Digital Citizenship in the Frame of Global Change

Abstract

Digital Citizenship is the focus on the skills needed by all users of technology to work effectively in an ever expanding digital world.   This is especially important for children as they become exposed to digital tools, often at very early age.   Digital Citizenship provides a structure for the responsibilities, issues, as well as the opportunities that technology provides.  The research into this topic was collected through 15 years of international interactions, both qualitative and quantitative, to identify the framework and the subsequent creation of the Nine Elements and their structure within Safe, Savvy and Social constructs.  This definition was the first to organize Digital Citizenship into a single cohesive model.   From this work, an understanding of the skills necessary for all users of technology has been organized and defined.  The original research has been replicated around the globe and have exhibited that the elements are a solid foundation for the skills within Digital Citizenship. The current issue is the continued fracturing of the concepts within Digital Citizenship. This confusion has led to competing definitions identifying various organizations’ concept of Digital Citizenship.  There is a need for ongoing study of this topic reinforced by the implications of online learning caused by forced school closings.  The variance in skills and knowledge (especially Access) by parents, students and educators are evident with required social distancing requirements. The need of Digital Citizenship in a society that has turned to digital technologies to meet the needs of educational isolation is evident.