VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

Professional Services

Building Responsible Digital Citizens, One Bin at a Time

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Written by VSTE Professional Services member Allyson Hartung (@allysonehartung)

As an instructional technology coach, one of my goals is to help teachers integrate digital citizenship lessons into their everyday classroom routines. In today’s world, understanding online safety, privacy, and having responsible behavior online isn’t just helpful, it’s essential. So how do I keep digital citizenship alive all year long and not just during Digital Citizenship Week? Enter: Digital Citizenship Bins.

What Are Digital Citizenship Bins?

Digital Citizenship Bins are curated kits that contain all lesson materials, activities and visuals to teach students about responsible digital behavior with an added bonus of no planning or prep work for the teacher 😉. A lesson was designed to take no more than 30 minutes which makes it perfect for integrating into a social-emotional learning block. Each bin focuses on a key topic: such as digital footprint, privacy and safety, cyberbullying, or digital balance, and includes 5–6 interactive lessons tailored for grades K–2 and 3–6. These bins make digital citizenship tangible, engaging, and meaningful for students.

What’s Inside Each Bin:

  • Lesson Plan: A ready-to-use, scripted lesson plan with guiding questions and discussion prompts to support
    instruction.
  • Anchor Activities: Each bin includes a quick read-aloud paired with discussion prompts. For example, a Digital Balance Bin might feature Unplugged by Steve Antony, along with an activity sheet where students draw or write things they enjoy doing on screens on one side and off screens on the other.
  • Hands-On Experiences: Students engage in interactive games, role-playing scenarios, or sorting activities that help them practice safe and responsible online behaviors.
  • Visual Supports: Anchor charts, posters, or an illustrated guide to reinforce key concepts, helping students remember what it means to be safe, respectful, and responsible online.

Why I Love Using Digital Citizenship Bins:

  1. Student Engagement: The hands-on, interactive elements make learning about online safety fun and relatable. Students don’t just learn about it, they can experience it.
  2. Teacher Support: The boxes come with ready-to-use resources, lesson plans, and materials, making it quick and easy for educators to implement.
  3. Standards Alignment: All lessons align with ISTE Standards for Students, ensuring digital citizenship instruction meets key educational benchmarks.

Tips for Implementing Digital Citizenship Bins:

  • Focus on one topic at a time for better understanding.
  • Pair lessons with read-alouds to anchor concepts in relatable stories that can resonate with students.
  • Encourage reflection by giving students opportunities to share their thoughts and experiences.
  • Rotate the bins throughout the year to reinforce the importance of digital citizenship over time.

Digital Citizenship Bins are more than just kits, they serve as a bridge between technology and meaningful, responsible student use. As we continue to help students navigate the digital world safely and ethically, these bins make teaching digital citizenship lessons easy, engaging, and enjoyable.

Cybersecurity for Little Learners

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Written by VSTE Professional Services member Allyson Hartung (@allysonehartung)

Every year, the third week in October highlights Digital Citizenship, and there’s no better time to teach students, even our youngest learners, about the importance of protecting their passwords. While the idea of “cybersecurity” can sound like a big and complicated idea to them, we can make it fun, empowering, and developmentally appropriate for them to learn how to create and protect their own passwords. By learning to create and protect their own passwords, students gain ownership of their digital safety and grow into responsible digital citizens.

👑 Becoming a Password Master

 

At the start of the school year, many students receive help entering their passwords. So, the first time they log in independently it is a big milestone! To celebrate this milestone we give them the title of “Password Master”. This helps build their confidence, independence, and digital responsibility. How do you become a “Password Master”?
Students can earn the title of Password Master when they can:
✅ Type their password independently
✅ Keep it private
✅ Log in without help three times in a row

🎉 Celebrating the Password Masters

Logging in independently deserves a celebration! We mark this moment with crowns, stickers, and applause. Students’ names are added to a “Password Wall of Fame” (without revealing real passwords), highlighting all of the classroom’s Password Masters. This recognition motivates students to keep practicing while taking pride in their new digital skill.



🔑 Practicing Password Strategies

We teach students that a strong password keeps accounts safe, just like a key keeps a home safe. Fun and kid-friendly strategies we use to introduce or learning to create passwords:

  • Use Letters & Numbers: Mix letters and numbers to make it strong.
  • No Easy Words: Avoid names or simple patterns like "1234."
  • Keep It a Secret: Like a treasure map, only share with trusted adults.
  • Practice Makes Perfect: The more you type it, the easier it gets!

🎲 Fun Password Activities

  • Password Sorting: Students guess which passwords are easy to crack and which are super strong.
  • Create a Password: Students mix letters and numbers together to make their own password.

