The EGUSD Board of Education recently passed Resolution No. 28 declaring October 17-23, 2021 as Digital Citizenship Week in the Elk Grove Unified School District. The California Department of Education also encourages schools to recognize Digital Citizenship Week and Common Sense Education celebrates #DigCitWeek with new activities each year.
Digital Citizenship Week is the perfect opportunity for schools and families to reflect on how they can work together and prepare our students to think critically, be kind and respectful to others online, and to use their technology/devices and social media in positive, creative and powerful ways.
“Media and technology are central to how young people learn, socialize, and participate in the world. This makes it all the more important to consider how our student’s digital lives can impact their social and emotional well-being.” – Common Sense Education
All of our EGUSD Digital Citizenship Site Coordinators have been busy submitting their site Digital Citizenship Implementation Plans for the 2021- 22 school year and we are encouraged to see that there has been a shift over last year’s plans, with some new submissions now including Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Social and Cultural Literacy components. Common Sense Education recognized the need to connect both topics to Digital Citizenship and took action by creating and linking to some incredible resources that we have shared with our EGUSD teachers and administrators.
“Teaching and learning happen within cultural, political, and social circumstances. As much as we want to deny it, we all have biases based on our life experiences. Each of us – teachers and students alike – enter classrooms from different perspectives and points of view. We must learn to negotiate those differences to better understand each other and our worlds, and to advocate for a better, more equitable future.” – Common Sense Education
We invite you to explore these Common Sense Education resources in hopes that they might inspire you to teach or learn something “new to you” during Digital Citizenship Week or throughout the school year.
- Social and Cultural Literacy Resources for Classrooms
- SEL in Digital Life Resource Center
- Digital Citizenship Resources for Family Engagement
- 2021-22 Digital Citizenship Week Activities
EGUSD Educators – please visit our EGUSD Digital Citizenship Curriculum Google Site* for customized grade level Digital Citizenship Week activities included in the Digital Citizenship Week section of the homepage. *Note: Access to the EGUSD Digital Citizenship Curriculum Google Site is limited to EGUSD staff only. You must use your district Google account to login.
On top of Digital Citizenship Week, October is also National Bullying Prevention and Character Education Month. EGUSD supports the rights of students and staff to attend schools that are safe and free from violence, harassment, bullying and discrimination.
Families can talk with their children about their school and digital life and the many roles children can play in bullying/cyberbullying. By asking open-ended questions, they can engage their children in conversation about their experience and communicate expectations about appropriate behavior – in person and in their digital world.
Source: StopBullying.gov
EGUSD and the California Department of Education (CDE) also have many bullying/cyberbullying prevention and character education resources available online. We welcome you to check them out.
- Bullying/Cyberbullying Prevention
- EGUSD Digital Citizenship Website – Cyberbullying
- Character Education (CDE)
Additionally, you can follow @CommonSenseEd, #DigCit and #DigCitWeek on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to participate in all Digital Citizenship Week chat through social media.
We would love to showcase #DigCitWeek activities happening at our schools. From lessons, to video creation, to guest speakers, please keep us in the loop with whatever you are planning.
