We are talking about the subject called “Digital Citizenship & Internet Maturity”. This subject provides ten skills to students which empower them to make the best use of the Internet for education & career and stay safe from all the online threats & risks. The ten skills are as follows:
Understanding What is Web 2.0
Understanding how today’s Internet is different from that of the 1990s, and what are the key concepts of ‘User Generated Content’ and ‘User to User Networking’.
How to Create & Share Digital Content (aka ‘Digital Literacy’)
Knowing how to create documents, presentations, images, videos and other types of digital content, and the proper way of sharing content online.
Mature Way of Social Networking
How to create useful social networks on Facebook, Instagram etc and the mature way of presenting yourself & behaving on social networks.
Mature Way of Professional Networking
How to create a useful professional network on Linkedin and a mature way of presenting yourself & behaving to attract the best of career opportunities.
Online Forum Discussion Skills
How to do group discussions on online forums. It’s an art! Online forums are used heavily in corporate organizations and professional circles.
Blogging Skills for Self-Expression
How to express your ideas, knowledge & creativity through blogs. You must develop smart blogging skills to make your blog articles effective.
How to Search Knowledge Online
How to find USEFUL knowledge on the Internet without getting distracted by online junk. Smart searching skills are absolutely essential for everyone in the 21st century.
How to Utilize OCWs & MOOCs
How to make the best use of ‘Open Courseware’ and ‘Massive Open Online Courses’ (modern revolutions in education) for success in life.
How to be Safe & Responsible Online
How to protect yourself in the virtual world of the Internet, which is full of threats and dangers, both external and internal. Also, how to behave ethically & responsibly online, to avoid becoming a cyber-criminal.
How to Build a Positive Online Reputation
How to create a positive online reputation for a successful life. Your online reputation can make or break your life! The Internet is the world’s biggest stage where everyone is watching & recording your actions.
Alright. These skills seem important, and so does the subject DCIM, but why are we calling it ‘the most important’?
Also Read: how to engage parents in their child’s learning in online mode?
The logic behind that argument is the concept of the “V.U.C.A world” and the growing influence of the Internet in every aspect of our lives. Now, what is this “V.U.C.A world”? As explained in this Wikipedia article, VUCA stands for “Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous”. That’s how experts are describing the world in which the school students of today will be working as professionals. Add to that the disruptions which AI and other digital technologies will be causing to the job market.
Most of the subjects which students are learning in schools today might become irrelevant in near future. The life span of skills will become very short and every professional will need to up-skill or re-skill herself very frequently.
So, the key to surviving and succeeding in such a VUCA & highly digital world is to be an expert in on-demand self-learning. And, the only way to self-learn in the 21st century in through the Internet! That’s why it is critical that before our children land into that completely different world, they are thoroughly equipped with the skills & art of online self-learning and using digital tools like experts. Those skills come through DCIM (Digital Citizenship & Internet Maturity) education. DCIM is the subject that makes a student an expert online learner, a productive online worker and capable of staying safe online.
It is important to highlight the safety & well-being part. Already parents are deeply worried about the overuse, misuse and risky use of the Internet by children. An issue like gaming addiction, Instagram/TikTok obsession, cyber-bullying, friendships with strangers, objectionable websites, privacy etc is becoming more severe day by day. These problems cannot be solved by installing parental control software or some firewall on children’s devices. The solution lies in behavioural change which can only be achieved through DCIM education.
When every other knowledge & skill, all future opportunities, and a significant part of safety & well-being depend upon one subject, it’s logical to call it ‘the most important subject’. Don’t you agree?
You might have heard about this subject for the first time, like most people in India. If you want to know what the world is doing about it, search “digital citizenship education” on Google. The results will surely be eye-opening!
One Indian edtech startup, iMature EdTech has been doing pioneering work in the domain of DCIM education. They have created India’s first curriculum for digital citizenship education, the first textbook and the online course for Indian students. It was founded by Raghu Pandey, who started his work on the concept of Internet Maturity in 2011.
Article by
Mr Raghu Pandey,
Founder, iMature.in
