Definition of Digital Citizenship

First and foremost, digital citizenship encompasses guidelines for appropriate, creative, and ethical behavior regarding how to utilize the vast electronic resources available to the international community linked by technology.  While certain behaviors may be proscribed within digital citizenship, the concept encourages members of the online community to actively pursue good ends for both themselves and others through the tools available to them.  Drawing from a wide variety of sources, Ribble and Bailey identify nine major elements of digital citizenship which are inextricably tied together (access, commerce, communication, law, rights and responsibilities, health and wellness, security, literacy, and etiquette). 
    Though not mentioning these nine elements explicitly, the American Association for School Libraries’ Standards for 21st-Century Learners articulates the concept of digital citizenship within four broad areas of skill development and resource utilization: 1) critical thinking and learning; 2) drawing conclusions, making informed decisions, applying information in novel situations, and creating new knowledge; 3) communicating and participating “ethically and productively as members of our democratic society;” and 4) using technology for personal and aesthetic growth.  In addition to a manageable breakdown of instruction in digital citizenship, AASL’s standards mention the continuing importance of personal interaction and underscore the vital roles that creativity and imagination play in both education and personal life. 
    Defining digital citizenship more narrowly, National Education Standards for Students presents the subject as a discrete component; however, a glance at the other standards communicates that the implications of digital citizenship extend to benchmarks such as “research and information fluency” and “communication and collaboration.”  NETS’ inclusion of electronic resources in these other standards clearly indicates that membership in a digital community entails more than just being polite and legal; it requires inquisitive minds, wisdom, open hearts, creative thinking, and commitment to making the world a better place.