Teach Digital Citizenship Effectively Using Smore

In 2020, many of us found ourselves learning new skills, from mastering Zoom to finding the most comfortable face mask. As schools transitioned to online learning, teachers were also tasked with teaching an essential subject: Digital Citizenship.

Why Digital Citizenship Matters

Digital citizenship is crucial because it helps students develop responsibility, safety, and empathy while using technology to interact with the world. As we continue to navigate the digital landscape, one question educators often ask is: How do I teach Digital Citizenship in an engaging, relevant, and effective way?

For free, high-quality resources, check out Common Sense Education, which offers valuable Digital Citizenship materials for grades K-12.

How Educators Are Teaching Digital Citizenship with Smore

For 8th Grade Technology Applications teacher Chelsey Hawkins, using a Smore newsletter was the perfect way to teach Digital Citizenship remotely. Chelsey shared:

“Digital Citizenship covers so many aspects. I wanted to teach students how to stay safe at home while also discussing the importance of being responsible with devices at school.”

In her newsletter, Chelsey embedded resources for students to explore, including how to be good digital citizens, links to assignments, and homework submission—all in one easy-to-access platform.

She uses Smore’s interactive features like pictures, videos, buttons, and links to make her lessons engaging and fun, which keeps students interested and learning.nicate to parents.” This is important because parents are a big part of helping students to navigate the internet safely.

Smore Makes Digital Citizenship Accessible

Smore also solves a key problem for Mrs. Hawkins:

“The ease of having a shareable link makes it the best tool because it works across ALL platforms. I can share the link in Google Classroom or even through our ParentSquare app to communicate with parents.”

Including parents in the conversation is vital because they play an important role in helping students navigate the internet safely.

So, get creative and start crafting your own Digital Citizenship newsletter with Smore! As Mrs. Hawkins wisely says,

“We need to teach kids how to navigate their digital world.”