What is Digital Citizenship?
Digital citizenship refers to the skills and knowledge a person needs to effectively use digital technologies in a positive way.
Our objective
The Digital Citizenship website provides practical advice to students, teachers and parents on safe and ethical online behaviour.
Become empowered
Our goal is to empower school communities with practical advice, based on current research. We guide you in making informed decisions about how children and young people can engage and conduct themselves online.
We've made a conscious effort to move away from a fear-based approach, to focus on a more positively framed strategy. NSW public schools teach students to be responsible digital citizens as they explore the possibilities of the digital world.
We're empowering NSW students, teachers and parents with the skills and knowledge to minimise the risks and maximise the opportunities of our digital future by:
- supporting teachers to model best practice and actively teach the skills to be a good digital citizen
- providing advice and guidance to parents and carers on how to best support and care for their children when online
- encouraging students to be safe and responsible when online and to be positive contributors to a digital society.
Digital access and equity
Digital access isn't always equally distributed. If you need internet access or a computer for schoolwork, all libraries in NSW offer free internet access to members, and library membership is free for all NSW residents.
If you're under 16 you'll need a parent or guardian to go with you to sign up. If you need to print something out, you may be asked to cover the cost of printing.
Go to the State Library of NSW to find a public library. Or call the NSW Office of Local Government on +61 2 4428 4100 to find your local library.
Planning for limited access
If you're a teacher planning a unit of work or assessment task that requires internet access, you might want to consider providing alternative ways for students to access online content. People with limited internet access may be unable to watch long videos or download large files.
Some possible alternatives include:
- providing printed copies of any digital worksheets
- hosting videos or other large files on the school’s network
- designing the task or unit of work so that it can be completed without internet access.
The number of households with access to the internet is rising, but access to reliable internet isn't available for all students in all places. It's important to ensure that all students have access to the same educational opportunities to promote equity.
Our content partners
We've partnered with experts in the field and we'd like to acknowledge their collaboration in sharing their insights and research.
They include:
Contact us.
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