THE NINE ELEMENTS OF DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP 1

The Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship

Elizabeth C. Garcia

Lamar University
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The Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship

According to Ribble, digital citizenship is best described as “the norms of appropriate,

responsible behavior with regard to technology use" (2015, p.15). With digital tools becoming

more ubiquitous each day, there is an overlap of the elements of citizenship and digital

citizenship; the skills for one can and should be applied to the other. Ribble (2015) and Curran

(2012) both share similar ideas that digital citizenship extends far beyond the physical barriers of

a classroom. The mission at Miller Intermediate is to get our students college, career, and world

ready. If we do not teaching them the skills necessary to function in a digital world, then we are

failing in our mission. Ribble has identified nine elements of digital citizenship whose purpose

are to help stakeholders gain a better understanding of the topics that lie within digital citizenship

in an organized manner (2015, p.17) The nine elements are digital: access, commerce,

communication, literacy, etiquette, law, rights and responsibilities, health and wellness, and

security. These nine elements can be categorized into the following principles: respect, educate,

and protect. It is crucial for staff members at Miller Intermediate to understand how these

elements of digital citizenship apply toward fulfilling our mission and to commit to doing their

part in developing college, career, and world ready digital citizens.

It is not a matter of identifying which elements are more important that the rest, it is a

matter of diagnostically assessing which elements have the most urgency and identifying ways to

address them. Staff members at Miller Intermediate will participate in a professional learning

session that will expose them to the nine elements. At the conclusion of this professional

learning session teachers will rank these elements in order of perceived urgency. Based on prior

campus initiatives, it is predicted that teachers will rank the following as most urgent: digital

etiquette, digital literacy, and digital rights and responsibilities. Interestingly enough, each
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principle is represented and they all fall under what Ribble presents as the first repetition, which

is supposed to be covered from kindergarten to second grade (2017). Since our district does not

have a digital citizenship program nor curriculum in place, it would make sense that we begin

with the basics.

Respect

In order to be college, career, and world ready digital citizens, our students need to be

equipped with the skills necessary to respect themselves and others. These skills can and should

apply both in and out of the digital world. Being well acquainted with digital etiquette, digital

access, and digital law will benefit students in many areas of their lives. This acquisition of

knowledge and skills will allow students to self-advocate when needed and be proactive in

staying out of both legal and ethical trouble.

Digital etiquette is a skill that a lot of our students lack, that if misused could end up in

tragedy. Ribble defines digital etiquette as “the electronic standards of conduct or procedure”

(2015, p.39). If the students do not develop the skills for proper digital etiquette, then they could

find themselves in a cyberbullying situation. Hiduja and Patchin define cyberbullying as “willful

and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic

devices” (2015, p.11). The ubiquity of social media has heightened the number of cases of

cyberbullying, which unfortunately sometimes lead to the victim committing suicide. Many

times we hear that kids will be kids and that they just need to deal with it or get over it, but as

Brewer and Kerslake mention, cyberbullying is different from traditional bullying in the sense

that the information can be spread much faster and the victim is essentially available 24/7,

meaning they cannot escape the bully (2015, p.255). One death is one too many, as educators we
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should take the proactive approach in addressing this issue and not wait to merely address the

symptoms of it.

Developing proper digital etiquette will allow our students to be successful in college by

giving them the means of participating in discussion board posts appropriately, contacting

professors accordingly, communicating respectfully with other peers, and even participating in

classes that are 100% online. In their careers students will be able to use their digital etiquette

skills to communicate with their bosses, coworkers, and clients via e-mail as well as engage in

online professional learning networks. Our students will be able to apply their digital etiquette

skills with the world as they engage in social media, and interact with service companies.

Educate

In order to be college, career, and world ready digital citizens, our students need to be

equipped with the skills necessary to educate themselves about new technologies and be able to

effectively share the knowledge with others (Ribble, 2015, p.15). Through their K-12 years in

schools, teachers have taken on the role of education students on new technologies to some

extent. For the most parts students are taught what they will be using in the classroom. Digital

literacy, digital communication, and digital commerce are all elements that students will be

exposed to in their lives, it is our responsibility to set them up for success. There are various

methods of communication via web 2.0 tools, apps, etc. in order to successful in this world,

students need to be skilled in communication through more than one method. Digital commerce

seems to be gaining more and more popularity, students should be exposed to the basics of it so

they do not end up scammed or in legal trouble.

