Digital Citizenship/Secondary/Defining Digital Citizenship

NetSafe provides the following definition for Digital Citizenship: "Drawing from the Key Competencies and Values in the NZ Curriculum and a growing body of research knowledge, NetSafe, in consultation with New Zealand teachers has produced this definition of a New Zealand Digital Citizen.

A digital citizen:
 * is a confident and capable user of ICT
 * uses technologies to participate in educational, cultural, and economic activities
 * uses and develops critical thinking skills in cyberspace
 * is literate in the language, symbols, and texts of digital technologies
 * is aware of ICT challenges and can manage them effectively
 * uses ICT to relate to others in positive, meaningful ways
 * demonstrates honesty and integrity and ethical behaviour in their use of ICT
 * respects the concepts of privacy and freedom of speech in a digital world
 * contributes and actively promotes the values of digital citizenship

Digital literacy or the ability to understand and fully participate in the digital world is fundamental to digital citizenship. It is the combination of technical and social skills that enable a person to be successful and safe in the information age. Like literacy and numeracy initiatives which provide people with the skills to participate in the work force, digital literacy has become an essential skill to be a confident, connected, and actively involved life long learner.