storying ​digital spaces:

Digital Citizenship and Literacies in Education

A final project for EC&I ​832 Digital Citizenship & ​Media Literacies

the truth about stories is...

“The truth about stories is that that’s all we are.” (King, 2010, p. 2)

Human life and existence is made up of stories-- the stories we ​tell, the stories that are told about us, the stories we hear, and the ​stories that are so embedded within our very existence that their ​origins are unclear. In this digital age, this notion of story and ​storytelling being at the heart of who and what humans are has ​taken on a new and exciting turn-- we are now curating our ​stories across media, platforms, and spaces.

In an educational context, how do we become more ​responsive to the changing landscapes of media and digital ​access? In what ways do traditional and non-traditional ​literacy skills intersect and overlap within the context of our ​current educational systems? How do educators go about ​supporting students as they curate and write the stories of ​who they are across digital and non-digital spaces?

If Thomas King (2010) is correct, and I believe that he is, that ​stories are all that we are-- then, we need to be able to ​effectively support and teach our students to become critical ​consumers of the stories told across all media platforms and ​to be able to develop the skills needed to be engaged citizens ​in all spaces that they occupy-- we need to support them in ​writing their own stories and in reading the world (digital and ​otherwise).

This website represents a culmination of learning and has ​been created as a digital space to gather resources, reflect on ​personal pedagogical practices and instruction in the digital ​age, and to house an English Language Arts unit that centers ​digital worldbuilding and storytelling (and perhaps, more units ​in the future).

Main Pages

Carving Out Digital Space: ​Reflection on the Development of ​a Final Project

I am on a learning journey, on a path to better understand my own ​positionality as an educator and learner, and to uncover and challenge ​the normative systems that have, for generations, been the ​foundations to our educational systems. This final project for EC&I ​832 Digital Citizenship and Media Literacies, is a consolidation of ​learning– a merging of concepts, ideas, and themes that have framed ​out my development and growth as an educator and learner over the ​course of this semester and semesters past.

As a high school teacher, each of the students that populate my ​classes are citizens of non-digital and digital spaces, they move nearly ​seamlessly across the borders of these two spaces in efforts to create ​and tell the stories of their lives– they are curating their identities ​across media, technologies, and space. At first glance our youth seem ​to possess the digital skills and knowledge needed to effectively and ​critically engage in the digital spaces that they immerse themselves in; ​however, the reality and research suggests that this is far from reality ​and that explicit learning, supports, and curriculum are needed to ​ensure that our students grow and develop into critically engaged ​citizens in the digital and non-digital spaces they occupy.

While my students have certainly grown up in an era of rapidly ​advancing digital technologies, where they are forming and shaping ​their lives across digital and non-digital spaces, I did not and have, ​historically speaking, engaged with digital technologies somewhat ​apprehensively. Because of my own relationships to digital ​technologies and spaces, I have not been effectively preparing and ​supporting my students in their development as digital citizens. With ​this realization, along with the solidification of the learning I have been ​doing throughout my post-graduate studies has led me to the ​creation and development of this website and more specifically the ​unit detailed here.

I am carving out (digital) space for the meaningful incorporation of ​digital citizenship competencies and media literacies; a space for the ​intentional development of pedagogy and instructional practices that ​are adaptive and responsive to the changing landscapes of ​education– where digitally incorporative pedagogies meet anti-​oppressive and decolonizing pedagogical frameworks.

Theory and RAtionale

This project has its footing in two broad pedagogical frameworks: anti-​oppressive education with underpinnings of Critical Race Theory (CRT), and ​digital citizenship education with a focus on media literacies.

In the last decade (or more), there have been distinct shifts in the ways that ​people consume and engage with digital media and story themselves across ​digital and non-digital spaces. In this ever shifting and evolving landscape of ​(mis)information, rapidly improving AI technologies, and the disintegration of ​the boundaries between digital and non-digital spaces and identities, ​educators, scholars, and media critics have raised concerns over the ways that ​digital media is (re)shaping and informing our current political and social ​landscapes and have called for the teaching of digital, anti-oppressive literacies ​at all levels of education. In this digitally integrated social world, it is of critical ​importance that we turn our attention to the ways that digital citizenship ​education and anti-oppressive pedagogy might intersect to ensure that our ​youth are developing the skills needed to navigate the complexities and ​nuances of their digital and non-digital worlds.

