Digital Citizenship: Digital Literacy

Digital Literacy - Thinking criticallyThe meaning of literacy has changed.  It used to be enough to teach children how to read and write, speak and listen.  Today, they also communicate through a variety of media, each of which presents unique advantages and challenges.  

To be literate in a digital world, children have to pay attention to the information being conveyed, the media through which it is transmitted, and the technology that makes it possible.  How a child composes an email, YouTube video, web page or social networking profile is impacted by the choices she makes about the information, media and technology she’ll use.  In turn, those choices greatly influence how other individuals will perceive her message and the meaning they will make from it.

Digital literacy, sometimes called ICT (information and communications technology) literacy brings together several related fields—media literacy, information literacy, technology literacy—each of which has its own body of research and resources.

Featured tools and resources on this topic

  • CampaignCampaign
  • +0Comment(s)
Digital Literacy
All
An online primer for parents and teachers on the key concepts of media literacy.
  • CampaignCampaign
  • +0Comment(s)
All
Digital ethics is all about teaching ethical, courteous, and productive behavior while using digital media.
  • External WebsiteExternal Website
  • +0Comment(s)
Digital Literacy
NAMLE is a national membership organization dedicated to advancing the field of media literacy education in the US.

More Resources on this Topic

Disney Interactive Ariel: Numbers and Counting

Created with educational experts, "Ariel: Numbers and Counting" is a Disney Connected Learning app that combines exciting exploration and collection based game play with Numbers and Quantities curriculum while players interact with some of their favorite Little Mermaid characters. The game design and pace is appropriate for children aged 4-6. Three different targeted curriculum levels are available for each path.

Beyond Internet Safety: Teaching Kids to be Good Digital Citizens

Learn the results of a recent poll by Harris Interactive and Cable in the Classroom.

I Want That

Infuse critical thinking and viewing by using holiday ads.

National Cyber Security Awareness Month

With the digital lives we lead, we're often online and can be always connected. With that kind of access, we all have a responsibility for keeping the Internet safe. National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) lets others know that all of us have a role in protecting our digital lives.

National Student/Parent Mock Election

A digital initiative of the Pearson Foundation, the program builds on the 30-year history of the National Student/Parent Mock Election and My Voice, the leading program in student voice.

See More >

CIC Blog

  • Have you ever wondered what happened to a character in a documentary after the filming ended?

    Cartoon Network is airing an abridged version of CNN’s original documentary THE BULLY EFFECT this Sunday, April 28th, at 5:30 and 8 p.m. (ET/PT). CNN anchor Anderson Cooper hosts and engages in a frank and candid conversation about bullying.

    Last year, Anderson Cooper’s AC3600 followed the kids profiled in Lee Hirsch’s 2011 film “Bully” to find out what happened to them since the documentary’s release.

  • The other day I learned that a colleague won a contest, the prize for which was a gift card for a store I’d never heard of. Curious, I Googled the store to find out what they sold (women’s accessories). The next time I went on Facebook, lo and behold, there was a sponsored ad for that store right next to my news feed.

    Creepy? Maybe, but predictable. Facebook, like many websites, tracks where you go online and uses that information to serve you ads customized to your likes and habits.

  • It’s April 1st, and many of us are encountering April Fool’s jokes. It might be an article in the newspaper, a story on the radio, someone’s Facebook post, or an e-newsletter. In recent years, corporations have gotten into the act, too. In one famous example from 1996, Taco Bell took out a full-page ad in the New York Times claiming they’d purchased the Liberty Bell to help reduce the US national debt. This year’s example looks like it will come from Scope, with an ad introducing a new, bacon-flavored mouthwash .

  • Page Harrington, Executive Director of the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum, home of the historic National Woman’s Party, reflects on Women’s History Month, the 100th anniversary of the Woman Suffrage Parade of 1913 and how sufffragists used a sort of social media of their own.

    There have been great articles celebrating, remembering and raising awareness of women’s issues as part of Women’s History month. Whether 100 years ago or today, the disenfranchised still struggle to break-through and have their voices heard amongst the hyper-chatter inside the Beltway, Washington, DC.

  • Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty has won awards for its ads and viral videos. From the 2005 Evolution video , which shows how makeup and styling transform a relatively normal looking woman into looking like a supermodel, the videos have been unique and interesting.

