Module 5.1 Topic Summary: From Digital Citizen to Digital Leader
Broadening the Concept of Digital Citizenship
Module 5.1 explores the transition from being a responsible digital citizen to becoming a digital leader. While digital citizenship entails using the internet and social media responsibly and ethically, digital leadership goes a step further. It involves using technology to positively influence others, enhance well-being, and drive constructive social change. The shift is rooted in action-oriented learning, where learners apply their digital knowledge beyond personal use to actively impact their communities.
The module underscores the need to move beyond static lessons on responsible online behaviour to empower learners to take ownership of their digital engagement. Through creating, documenting, and sharing multimedia projects, learners become active participants in shaping digital spaces. A key message is that digital citizenship is not just about learning to behave well online but about taking informed, ethical action to support and inspire others.
Digital Citizenship vs. Digital Leadership
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Digital Citizenship: Involves using digital tools and platforms responsibly and ethically.
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Digital Leadership: Focuses on using these tools to inspire positive change, support others, and make meaningful contributions to digital communities.
This distinction is illustrated in a TeachThought post, which encourages educators to facilitate this evolution in students by providing opportunities for voice, choice, creativity, and connection.
Facilitating Digital Leadership
Educators play a critical role in helping students develop their digital identities and step into leadership roles. Suggested strategies include:
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Embedding digital action projects in the curriculum.
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Supporting students to build positive online identities.
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Encouraging students to use their platforms for advocacy and community-building.
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Helping students share their learning publicly through blogs, social media, and collaborative projects.
Multimedia Resources
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A conversation between George Couros and Jennifer Casa-Todd explores this shift from digital citizen to leader.
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Common Sense Media UK offers tools and lesson plans for teachers to support this transition.
Article Summaries
Casa-Todd, J. (2018). Reflections on digital citizenship
This article showcases examples of how students can become digital leaders by engaging in purposeful, positive online actions. Casa-Todd highlights initiatives where students use social media to amplify kindness, raise awareness, and support peers. These students demonstrate that youth voices can inspire change when guided with intention and opportunity. The article underscores the idea that digital leadership must be modelled, supported, and cultivated within schools, and teacher librarians are well-placed to lead this work through inquiry-based, collaborative, and media-rich projects.
Citation: Casa-Todd, J. (2018). Reflections on digital citizenship. Teacher Librarian: The Journal for School Library Professionals, 45(3), 15–17.
Polizzi, G., & Harrison, T. (2022). Wisdom in the digital age: A conceptual and practical framework for understanding and cultivating cyber-wisdom
This article introduces the concept of cyber-wisdom, defined as the ability to act ethically, critically, and compassionately in digital spaces. Polizzi and Harrison argue that digital competence alone is insufficient in today’s world—what is needed is the ability to make morally sound decisions in complex digital contexts. The authors propose a four-dimensional framework: ethical awareness, self-reflection, perspective-taking, and action. They advocate for the explicit teaching of digital ethics in schools and suggest that cyber-wisdom should be central to digital citizenship and leadership education.
Citation: Polizzi, G., & Harrison, T. (2022). Wisdom in the digital age: A conceptual and practical framework for understanding and cultivating cyber-wisdom. Ethics and Information Technology, 24(1), 9–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-022-09640-3
5.2 Summary: The Digital Learning Environment
Taking a Leadership Role in Digital Learning Environments
This module explores the concept of digital leadership within the context of evolving digital learning environments (DLEs). A digital leader is not merely a user of digital tools but someone who understands how to curate, filter, present, and facilitate digital content for a diverse group of learners. Digital leadership requires:
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Confidence and competence in digital platforms
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Familiarity with social media for educational use
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Understanding and integration of 21st-century skills
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A commitment to modelling digital citizenship and ethical behaviour
Educators are encouraged to shift from passive content delivery to active digital facilitation, which includes creating inclusive, safe, and engaging online spaces for learning.
Auditing the Digital Learning Environment
Educators can use frameworks such as Lindsay and Davis’s Enlightened Digital Citizenship model (2011) to evaluate their teaching and the school’s digital culture. This model is designed to help teachers reflect on how technology influences behaviour across five interconnected levels:
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Technology (core skills and tools)
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Individual (identity, self-regulation)
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Social (relationships and online etiquette)
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Cultural (values, diversity)
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Global (connectedness and impact)
Each ray of the model addresses themes such as privacy, safety, respect, learning habits, and fluency. Teachers are encouraged to assess their own competence along these rays and identify areas for development, then apply this awareness to support students in becoming confident, informed digital participants.
Article Summary
Wine, L. D. (2016). School Librarians as Technology Leaders
In this article, Lois D. Wine examines the evolving role of school librarians as they adapt to 21st-century educational demands and emerging digital learning environments. She situates this evolution within a historical timeline of “radical change” in the profession and argues that today’s school librarians are uniquely positioned to take on technology leadership roles.
Wine notes that the school librarian’s role has shifted significantly from information keeper to instructional leader. Key moments in this evolution include:
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The introduction of audiovisual resources in the 1960s
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The rise of information literacy as a core skill
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The development of AASL standards integrating ICT and digital citizenship
She compares the role of school librarians to that of Instructional Technology Specialists (ITSs), acknowledging overlaps but advocating for collaborative partnerships rather than competition. Both roles have a shared responsibility to promote digital tools, lead professional development, and model ethical technology use, but librarians bring a pedagogical and cross-curricular perspective that makes them especially powerful advocates for digital learning.