Starting early with good password habits sets students up for a lifetime of safe online practices. By framing cybersecurity as fun and exciting, we give our youngest learners the confidence to become responsible digital citizens from the very beginning.

AI as a Co-Pilot: Guiding Students to Ethical Use

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Written by VSTE Professional Services member Dr. Tysha Batts (Instagram-tyshsan, LinkedIn-Tysha Batts)

The fear that AI will destroy academic integrity is real. Many educators raise the issue that AI is allowing students to cheat and not do their work. Scientists are even looking at AI and the behaviors of students before and after the release of ChatGPT. Lee et al., 2024, stated that when looking at private high and public high students were using ChatGPT to generate ideas for papers and assignments and for explaining new concepts.

However, the real discussion is how we, as educators, are helping students to use AI ethically. AI can be used as a co-pilot when used ethically. As we know, AI cannot build and refine themselves yet. AI is still being trained by the human-in-the-loop. This human-in-the-loop model is essential when it comes to having students use AI in their assignments. In a student’s workflow, this means the student remains the editor, evaluator, and final authority on the content. Using AI does not replace thought but helps to accelerate brainstorming, first-drafting, or finding alternative perspectives.

So how can this be done? This can be done by guiding our students. We need to determine how AI will support learning. Students need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of AI. We also need to guide students in academic integrity by giving them guidelines of when they can and cannot use AI in their assignments (co-pilot mode). For example, using AI to summarize long text, generating alternative titles for an essay or debugging code.  For restricted use (integrity mode), we need to let students know for example, that AI is prohibited for generating final, graded response to a prompt. Students also need to have guidelines for a “cite and reflect” policy where they include a short AI use reflection statement at the end of assignments. This means as educators we must model the approach for students. Modeling this approach means educators must demonstrate AI use in their own planning, material creation, and research.

We know that AI detectors are inconsistent and are not reliable. The focus should not be on surveillance but on reimagining the assignments. Assignments need to promote the skills of an AI-ready graduate. We want students to be learners, researchers, synthesizers of information, storytellers, ideators, and connectors. However, to achieve this goal, we need to have assignments that promote critical thinking, synthesis of real-world or personal data, and unique perspectives that AI cannot provide..

 

Lee, V. R., Pope, D., Miles, S., & Zárate, R. C. (2024). Cheating in the age of Generative AI: A high school survey study of cheating behaviors before and after the release of chatgpt. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 7, 100253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100253

ASCD. (n.d.). Profile of an AI-ready graduate. https://www.ascd.org/blogs/profile-of-an-ai-ready-graduate

Carve Out Some Time to Celebrate Digital Citizenship Week October 20-24, 2025

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Carve Out Some Time to Celebrate Digital Citizenship Week October 20-24, 2025

Written by VSTE Professional Services member Sarah Finch (@mrs.finch_tech)

In today’s world, a smartphone is as common in a student’s backpack as a textbook once was. Our students are digital natives, growing up in a world where social media, online gaming, and instant information are the norm. While they may be tech-savvy, are they truly equipped to navigate the complexities and challenges of the digital world?

For many of our students, the answer is no. Digital citizenship is more than just a buzzword; it’s a critical, and often overlooked, component of a well-rounded K-12 education. That is why it is important to carve out some time to include digital citizenship into our lessons.

What is Digital Citizenship?

Digital Citizenship is more than just knowing how to use a computer. It’s about empowering students to be responsible, respectful, and safe online. It encompasses a wide range of topics, including:

  • Digital Etiquette
    • Encourage students to be careful with their words, use complete sentences in emails, and to report cyberbullies and internet trolls.
  • Digital Downtime
    • Encourage students to be aware of when it's time to step away from technology and hangout with their family and friends face to face.
  • Digital Integrity
    • Encourage students to know how to cite their sources and give credit where credit is due. Teach them about copyright and fair use laws when sharing or using others’ work.
  • Digital Privacy
    • Encourage students to check their privacy settings on social media and to be careful about what they share online with strangers.
  • Digital Security
    • Encourage students to use multiple strong passwords that include capital and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Teach them how to be aware of scams and phishing attacks.
  • Media Literacy
    • Encourage students to think for themselves and not take everything at face value. Teach them to verify information, using multiple sources.

Integrating Digital Citizenship into School Culture & Partnering with Families

Digital citizenship is not a one-and-done lesson. It needs to be an ongoing conversation, integrated across subjects and grade levels. It requires a collaborative effort between schools, parents, and the students themselves.

Parents can reinforce these lessons at home by:

  • Engaging in open and honest conversations about online activities.
  • Setting clear expectations and rules for device usage.
  • Modeling responsible online behavior themselves.