Digital literacy is an element that will allow our students to be independent learners.

Ribble defines digital literacy as “the process of teaching and learning about technology and the
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use of technology” (2015, p.35). With technology and digital tools constantly evolving, it is

imperative for our students to know how to learn how to use new technologies on their own. In

college they will need to learn how to use the learning management system, especially if they

take online courses. In their careers they may be expected to use technology or programs they

have never seen before and may not be provided with much training. In the world, they will

encounter many new technologies such as home alarm systems, cellphones, cars, tax software,

etc. that could potentially save them a lot of money if they understand how it works. By the

same token, they could develop partnerships with others or even make money by sharing this

knowledge with them.

Protect

In order to be college, career, and world ready digital citizens, our students need to be

equipped with the skills necessary to protect their technology for themselves with regard to other

users (Ribble, 2015, p.15). This can be accomplish by learning about digital rights and

responsibilities, digital security, and digital health and wellness. Students need to know how

keep themselves safe by using passwords, being cognizant of privacy settings, and conscious of

the personal information they are posting online. Their digital health and wellness is dependent

on the awareness they have of the way they are physically affected by technology as well as

options to combat any negative side effects.

Ribble defines digital rights and responsibilities as “those requirements and freedoms

extended to everyone in a digital world” (2015, p.46). We are hindering our students if we result

to just blocking everything that is inappropriate or potentially harmful from school, we need the

students to develop the ability to discern this for themselves. Although it can be easy to get lost

in a virtual world, students need to be aware that the Bill of Rights extends to the virtual world as
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well. If students understood their rights and responsibilities in the digital world, then perhaps we

could develop better moral practices.

As students navigate through college it will behoove them to be aware of their digital rights

so their academic growth is not stunted by insinuated limitations. The same concept would apply

to their careers; they need to be aware of their rights in order to be able to push the limit and

move up within their careers. In the real world, students will be able to take on moral issues and

feel empowered to engage in politics whether it be at a local or national level. In all cases, if

they feel confident, they can move beyond advocating for their own rights, and see for the rights

of others as well.

Conclusion

It is beneficial for staff members to get a glimpse of the big picture and begin to see how all

of these elements build on one another. If we truly want our students be college, career, and

world ready, we cannot ignore the digital aspect of it because we live in a digital world. We can

no longer view online life and real life as separate, we must see them as one and teach them as

one (Ohler, 2012, p.15).

This information will be presented to staff in a professional learning setting to ensure that

they interact with the information and engage in discussion with others to help brainstorm ideas.

If this were sent out as an attachment to an e-mail, it could be easily read or ignored. If this were

presented in a lecture type setting, the staff would likely disengage after the first two elements

because it is a lot of information to take in. Yes, it is important for the staff to be knowledgeable

on the nine elements of digital citizenship, but the goal is for them to understand the importance

of their role in developing college, career, and world ready digital citizens. More importantly, we

need them to commit to teach these skills with fidelity.

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Next steps would include collaborating with the counselors to develop lessons to present

to the students during homeroom and taking a diagnostic approach to decide what we need to

focus on. Additionally, we would need to design a presentation for parents so they can

understand their role in helping their children succeed in a digital world. This may be further

down the road, but it would also help to develop a presentation for other community members

and business as well. Together we will all be able to help develop college, career, and world

ready citizens.
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References

Brewer, G., & Kerslake, J. (2015). Cyberbullying, self-esteem, empathy and loneliness.

Computers in Human Behavior, 48, 255-260. Brewer_Cyberbullying_Self-

esteem_Empathy_Loneliness.pdf

Curran, M. (2012, June). iCitizen: Are you a socially responsible digital citizen. Paper presented

at the International Society for Technology Education Annual Conference, San Antonio,

TX. Retrieved from (PDF: icitizen_paper_M_Curran.pdf )

Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2015). Bullying beyond the schoolyard: Preventing and

responding to cyberbullying. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin$h.

Ohler, J. (2012). Digital citizenship means character education for the digital age. Education

Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 77(8), 14-17. (PDF:

Ohler_Digital_citizenship_means_character_education_2012.pdf)

Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools: Nine elements all students should know.

Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

Ribble, M. (2017). Nine Elements. Retrieved July 03, 2018, from

http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/nine-elements.html