Wine concludes by urging library professionals to embrace leadership through collaboration, strategic vision, and a willingness to evolve with technology.
APA 7 Citation:
Wine, L. D. (2016). School librarians as technology leaders: An evolution in practice. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 57(2), 207–220. https://doi.org/10.3138/jelis.57.2.207
Module 5.3: Digital Learning Environment (DLE) Design Considerations
This module focuses on embedding digital citizenship meaningfully into the design and practice of digital learning environments in schools. It introduces the importance of critical digital pedagogy and advocates for learner-centred, inclusive, and critically aware approaches to digital learning.
Critical Design Pedagogy:
Critical digital pedagogy involves fostering learner agency and empowerment by teaching students how to use digital tools while reflecting critically on their origins, implications, and impacts. This approach challenges the idea that educational technologies should merely deliver content. Instead, digital environments should facilitate dialogue and interaction among all participants, enabling co-construction of knowledge.
It also stresses the need to see digital citizenship beyond personal responsibility and technical competence. Rather, it should include broader considerations such as the social, economic, and political forces shaping the digital world. Schools must actively integrate digital citizenship into learning environments that reflect shared values, goals, and accountability.
Designing the DLE:
Schools must consider a wide range of elements when designing their DLEs:
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A shared digital vision statement to guide strategic development.
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Digital learner profiles that outline skill progressions, standards, and digital habits.
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Age-appropriate digital toolkits for assessment and productivity.
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Policies and procedures that support digital learning environments.
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Robust professional development programs that accommodate all stakeholders.
Designing effective DLEs also means understanding the different experiences of staff, students, and parents with digital tools. It is vital that infrastructure and IT support are considered, and that learning always drives the use of technology rather than being shaped by it.
The module also underscores the importance of digital citizenship education in helping students understand algorithmic influence, AI systems, personal data use, and online safety. This prepares students not only for digital learning but for active participation in society.
Article Summaries
Oddone, K. (2019). We create our future: Why we need to embrace critical digital pedagogy.
Oddone explores the need to shift away from protectionist models of digital citizenship that emphasise only personal responsibility and instead embrace critical digital pedagogy. She highlights how digital education should be justice-oriented and equip students to interrogate the social, economic, and political contexts of technology. Oddone asserts that educators play a vital role in shaping the future by encouraging critical, informed digital practices, placing digital literacy and citizenship within every classroom and community—not just the domain of ICT specialists.
Citation:
Oddone, K. (2019). We create our future: Why we need to embrace critical digital pedagogy. Linking Learning. https://www.linkinglearning.com.au/we-create-our-future-why-we-need-to-embrace-critical-digital-pedagogy/
Morris, S. M., & Stommel, J. (2018). Critical pedagogy: A definition.
This foundational chapter introduces critical pedagogy as an educational approach aimed at questioning power structures and encouraging learners to be reflective, active participants. In digital contexts, this means ensuring students are not passive consumers of content, but active co-creators who understand how digital tools influence their learning and social experiences. The authors assert that education must be dialogic and democratic, empowering learners to take control of their learning within open, networked environments.
Citation:
Morris, S. M., & Stommel, J. (2018). Critical pedagogy: A definition. In S. M. Morris & J. Stommel (Eds.), An urgency of teachers (Chapter 1). Hybrid Pedagogy Inc. https://pressbooks.pub/criticaldigitalpedagogy/chapter/chapter-1/
Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. (2018). Code of practice for consumer IoT security.
This UK government document outlines 13 guidelines aimed at improving the security of consumer Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Although not aimed specifically at education, it has important implications for school DLEs where such devices may be used. The code encourages manufacturers and institutions to ensure device passwords are unique, security patches are installed, and personal data is protected—vital considerations in schools where students’ digital identities are at stake.
Citation:
Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. (2018, October). Code of practice for consumer IoT security. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/971440/Code_of_Practice_for_Consumer_IoT_Security_October_2018_V2.pdf
Center for Countering Digital Hate. (2022). The STAR Framework: A model to teach critical digital literacy.
The STAR Framework (Stop, Think, Assess, Respond) equips learners with tools to critically assess digital information and environments. It helps students develop agency in filtering out hate, misinformation, and manipulative content online. This model fits well within a critical digital pedagogy framework, encouraging young people to take responsibility for their digital presence while also understanding broader systemic and social influences.
Citation:
Center for Countering Digital Hate. (2022, November). The STAR Framework: A model to teach critical digital literacy. https://counterhate.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/STAR-Framework_CCDH.pdf
Lindsay, J., & Davis, V. (2012). Flattening classrooms, engaging minds: Chapter 7 – Connect!.
This chapter highlights the importance of developing collaborative global projects and using digital tools to connect classrooms across the world. It discusses how students develop not only digital skills but cultural competencies and empathy through shared learning experiences. This idea of global collaborative learning aligns closely with critical digital pedagogy and emphasises inclusive, co-constructed learning environments.
Citation:
Lindsay, J., & Davis, V. (2012). Connect! In Flattening classrooms, engaging minds: Move to global collaboration one step at a time (Chapter 7). Pearson.