Schools can lead the way by:

  • Developing a comprehensive, age-appropriate curriculum.
  • Providing professional development for teachers.
  • Creating a supportive environment where students feel safe to report online issues.

In a world where screens are an extension of our lives, teaching digital citizenship isn’t about limiting our students’ access to technology. It’s about empowering them to thrive in it. It’s about giving them the tools to be smart, kind, and responsible global citizens, both online and off.

Resources you can use with ready-made lessons:

From Consumption to Creation: Coaching for Media Literacy and Deeper Learning

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VCC Blog Header - From Consumption to Creation: Coaching For Media Literacy and Deeper LearningA VSTE Certified Coach Blog Series on Transformative Coaching

This blog is authored by VSTE's Certified Coach Program Coordinator & VSTE Professional Services member, Katie Breaud

Note: This month’s blog is inspired by Digital Citizenship Week (October 20-24) and Cybersecurity Awareness Month (October, annually).

In a recent meeting with instructional and technology coaches from across my school division, the common question arose - “Where’s the fun?” I should preface by saying our teachers are knocking it out of the park learning new guaranteed and viable curriculums. The Virginia Literacy Act stepped up our English Language Arts instruction, and now we’re tackling Mathematics. Our data is showing strong student gains. But in the back of my head, I return to that initial question. Post-COVID, as a collective, we’ve defaulted to digital worksheets and passive use of technology. Especially at the elementary level, our students aren’t creating at the level that they were pre-pandemic. They’ve shifted to the consumption role. And it’s justifiable, because our teachers are managing immense change. This has led me to consider: How can I adjust my coaching to move from supporting technology as a delivery method to helping students create with it?

Why Student Creation Matters

As coaches (regardless of the type) our job isn’t to support tools; our mission is to build capacity for meaningful learning experiences. Personally, this is what excites me about being a coach and supporting teachers. Student creation isn’t just engaging - it’s essential. When students create their own content, they engage in deeper thinking, are active owners of their learning, and build skills that transcend their classroom walls. This approach dovetails with Domain 2 of Forward Edge’s Core of Coaching Framework, which centers on Sustainable Change in teacher practice. As a bonus, it reinforces key competencies in the Virginia Digital Learning Integration (DLI) Standards, especially in the Creative Communicator and Innovative Designer strands. For example, in grades 3-5, students are expected to “use appropriate technologies to create original works” and “communicate ideas visually and graphically.” By enabling teachers to aim for creation-based learning experiences, coaches foster more than technology integration. They also foster creativity, critical thinking, and meaningful student voice.

Three Coaching Moves to Inspire Creation

  • Lead with the Learning Outcome, Not the Tool: This shift has been especially important for technology coaches. When teachers hear about a tool they saw online that they want to try, ask: “What do you want students to learn or be able to do?” This small shift reframes the conversation around student learning and empowers technology to serve that purpose (as opposed to driving it).
  • Celebrate Low-Lift, High-Impact Creation: Lessons don’t have to be completely overhauled to embed creativity. Some suggestions:
    • Novice Teachers: Use Book Creator to make a class book. Each student contributes one page. Tie to a recent learning experience or field trip.
    • Tenured Teachers: Use Canva for Education or Google Slides to create a digital visual summary of a social studies or science topic. Publish to a class website to serve as a review later in the year or for future classes.
    • Veteran Teachers: Use WeVideo to produce a podcast series that students plan, record, and publish based on interests or topics of study.
  • Make “Fun” Intentional: Fun doesn’t have to be fluff or saved for a holiday or the day before break; it’s student engagement with purpose. It’s about designing experiences that spark curiosity, creativity, and connection. Intentional “fun” in learning helps students feel emotionally safe, cognitively engaged, and much more likely to remember what they learn!

Tying This to the VSTE Certified Coach (VCC) Program

VCCs help teachers shift practice through coaching cycles, which include modeling, co-teaching, and reflection through a gradual-release process. Keep in mind that a shift from consumption to creation is just as much a mindset shift as an instruction strategy and technology tweak. Sustainable change happens when teachers see their students succeeding. Data doesn’t lie!

Tools Coaches Can Use

Coaching Reflection Prompt

What is one way you can support a teacher in helping students move from content consumers to creators?

 

This post is part of a monthly series inspired by the VSTE Certified Coach program and the Core of Coaching Framework, designed to support and grow coaches across Virginia.

Transparency Statement: This blog post was co-developed with support from an AI writing assistant (ChatGPT). The author retains full creative control and authorship of the post content. AI was used to brainstorm ideas, organize outlines, and review grammar and spelling.

 

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