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    Digital citizenship through language education
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    Digital citizenship

Digital citizenship through language education

Introduction
Digital
citizenship
Didactical
approach
Digital tasks
This page will be available in English soon. Please refer to the pages in French for now.
The English text on this page has been generated using a translation programme and will soon be replaced by the final version.

Digital citizenship

What is digital citizenship? This is an essential question when you want to help train citizens who are users of languages and digital technology. Knowing what constitutes digital citizenship means knowing what you can work on with trainees.

Defining digital citizenship

The definition of digital citizenship is based on a meta-analysis of 96 texts published between 2016 and 2020. These texts, published by specialists and national and international organisations, including the Council of Europe, were chosen because they define digital citizenship or refer to its various components. The result is a portrait of citizens who are users of languages and digital technology.

What characterises people who use languages and digital technology?

They are social actors with plural identities (inter)acting online and offline in various communities. Their actions are largely determined by rights and responsibilities linked to their own values and those of their communities.

RECEPTION

Information, content, etc.

MEDIATION

relaying and commenting on information, for example

PRODUCTION AND INTERACTION

around content, practices, tools, ways of interacting, etc.

TRANSFORMATION

society, communities, practices, etc. and therefore rights, responsibilities and values

Portrait of language and digital technology users

It is not a model, nor is it a goal to be achieved. This portrait is the result of a structured compilation of elements that the team found in the publications studied. It should enable language education professionals to identify the aspects they can work on with their learners who wish to contribute to digital citizenship education.

To find out more about the concept of citizens as users of languages and digital technology, read the portrait drawn up by the project team. You can also consult:

  • the list of publications analysed available in pdf format or as an online shared Zotero library;
  • instructions for using the Zotero library;
  • a (more detailed) article published in a scientific journal written by four members of the team: [1]

Links with language teaching

Education for digital citizenship and language teaching are similar in that they aim to train social actors. Both consider that this social actor acts within plural communities ranging from the speech community (community formed by people directly involved in an act of communication) to global social groups. In a socio-interactional approach (cf. Ollivier & projet e-lang, 2018; Caws, Hamel, Janneau & Ollivier, 2021) in language teaching, as in education for digital citizenship, these communities play an essential role. It is believed that people's actions are largely determined by their interaction with and within these communities.

Civic action

The citizen, user of languages and digital technology, is a person (a subject) considered here as a... 

  • a social player with a plural identity involved in various communities;
  • whose actions are largely determined by rights and responsibilities linked to values;
  • (inter)acting with digital technology
    • in specific areas and
    • in specific ways,
    • based on personal attributes and
    • depending on the context / infrastructure available.
To be citizens, the actions of these people should be constant and regular, competent and effective, informed, safe, coherent, ethical, responsible and critical.

To be a citizen, a user of languages and digital technology, and to be able to act and demand in the field of languages and digital technology
  • knowledge;
  • skills (particularly cognitive and socio-emotional) and know-how (particularly technical);
  • awareness (in relation to the different dimensions that make up digital citizenship: for example, awareness of what constitutes safe (or unsafe) or ethical (or unsafe) action;
  • a (critical) understanding of information, uses, digital technology, etc.;
  • Attitudes or interpersonal skills, including the ability to commit.
For example, to act ethically and responsibly, you need to be aware of what ethical and responsible action is, and have a knowledge and critical understanding of your rights and responsibilities. You also need to have the know-how (technological, for example) and skills needed to exercise your rights and responsibilities, and to be prepared to make a personal commitment.