Digital citizenship is the ability to use technology safely, responsibly, and respectfully. It is sometimes called Internet ethics. It includes numerous elements that people need to understand and practice in order to successfully navigate the digital world, including media awareness, media balance, online safety, and ethics in the online space. Due to the ever-changing nature of technology, digital citizenship is always evolving to meet new needs and incorporate new experiences and situations that people face every day. When educators teach digital citizenship, they provide students with knowledge and skills that they will inevitably use in their future personal and professional lives.

At Westlawn we have a focus on social and emotional learning (SEL), and our teachers are using a program called Second Step to routinely immerse students in SEL learning experiences and reflections. Digital citizenship and SEL have a large area of overlap that keeps increasing as more and more of the things we do contain online components. This year for Digital Citizenship Week we are highlighting the connection between digital citizenship and SEL by hosting our first ever Digital Citizenship Spirit Week from October 14-18, 2024. All staff, students, and community members are encouraged to participate in Digital Citizenship Spirit Week!

Digital Citizenship Spirit Week

Monday, October 14: Self-Management

• The focus on Monday is self-management. Being a socially and emotionally aware digital citizen sometimes means knowing when it is time to step away from the device! Make time to do something fun that doesn’t involve a screen!

Tuesday, October 15: Self-Awareness

• The focus on Tuesday is self-awareness. Being a socially and emotionally aware digital citizen means understanding how your behaviors can affect your emotions when doing things online. Wear workout clothing to remind yourself of your strength in noticing and naming your emotions.

Wednesday, October 16: Relationship Skills

• The focus on Wednesday is relationship skills. Being a socially and emotionally aware digital citizen means being kind and showing empathy to others online. Wear pink to remind yourself to use your heart when communicating online.

Thursday, October 17: Social Awareness

• The focus on Thursday is social awareness. Being a socially and emotionally aware digital citizen means teaming up against online bullying. Wear your favorite sports clothing to remind yourself of the power of a team in making online spaces feel safe for everyone.

Friday, October 18: Responsible Decision-Making

• The focus of Friday is responsible decision-making. Being a socially and emotionally aware digital citizen means being safe with the places you go and the information you share online. Being safe is also one of the pillars of the Westlawn Way! Wear Westlawn gear or Westlawn colors (red and blue) today to remember the importance of safety both at school and online.

Resources for Families

• Common Sense Education has a family-focused page featuring links to articles (in English and Spanish), videos, workshops, presentations, and more. Their media lists in English or in Spanish help families make decisions about movies, video games, podcasts, and more that adults may not always have time to preview before allowing children to explore.

• Google’s Be Internet Awesome program is used by many school systems as the backbone of their digital citizenship curriculum. Their family resources page has information about digital citizenship, as well as links to play their digital citizenship learning adventure game Interland. FCPS students do not need to use their FCPS login credentials to play this game or access these resources; they are open to everyone.

• FCPS has put together a robust page of digital citizenship resources for families, including many tips sheets in multiple languages. Given Westlawn’s focus on the intersection between digital citizenship and social-emotional learning this year, families might be particularly interested in a podcast linked there.