Anti-Oppressive Education and CRT Pedagogy- Story as Disrupter

Anti-oppressive education, informed by CRT education, is the curricular and ​pedagogical work that is undertaken in classroom and educational institutions ​in order to eliminate systems of oppression that are embedded within our ​social and educational systems (Solorzano & Yosso, 2001, p. 473). ​Pedagogically, CRT and anti-oppressive education frequently employ methods ​of storytelling, family histories, and narratives as critical tools through which ​stories of voices frequently silenced are heard and as a means to disrupt and ​challenge dominant discourses or the “majoritarian story” (Solorazano & Yosso, ​2001, p. 475; Delgado, 1989, pp. 2412-2413). Through the work of storytelling ​and storying, “counter-realities” are imagined–this is the process of ​(re)imagining our lived spaces without oppressions and of interrogating the ​systems that are embedded across media and planes of existence (Delgado, ​1989, pp. 2412, 2415).

Taking into account the critical and central role that stories and storytelling ​have in CRT and anti-oppressive education, King’s (2010) assertion that “[t]he ​truth about stories is that that’s all we are” becomes all the more relevant as it ​argues that fundamentally humans construct and imagine their social worlds ​through story and language– thus, giving all forms of storytelling and stories a ​primacy in our identity formation and curation of self in all forms of media and ​existence. bell hooks’s (2015) work highlights the power and possibility that ​story, language, and voice have within our contemporary societies, arguing that ​“true speaking is not solely an expression of creative power; it is an act of ​resistance, a political gesture that challenges politics of domination… it is a ​courageous act– as such it represents a threat” (p.8). Story and storying are ​actions that can function to dismantle and challenge systems of oppression ​and to provide counter-points to the onslaught of media we encounter across ​all digital and non-digital spaces humans occupy. In recent years, digital spaces ​and platforms, such as X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, ​TikTok, and Snapchat have all functioned to change the landscape of ​storytelling and how identity stories are being curated; however, what has ​remained is the power that stories hold in (re)shaping and (in)forming our ​identities and as functional means through which systems of oppression are ​disrupted and challenged.

(Radical) Digital Citizenship and Media Literacy– Pedagogies for Today ​and the Future

As accessibility to digital and social media platforms has increased, our social ​networks, lived experiences, and development of sense of self has ​progressively begun to transgress the divides between non-digital and digital ​spaces. This extension of human experiences has been described through ​multiple lenses and perspectives including the notion of transhumanism and ​the “one life” model (Gui, 2015; Ohler, 2011). Both of these perspectives suggest ​that humans no longer function in a singular plane of existence, but that digital ​spaces and the identities we curate are extensions of our lived realities (Gui, ​2015; Ohler, 2011, p. 26). When we begin to view digital spaces and identities as ​extensions of those lived in the non-digital world, then our educational ​imperative to support our students in developing the literacies needed to ​critically engage with the media they consume and create becomes all the ​more critical.

Set against the backdrop of a changing technological landscape, educational ​pedagogy and practice need to adapt to the idea that spaces for learning and ​identity formation are no longer fixed, but instead are disturbed between ​analogue and digital media and domains (Cannon, 2018, p. 7,8). It is in this ​dispersion of identity and self, that Ribble’s (2023) 9 Elements of Digital ​Citizenship ought to be intentionally applied through the teaching of digital ​literacies. Emejule and McGregor (2016) argue that within the widely accepted ​understanding of digital citizenship lie problematic elements that fail to address ​social inequities and oppressions (p. 131). In place of digital citizenship, Emejule ​and McGregor (2016) propose the concept of “radical digital citizenship”; ​suggesting that this would function as “praxis through which individual and ​groups: (1) critically analyse the social, political, economic, and environmental ​consequences of technologies in everyday life; (2) collectively deliberate and ​take action to build alternative and emancipatory technologies and ​technological practices” (p. 131). This conceptualization of “radical digital ​citizenship,” argues that digital technologies may well function as the spaces ​through which the work put forth by anti-oppressive and CRT scholars might ​come to fruition. With adequate education around digital literacies and digital ​citizenship competencies we might begin to critically read our social stories ​and to engage in the emancipatory process of storying a future without ​restraint.

