Digital Citizenship: Preparing Students for the Online World

Stacy Calfo
Nov 18 2024

As the Information Age continues to dramatically redefine the ways in which we learn, work and engage, Ravenscroft faculty are committed to ensuring that students in all three divisions build the knowledge and skills they need to thrive and lead in the online world.

In this three-part series about digital citizenship, we explore how our youngest Ravens master the basics of computer and tablet use, how middle-grade students develop a sense of responsibility alongside their burgeoning digital voices and how both teachers and students explore the opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence as this latest technological advancement enters the mainstream.

As Ravens become more technologically savvy — and online engagement becomes more of a focus for them — teachers begin to introduce lessons to educate and guide them in navigating that new world safely and responsibly.

This approach to digital citizenship is aligned with the Lead From Here framework and, like the Lower School’s purposeful approach to building technology skills, gets integrated into everyday learning, reinforcing students’ growing skills and awareness as they prepare to join the ranks of online contributors and content creators.

Jump To

“What it means to have a digital voice”

By the time students enter Middle School, many are ready to engage with topics related to digital citizenship, such as navigating social media, managing digital footprints and handling online conflicts — all in preparation for the time when most platforms consider them old enough for social media accounts.

With that in mind, the school’s digital citizenship curriculum actually begins in fourth and fifth grades, when students are introduced to the basics of responsible online behavior through lessons taught by their homeroom teachers. As Associate Head of Middle School Nicole Brown explained, it’s at this stage that students are ready to start considering how their actions in the digital world can affect themselves and those around them.

“These conversations in the classroom give students the tools they need to be mindful of their decisions,” she explained. “They offer a safe space and more time to dive deeper into responsible technology use.”

Fifth-grade teacher Wes Brown leads his homeroom in a lesson from the school’s digital citizenship curriculum, designed to foster positive social interactions and responsible online engagement.

Fifth-grade teacher Wes Brown previously served as the Middle School’s Instructional Technology Specialist and was instrumental in developing the division’s approach to this topic beginning in 2016. He and his fourth- and fifth-grade colleagues will teach five lessons on digital citizenship to their students this year.

“After almost a decade [of providing students with this guidance], it’s exciting to me to see how the curriculum has evolved to meet our students’ needs as they develop the competencies and mindsets required to navigate the world of texting, social media and the internet,” he said. “As a current fifth-grade teacher, I value equipping our students with strategies to help them make appropriate choices online at school that will extend to their personal lives when families begin introducing cell phones and social media platforms at home.”

“Digital citizenship is about understanding your identity online, managing your screen time and ensuring you’re staying safe,” Director of Educational Technology Mitch Carraway added. “By sixth grade, we explore what it means to have a digital voice, teaching students to be self-aware and make mindful choices online.”

“Use it for good”

In seventh grade, students delve deeper into the dynamics of online social interactions, including navigating group chats and setting boundaries. As the online world is ever-evolving, the curriculum is easily adaptable to reflect new technological developments. For example, lessons on using AI tools such as ChatGPT ethically were introduced this year.

“We’re constantly updating our lessons to reflect the latest technology trends to make sure the program stays relevant to our students,” Carraway said. “We don’t just tell students not to use [certain] technology. We show them how to use it as a tool, without letting it replace their own creativity and thinking.”

Throughout these middle-grade years, the curriculum — guided by Lead From Here — emphasizes empathy and self-awareness, encouraging students to lead themselves before learning to lead others. This gradual progression prepares these Ravens for the more advanced digital responsibilities they will encounter in eighth grade, when they begin to think more broadly about their online presence and how it can be used to positively impact their communities.

Melissa Ramel and her seventh-grade advisees discuss a lesson about friendship changes, common in the middle school years, that can lead to negative exchanges in digital mediums such as texts and group chats.

“We want students to understand that while technology is a powerful tool, it’s even more important to use it ethically,” Carraway said. “We teach them to use it for good without letting it take over their thoughts and interactions with others.”

Eighth-graders are tasked with considering how their online actions can contribute to societal change.

“This is a key part of our Lead From Here framework — changing your world,” Carraway said. “We want them to understand that the internet gives them a platform to inspire, educate and lead.”

“More aware about the choices I make”

Students say these lessons have helped them think more carefully about their behavior and choices when engaging online.

“I am more aware about the choices I make on the internet and what I choose to spend my free time on,” Genevieve Holman ’30 said.

“My favorite aspect of technology is probably online games. These #WinAtSocial lessons have helped me prepare to be a safe and responsible member online,” CC Galkoski ’31 added. “I haven’t had to use most of these aspects online when talking to friends, but these lessons are very helpful if something like that does happen.”

“Behavior in the digital world, decisions made online and how students choose to interact with one another using technology can deeply affect their social-emotional development,” Nicole Brown noted. “From our perspective, this work is an important part of supporting students’ health and wellness.”

Carraway added that, above all, the program is designed to give students more than just the skills to handle technology responsibly: it teaches them how to lead in an increasingly digital world.

At left, Ethan Cates ’30 and Charlie Nelson ’30 play a video game during last year’s esports tournament, a popular pastime among adolescents and one way many begin to spend time in online forums; at right, Digital Media II students Benson Jordan ’30 and Evelyn Canavan ’30 recreate a scene from the movie “Inside Out 2” using technology that is common among young people interested in becoming online content contributors.

“Your Middle School experience does not stop and end with the school bell,” he concluded. “It goes home with you and follows you the minute you log in on your phone or at home. That’s what we are teaching them with our digital citizenship program.”

By the time they’re in Upper School, students have access to courses that include college-level computer science courses and an advanced seminar in artificial intelligence and machine learning — taking their engagement with technology one step further. Learning about AI provides many of the same growth opportunities that teachers have helped students explore since Lower School. Read more about this topic in part three of this series, Exploring the Potential of AI.