We hold these truths to be self-evident...

We are still in the middle of a long running major societal trauma. Technology (i.e. social media) has so enamored us as well as overwhelmed us. A lot of our society is still deciding how we feel about it. We are still processing all of this ‘information’. Some of us have decided to avoid it as much as possible only using it when there is no other option. Others have completely embraced technology and use the newest gadgets at will while a good amount of us are still on the fence cautiously optimistic about technology of any form; just waiting for the dust to settle so we can sort out what items have stood the test of time and can be trusted (Lenhart 2015). 

Technology like anything has its pros and cons. I personally believe that the pros far outweigh the

cons, but both must be examined constantly because this is a fast evolving area. It is a lot like parenting. The minute you get comfortable with how things work with your child there is a shift and new variables are added. So it calls for us to do a lot of what the Ribble text (2015) asks, which is to think in terms of categories and principles and let those principles guide us. As Americans that is the foundation of our country. So teaching digital citizenship is really an opportunity to look at our country's history and reflect on those principles in today's context. As we declared our independence almost 250 years ago our founders made it a point to mention....

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." (US 1776)

If that is true then we all need access to today's digital world. With the majority of our society interacting in an online environment socially, professionally, and financially, we need to make sure that we do not have any citizens feeling like a fraction of that. We must work harder to provide equity. And when we consider the right to the pursuit of happiness that brings up an important topic of teaching Digital Citizenship with a mindset of empathy and kindness. The concept of the pursuit of happiness was based off of the British philosopher John Locke who in his Second Treatise on Government (1689) discusses that pursuit and his intention was to discuss that you have the right to pursue happiness so long as it does not impinge upon anyone else's pursuit of happiness. Thus when we think about digital communication (cyberbullying, scamming, trolling or ghosting), we need to use those same principles to guide us. We need to think before we post and just because that impulsive tweet may make us feel a sensation of joy with each like or laugh; if it will affect another person's right to happiness then it is in violation of what we should be doing to one another. If we attack digital citizenship education with those guiding principles and we all can agree to start with the same foundation as the history of our original citizenship then we can move forward in harmony; together. By making this an interdisciplinary concern we can involve the whole school community. All stakeholders have a role. We must model the society we want to see online or otherwise. We must value honesty, tolerance and transparency.