Teachers need to practice positive, respectful, and responsible means of conduct on and within digital platforms to role model digital citizenship to students, and the community.  Because teaching is a societal role held to very high professional and moral standards, digital integrity and accountability must meet and exceed general societal digital citizenship expectations.  It is imperative that teachers navigate and contribute to digital citizenship with an awareness of digital literacy, safety, and security.  Digital communication and technology have become such a large part of modern-day life.  Learning, communicating, collaborating, and creating are commonly occurring through digital means making it essential for students to have accurate awareness and knowledge to navigate online platforms in a safe and secure manner.  It is vital to empower students to accurately identify and report red flags of disingenuous and inauthentic dissemination of knowledge and information.  

In order to practice digital citizenship teachers may: (1) ensure the accuracy and authenticity of information from online sites by searching for validation in more than one location, (2) enable privacy settings to keep important information safe and secure, (3) limit posts and ensure they are appropriate, positive, and respectful, (4) use their own thoughts and ideas when posting or acknowledge where or who those thoughts and ideas are from, (5) stay clear of illegal and known fraudulent websites, and (6) be courageous and call out when others are not being considerate, honest, and responsible digital citizens.  Technology, as we know it today, allows access to unlimited information and enables users to become anonymous faceless entities.  We, as a society, must continue to learn how to manage, identify, and recognize threats, fallacies, and risks associated with digital technology.  The more information we are able to convey regarding digital safety and security to our younger generations, the more empowerment and courage we instill in them to call out inappropriate, disrespectful, and unsafe online information, posts, and behaviours.