    In the latest installment of the campaign, Dove released a free Photoshop Action (a one click tool for achieving a particular effect) called “Beatuify.” Purportedly, it would help give skin a rosy and healthy glow.

  • What do Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have in common with entertainer will.i.am, actor Ashton Kutcher, and NBA all-star Chris Bosh? It’s not the ability to dunk a basketball. Nope. These very different celebrities share an appreciation for coding, the ability to write the code that lets computers and digital devices do the extraordinary things we often take for granted. And that’s why they’ve gotten together at code.org to emphasize the importance of learning to code.

  • Not everyone looks good in pink. But masses of people, all wearing pink, can send a powerful statement.

    A few years ago, a couple of Canadian teens noticed a 9th grader was being bullied because he wore a pink shirt and, ergo thought the bullies, he was gay. The teens decided to do something about it, to no longer be bystanders but to become “upstanders.” They purchased 50 pink tank tops and, the next morning, handed them out to friends at school.

  • Getting a message from beyond the grave used to be the stuff of old horror movies or mediums hosting séances. Now, says a CNN story, several companies are offering services where your social networking site can continue to send messages from you after you’re dead.

    Is this a good idea or not? I’m not sure.

    Cool or Creepy, it’s a logical extension of social networking into the afterlife. We’ve already seen any number of tribute sites created to celebrate the life, accomplishments, and friendships of a deceased individual.

  • A few years ago, there was a major focus on Internet safety education, as if protecting kids from online predators and pornography were all that was needed for children to safely and effectively surf the Web. Today, much more attention is being paid to other areas of digital citizenship, for example responsible, ethical behavior and digital literacy. That is reflected in the results of two polls Cable in the Classroom released today.

    We think of digital citizenship as a positive and proactive approach to helping children use digital tools safely and effectively, bringing together Internet safety and security with digital literacy, responsible, ethical behavior and civic engagement.

  • Over at edSurge comes word of a project to craft a “Bill of Rights and Principles for Learning in the Digital Age.” The current version is a work in progress, with thoughts and contributions actively sought. The document currently focuses on what students should expect from others. It would be nice to detail what others should expect from students. Maybe it should be about rights, principles and responsibilities.

    One of the things I like about digital citizenship, and a reason we at Cable in the Classroom support digital citizenship education, is its focus on rights and responsibilities.

Top Resources

  • Offsite VideoOffsite Video
  • +0Comment(s)
6-89-12
The STEM Journals on Cox 7 Arizona is the new show in town and it’s all about STEM! A locally produced television show about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in Arizona. Join Cox 7 Arizona’s STEM Road Warrior, Brad Piccirillo, as he travels the state looking for his next adventure, on the STEM Journals.
  • Online ActivityOnline Activity
  • +0Comment(s)
6-89-12
Cartoon Network telecasts on Sunday, April 28, 2013 - THE BULLY EFFECT bringing together experts and the opportunity to participate in a live online chat with Rosalind Wiseman, author and renowned bullying prevention expert.
  • Offline ActivityOffline Activity
  • +0Comment(s)
Science & HealthSocial Studies
6-89-12
Since the day you were born, a slimy three-pound blob has been controlling your every thought, memory, movement and emotion. Visual perception, sound, creativity, lying, attractiveness and persuasion are just a few of the mad skills of the mind to be explored and explained in the new world premiere series Brain Games.
  • Lesson PlanLesson Plan
  • +0Comment(s)
HistoryScience & Health
9-12
The 80's: The Decade That Made Us. Craziest. History Lesson. Ever.
  • Offline ActivityOffline Activity
  • +0Comment(s)
Technology
9-12
Turner Broadcasting is launching a corporate philanthropic program. Turner Voices in Technology is a day-long workshop that explores one of several areas of technology.
  • Offline ActivityOffline Activity
  • +0Comment(s)
ArtsPersonal Development
9-12
Turner Broadcasting is launching a corporate philanthropic program. Turner Voices in the Arts is a week-long program for high school age Metro-Atlanta area students who are interested in learning more about artistic and creative careers at Turner.
  • Offline ActivityOffline Activity
  • +0Comment(s)
Science & HealthTechnology
6-89-12
It’s time to channel your inner Iron Man/Tony Stark and let your inventing imagination go wild.
  • ArticleArticle
  • +0Comment(s)
9-12
STORIES FROM THE ROAD TO FREEDOM, a new two-hour special narrated by Deon Cole celebrates Black History Month.