- TeachersFirst has an entire collection of Internet safety and digital citizenship resources. Celebrate Social Media Day by sharing a link to your favorite resource with your friends and colleagues on social media.
- Our digital citizenship Twitter chat archive has plenty of resources to teach digital citizenship and strategies for integrating it into your classroom. Model for your students as a connected global digital citizen by joining one of our bi-monthly OK2Ask Twitter chats. Visit our OK2Ask Twitter Chats page for more information.
- ISTE has an entire collection of digital citizenship resources for educators to use in the classroom. Our students’ families are an integral part of their digital citizenship development. This collection from ISTE offers several resources to help educators connect with families about digital citizenship.
- The TeachersFirst blog also has several posts about digital citizenship by our talented authors. Sharon Hall has many fantastic resources in her post about Digital Citizenship Week, celebrated each year in the third week of October.
Practicing digital citizenship skills is just as important as teaching them to our students each year. Teaching and demonstrating these skills ourselves will help create a better future for our global digital citizens. What strategies and resources are you using to teach digital citizenship? We’d love to hear them in the comments below!