Digital Citizenship, ​Collaborative Worldbuilding,

and Storytelling Unit

“The truth about stories is that that’s all we are.” (King, 2010, p. 2)

Stories are at the heart of who we are as individuals and how we ​communicate across digital and non-digital spaces– throughout the ​duration of our lives we will story ourselves numerous times over. ​Storytelling has also become a critical and embedded part of anti-​oppressive frameworks and as an integral part of how we curate our ​identities in the digital landscape. This unit is a product of this thinking, ​focusing on supporting students in developing the critical (digital) ​literacy skills needed to engage in anti-oppressive thinking and to ​imagine new possibilities for the future.

Digital Citizenship & Literacy ​Resources

What follows is a growing list of resources for teaching digital citizenship and literacy across multiple grade ​levels and courses. Some of the resources include detailed lesson plans, while others are more focused on ​educator professional development. In order to avoid redundancy, be aware that some of the resources listed ​here also include links and access points to additional educational technology resources.

• EdTech Endeavors: Developed by educator and student Amanda Brace, this podcast explores issues of ​digital citizenship and literacy. The linked episode features a conversation with Mike Ribble, covering the ​topics of digital citizenship and literacy. Very informative!
  
• Digital Citizenship: A website developed by Mike Ribble (2023) that provides an in-depth framework and ​discussion of the 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship. This is a valuable resource for educators looking to better ​understand the competencies of digital citizenship and seeking out resources to support classroom ​pedagogy and professional development.
  
• BrainPop Educators: An educational resource site that features lesson plans and professional learning ​opportunities. This website is primarily focused for elementary and middle years learners and educators.
  
• Nearpod blog: Website includes discussions around digital citizenship in education, coupled with lesson ​plans for K-12 classrooms. The range of lessons and discussion points includes coding lessons, social-​emotional learning in digital spaces, and media literacy lessons. Well worth a look for educators trying to find ​additional resources or inspiration on how to approach some of these topics.
  
• Common sense education: With the assumption that “all students need digital citizenship skills to participate ​fully in their communities,” (common sense education, 2023), this website includes lesson planning ​resources, recommended educational technologies and applications, and opportunities for professional ​development.
  
• Project Zero: Developed through the Harvard Graduate School of Education, this resource includes powerful ​tools for educators wanting to implement digital citizenship and literacies into their classes. Resources are ​framed as “toolkits” with specific topics outlined, such as the “Digital Civics Toolkit.”
  
• CTRL-F: Designed by CIVIX, this Canadian resource is specifically designed as a new way to teach digital ​media literacy and source evaluation. The resource is designed around learning and developing lateral ​reading strategies, so that students are better able to evaluate the resources and materials they encounter ​in this digital world. This resource is great and easily utilized in a middle years or high school classroom. ​Definitely check it out!
  
• ISTE: This website discusses a range of topics from AI in education to Digital Citizenship and STEAM in the ​classroom. This website is an excellent resource for educators wanting to learn more about the ​development of issues around educational technology and the development of pedagogical practices that ​effectively incorporate digital technologies and competencies into the classroom. A starting point might be ​the blog posts which provide insights into a range of topics and themes.
  
• Edutopia: Linked here is an article by Borovoy (2015) titled “Digital Citizenship: Resource Roundup,” which ​provides a great starting point for resources educators might use to boost their knowledge and amp-up ​some of their classroom learning around digital citizenship and literacies. The rest of the website provides ​articles and resources on a range of topics and would be worth taking some time to explore more deeply.
  
