Print bookPrint book

Digital Citizenship Framework and Competencies

Site: ICT Essentials for Teachers
Course: 03: Responsible use of ICT in schools
Book: Digital Citizenship Framework and Competencies
Printed by: Guest user
Date: Thursday, 21 November 2024, 2:39 PM

Table of contents

1. Digital Citizenship Frameworks



In recent years digital and online approaches have increasingly been incorporated into our teaching and learning practices. This trend accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic when educators were forced to adopt Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) strategies. An ever greater role for educational technology has elicited much debate as to what IS responsible and ethical behaviour for educators and students when studying with technology, and particularly online.

Numerous digital citizenship frameworks have been proposed. In 2017, UNESCO synthesized a number of these frameworks into a 'refined' framework that identified five main areas of concern. Areas where ideally both educators and students needed be capacitated to operate safely and with respect to others. These areas included,

See the full report at UNESCO Bangkok. (2017). Conference on Digital Citizenship Education in Asia-Pacific Outcome Document. Available online here

2. Digital Citizenship Competencies



One particular framework, called the DQ (Digital Intelligence) Framework, created by the DQ Institute, identifies eight digital citizenship competencies, or skill sets, that educators and students should strive for. The framework calls on you to become proficient yourself, and both model and teach your students, to have the following competencies:


In the DQ Framework there are three levels of competencies, Digital Citizenship (the ability to use digital technology and media in safe, responsible, and ethical ways), Digital Creativity (The ability to create and use new knowledge, technologies, and content to turn ideas into reality) and Digital Competitiveness (the ability to solve global challenges, to innovate and to create new opportunities in the digital economy). We will investigate the first level as it is ideal for our role as educators and aligned to the needs of our students.

See the full competency framework at DQ Institute. (2020). What is the DQ Framework? Available online here

2.1. Digital Identity




Consider the knowledge, skills and values associated with 'Digital Identify' at the Digital Citizenship level of the DQ Framework.

  • Do you have these skills?
  • Can you think of a way to impart 'digital identify' to your students? 

2.2. Digital Use




Consider the knowledge, skills and values associated with 'Digital Use' at the Digital Citizenship level of the DQ Framework. 

  • Do you have these skills?
  • Can you think of a way to impart a 'balanced use of technology' to your students? 



2.3. Digital Safety


Consider the knowledge, skills and values associated with 'Digital Safety' at the Digital Citizenship level of the DQ Framework. 

  • Do you have these skills?
  • Can you think of a way to impart 'cyber-risk management' to your students? 


2.4. Digital Security




Consider the knowledge, skills and values associated with 'Digital Security' at the Digital Citizenship level of the DQ Framework. 

  • Do you have these skills?
  • Can you think of a way to impart 'cyber-security management' to your students? 

2.5. Digital Emotional Intelligence




Consider the knowledge, skills and values associated with 'Digital Emotional Intelligence' at the Digital Citizenship level of the DQ Framework. 

  • Do you have these skills?
  • Can you think of a way to impart 'digital empathy' to your students? 

2.6. Digital Communication




Consider the knowledge, skills and values associated with 'Digital Communication' at the Digital Citizenship level of the DQ Framework. 

  • Do you have these skills?
  • Can you think of a way to impart 'digital footprint management' to your students? 

2.7. Digital Literacy




Consider the knowledge, skills and values associated with 'Digital Literacy' at the Digital Citizenship level of the DQ Framework. 

  • Do you have these skills?
  • Can you think of a way to impart 'media and information literacy' to your students? 

2.8. Digital Rights




Consider the knowledge, skills and values associated with 'Digital Rights' at the Digital Citizenship level of the DQ Framework. 

  • Do you have these skills?
  • Can you think of a way to impart 'privacy management' to your students? 

3. Other Frameworks


It's worth having a quick look at some of the other frameworks. The overlap is significant but each does have its own emphasis:

  1. Common sense education. (2020). Everything you need to teach Digital Citizenship. Available online here
  2. European Commission. (2019). Digital Competence Framework 2.0. Available online here
  3. ISTE. (2020). ISTE Standards for Students: Digital Citizen. Available online here.

4. Lesson ideas





Digital citizenship has many components, educators and students would need to study a full curriculum! However, it is possible to start student training straight away. Consider the following simple lesson ideas:

  • Digital Technology Hub. (2020). When I post something online how permanent is it? Available online here (CC BY).
  • Code. (nd). Digital Citizenship. Available online here (CC BY-NC-SA).
  • DQ World. (nd). Become a digital leader with 8 digital skills. Available online here (Free to use)

5. Conclusion


Do you feel up to the task of providing your students with skills, knowledge and values to be responsible and safe when studying online? To provide you with some additional knowledge and skills we will revisit 'digital safety' in unit 11.