I recently came across this graphic posted on TeachThought which comes from the minds of Sylvia Duckworth and Jennifer Casa-Todd (blog). The graphic highlights the distinction between two concepts:
Digital Citizenship:
Being a good neighbor and responsible ethical partner on the internet
and
Digital Leadership:
Using the internet and social media tools to influence change and improve society
Both concepts represent important sets of educational outcomes for college students and are the two topics I’m most frequently asked to speak on to students. They also represent important sites for continuous learning for college student educators as well. Do you feel like you have a handle on the two concepts? Do you think you could teach them?
I would argue that, in general, higher education is doing a decent job of educating for digital citizenship. Although there is still work to be done, there seems to be general consensus and understanding around these issues (or at least that they are important enough to warrant educational focus). Where higher education can do better is in broader education around digital leadership. Some academic majors–such as communications and business–are already doing some great work in this area, but this work needs to be expanded across disciplines and be infused in the general educational environment of the university as a whole. Digital leadership is becoming a critical competency for everyone, regardless of where their career paths may take them.
What do you do to educate for digital citizenship? How about digital leadership?
Pb 