• PBS Learning Media: Website includes multiple resources for teaching “technological literacy” at many ​different grade levels. Easy to incorporate and use resources for the classroom dealing with topics such as ​“Can You Trust Influencers on YouTube” and “The Ups and Downs of Social Media: Evaluating Mental Health ​Effects on Teens.”
  
• Curio: Run through CBC, this website has an extensive archive of diverse media resources on a range of ​topics and themes. Sign-in is required with a school division email. Searches for digital citizenship and digital ​literacies bring out an extensive list of video clips and news reports that are appropriate for a wide age ​range. Some also include lesson plans and assignment sheets.
  
• Cult of Pedagogy Podcast: In this podcast episode, “Lessons that Build Students’ Media and News Literacy,” ​discusses some approaches to building students’ media and news literacy through a discussion with Kelly ​Mendoza, the VP of Education Programs for Common Sense. One interesting podcast episode in a podcast ​that engages with a range of up to date and important topics in education today.
  
• The Mind Online Podcast: In the linked episode of The Mind Online Podcast, the importance of digital ​literacies for digital citizenship is discussed through conversations with experts in the field. Each episode is ​informative and interesting. Definitely take a listen!
  
• Media Smarts: Canada’s Centre for Digital Media Literacy: A Canadian organization that provides a range of ​resources and tools for educators and parents alike on digital literacies and digital citizenship. As a resource ​there is information specifically designed to educate adults on digital literacy along with lessons to use in a ​range of grade levels in order to explicitly teach media literacies and digital citizenship competencies.
  
• Teaching in Higher ED: A podcast that explores what it means to be an effective educator in today’s ​educational systems and climate. Episodes range in topics but include digital literacies. Focus for the ​podcast is on post-secondary education; however, some information is definitely relevant for secondary ​educators.
  
• Jordan Klepper Fingers the Conspiracy: Fake news and conspiracy theories are huge concerns in today’s ​digital media landscape. This limited podcast is an extension of the work that Jordan Klepper does with The ​Daily Show, taking a deep dive into some conspiracy theories that have become widely accepted in certain ​circles across North America and the world. With a lot of sarcasm Klepper debunks many of these theories ​and discusses why they have become so widely accepted. (Note: while this is not a podcast dealing with ​educational topics, it is an interesting take on the digital world we all engage with.)
  
• LCT One-to-One with Brian & Matt: This podcast focuses entirely on Ed tech, through discussions and ​interviews the podcast outlines current issues and advancements in relation to education and technological ​field. Check out the episode on Digital Citizenship, it includes an interview with Mike Ribble.
  

An extra serving of podcast recommendations that deal with anti-oppressive theory and pedagogical ​approaches. Though not specifically related to digital citizenship and literacies, digital spaces and digital ​citizenship education are spaces where anti-oppressive theory and pedagogy might take hold and have real-​world applications for our students today.

• Teaching While White: A podcast dedicated to the intentional incorporation of anti-racist pedagogy and ​practices into classrooms. Each episode provides information about educational theory, perspectives, and ​pedagogy as they relate to addressing systems of oppression within our educational systems and ​curriculum. Highly recommend it.
  
• Queer America: A call for the incorporation and explicit teaching LGBTQ(IA) history into contemporary ​curriculum. A call to action and bringing about awareness of the ways that marginalized voices, LGBTQIA ​voices in particular, are silenced and forgotten in the telling of history.
  
• Queer Ed: A Saskatchewan based podcast that talks about 2SLGBTQ+ books for the classroom and ​approaches for integrating them. They are currently onto season two and well worth a listen! (Available ​through Spotify)
  
• Teaching Hard History:
  
• Telling Our Twisted Histories: A podcast that explores language and its power in shaping our worlds. ​Through discussion and a deep dive into a singular word the podcast aims at decolonizing language and ​telling Indigenous stories of specific words.
  

Fookn Conversation- Talking About “Academicky” Stuff: Episodic conversations with academics who bring a ​range of backgrounds and experiences. Lots of familiar names from the academic world appear throughout.

References

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