Digital Citizenship in Action: Empowering Students to Engage in Online Communities

Very few educators, teachers and school principals still think that there is no need for digital citizenship to be part of the school curriculum. But many of them find all kinds of excuses not to implement it. The most widely cited excuse is that they do not know how to do it.“Digital Citizenship in Action: Empowering Students to Engage in Online Communities” by Kristen Mattson is a comprehensive road map that leaves no excuse for schools not to go all the way into digital citizenship education.It is not a light reading. It is long, detailed and demands action. Aren’t our children worth the effort? Go for it. Read it, implement it and thank Kristen Mattson for her invaluable contribution.Nizar Nakfoor

This book is a must read for educators, especially for for those whose curriculum include any aspect of digital literacy. Mattson encourages and "empowers" students to be positive and active participants in their online communities. She discusses and gives examples for modeling discussions and how to express differing opinions. I can't wait to start implementing some of her ideas and sharing ideas with fellow teachers!

This book was required reading for a course in digital citizenship, however I'd recommend it for any teacher looking for authentic ways to engage students in today's world. I have forwarded several ideas in the book to other teachers looking to incorporate online activities in their lesson plans.

Fantastic book for educators of grades 5 and up. Many practical lesson ideas and case studies of how reinvented digital citizenship approaches are working in other buildings too.

Great book for teaching students digital citizenship in a positive, meaningful way. Love the suggested activities! Highly recommended!

Excellent

After eagerly snatching this book at last week's #ISTE18 conference, I just finished Digital Citizenship in Action by Dr. Kristen Mattson, and am so motivated!!Dr. Mattson refreshingly frames her approach to digital citizenship around a very positive, student-centered narrative that aligns with the positive vision my school's digital democracy team, Viking Network, initiated last year! Each succinct chapter first offers summary of a current, more traditional approach to digital citizenship followed by Kristen's offering of a more participatory approach that extends the definition of digital citizenship from a set of conduct rules to follow to empowering skills that guide students to actively contribute to their digital communities. I believe approaching digital citizenship this way is crucial in today's society to help our students grow to become responsible community members who give back to their communities while working toward social justice and equity. Furthermore, practicing these skills online will undoubtedly spill over into their real lives (RL . . . as Kristen pens).In each chapter, Kristen includes suggested activities, that would work integrated within any content area or digital citizenship curriculum, along with "spotlight" stories of students, teachers and school leaders who've successfully implemented innovative ideas that embrace participatory citizenship. I love reading the amazing success stories for inspiration . . . some names and stories of which I recognize from my Twitter PLN!! My favorite part of the chapters, though, may be Kristen's "You Can Do It!" where she ends with encouragement and quick, attainable methods to put our own ideas into action.My head is spinning with implementation ideas that I can't wait to share with my colleagues and team! There are practical applications for students, teachers and school leaders alike - within individual classrooms and whole schools. Digital Citizenship in Action is a must for every professional development library. It will help arm students with one of the most necessary college and career ready skills  - to become clearly communicative, responsible, active ,members of the society they are about to enter and positively impact!

This is one of the best books that I have read on Digital Citizenship. I participated in a three week chat with the author through ISTE. As a I read the book, Dr. Mattson hit on important points that are often neglected in Digital Citizenship curriculum. Too often, these curricula send the message about what not to do and involve a lengthy list of "don't do this" or "don't do that." While it is important that we teach our students how to be safe and smart online, we often neglect the importance of being a productive digital citizens. Dr. Mattson focuses on straight forward ways coupled with vignettes from actual educators that helped to change my current thinking of Digital Citizenship. She provides some easy to implement strategies and tips for any educator to teach and model effective digital citizenship. The book reads in a straight forward manner and her message is one that all educators should hear. I highly encourage all educators to check out this valuable resource.