Digital Citizenship

Poughkeepsie Day School was awarded a $50,000 matching grant from the E. E. Ford Foundation of Portland, Maine to develop a Digital Citizenship Project: a mission driven approach to teaching, learning and ethical conduct in the digital era.

As our world and the way we do things continue to be transformed by technology, understanding the ramifications of the digital age on learning is imperative. Students need to learn how to become engaged, productive, safe and ethical citizens able to thrive in a digital world. The Digital Citizenship Project is a unique opportunity to take the school’s mission into the future.

Objectives of the Digital Citizenship Project include:

• Faculty Professional Development – to train teachers to integrate existing and emerging technologies into the changing culture of teaching and learning
• Safety – develop curriculums that teach students how to be safe on the internet, develop a positive digital footprint, manage their digital reputation and understand the social and ethical implications of the digital universe
• Digital Fluency – promoting an understanding of the implications and applications of the read-write web to ensure that students go beyond information navigation and critical thinking to become engaged, ethical participants and knowledge generators
• Collaboration – partner with local, regional and eventually national organizations to familiarize and train faculty and students to use digital media tools inside and outside the classroom