ISTE Issues Digital Citizenship Week Challenge

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oct. 16, 2017 – The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) will leverage Digital Citizenship Week (Oct. 16-20) to raise awareness of the importance of teaching digital citizenship to students of all ages. ISTE challenges students, educators and parents to take time each day during Digital Citizenship Week to explore what it means to be good citizens in a digital world.

“The need to teach digital citizenship skills has never been greater. These skills include concepts like how to use tech to organize around good causes, how to respectfully disagree online, and how to distinguish between true and false information. As our interactions with friends, community members and government leaders become increasingly mediated by technology, we must model and teach the behaviors we hope to see in our next generation of digital leaders,” said ISTE CEO Richard Culatta.

 ISTE is providing a number of resources to support schools and families in taking the Digital Citizenship Week challenge:

•  Release of Digital Citizenship in Action: Empowering Students to Engage in Online Communities a book by Kristen Mattson, Ed.D., that focuses on the need for educators to think about digital citizenship as more than a conversation about online safety. Included are tips for creating digital spaces where students can experiment and grow, educator stories about successful participatory digital citizenship and classroom-ready activities.
• DigCit Coffee Break email course that gives educators a tip a day on digital citizenship, along with free resources to use in their schools, including a printable poster illustrating the three critical elements of digital citizenship.
• Free webinar for educators, “Bring Digital Citizenship to Life in Your School,” on Oct. 16 at 5 p.m. EDT will examine how to help students realize the potential of technology in engaging ways.
• Two digital citizenship Twitter chats on Oct. 19 that allow for engagement and sharing of best practices and resources. The first will be led by Marialice Curran, a leading voice in the digital citizenship conversation, at 8 p.m. EDT using the hashtag #ISTEChat. The second, hosted by ISTE’s Digital Citizenship professional learning network, will discuss the role of edtech coaches in the development of digital citizenship, at 9 p.m. EDT using the hashtag #digcit. 

 Digital Citizenship Week is a national effort focused on helping kids use technology to engage with and improve their communities. Follow the conversation on Twitter at #DigCitWeek.

 About ISTE

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is a nonprofit organization that works with the global education community to accelerate the use of technology to solve tough problems and inspire innovation. Our worldwide network believes in the potential technology holds to transform teaching and learning.

 ISTE sets a bold vision for education transformation through the ISTE Standards, a framework for students, educators, administrators, coaches and computer science educators to rethink education and create innovative learning environments. ISTE hosts the annual ISTE Conference & Expo, one of the world’s most influential edtechevents. The organization’s professional learning offerings include online courses, professional networks, year-round academies, peer-reviewed journals and other publications. ISTE is also the leading publisher of books focused on technology in education. For more information or to become an ISTE member, visit iste.org. Subscribe to ISTE’sYouTube channel and connect with ISTE on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.