Educating in digital citizenship at school

Abstract

Within the Guidelines for the Teaching of Civic Education (Law 92/2019) it is possible to trace a new declination of the meaning of citizenship, the digital one, understood as the need for all citizens to acquire specific skills inherent to the broader concept of media literacy, in order to be able to face the complexity and challenges of a constantly changing society in which technologies play a key role. The term digital does not only concern the use of media, but also brings with it a whole series of theoretical concepts, from those that emphasize the technological aspect more to those that analyze what digital media can offer to implement new forms of citizenship. Therefore, the need to intervene from the earliest grades and grades of school emerges with well-structured actions aimed at the conscious digital education of pupils to prevent the situation from getting out of hand.
The school, therefore, is called to implement educational approaches that respond to an adequate use of digital technologies. In fact, teachers need to help their students to grasp the complexity of change, rather than marginalize some aspects as mere risks. Only in this way will it be possible to promote a full digital citizenship in which students take ownership of digital media, moving from passive consumers to critical consumers and responsible producers of content.