How Nebraska Does Digital Citizenship
The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) and the Educational Service Unit Coordinating Council recognize the Edvolve Digital Citizenship Framework (PK–12) as a shared foundation for supporting digital citizenship across Nebraska schools. Digital citizenship has long been part of conversations about technology in education, but as digital life continues to evolve, so must our shared understanding of what it means.
This framework helps Nebraska educators use common language to define digital citizenship as far more than online safety alone. In a world where students are growing up within an ever-changing digital landscape, it supports schools in helping learners develop the skills, judgment, and agency they need to navigate digital spaces safely, thoughtfully, and responsibly from childhood into adulthood.
This video spotlights the 2025 Digital Citizenship Symposium and how Nebraska educators and students are bringing the Edvolve Framework to life. Watch to see how we’re building a common language for digital citizenship statewide.
Nebraska’s digital citizenship work is organized around the four Edvolve strands: Digital Safety, Media & Information Literacy, Digital Well-Being, and Social Responsibility. Together, these strands help schools move beyond isolated lessons or one-time events and toward a more complete, aligned approach to preparing students for life and learning in a digital world.
Digital Safety
Students learn to protect themselves and others by understanding digital rules, managing personal data, and recognizing unsafe or misleading online behavior.
Media & Info Literacy
Students develop the skills to search effectively, evaluate information and media for credibility and bias, and create content responsibly.
Digital Well-Being
Students learn to balance their digital lives with their social, emotional, and physical health while navigating relationships and identity in online spaces.
Social Responsibility
Students explore how technology shapes communities and equity, using digital tools ethically and collaboratively to engage, advocate, and contribute to positive change.
*The Edvolve Framework by Kristen Mattson and LeeAnn Lindsey is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives 4.0 International License. Looking for a more robust understanding of the framework, access https://www.teachdigcit.com/framework
The resources on this page are organized around Nebraska’s shared digital citizenship framework to help schools connect learning opportunities, classroom materials, professional learning, family resources, and events to a common set of priorities. Use these supports to build shared understanding, strengthen local systems, and make digital citizenship part of an ongoing educational approach.
Digital citizenship learning can begin early by helping students develop safe, kind, and responsible habits in age-appropriate ways.
These resources support elementary educators in introducing key concepts such as online safety, healthy technology habits, information awareness, and respectful participation in digital spaces.
As students gain more independence online, they need opportunities to think critically about safety, identity, relationships, information, and digital choices. These middle school resources can help educators support students as they begin navigating more complex digital experiences with greater awareness and responsibility.
High school students are preparing for college, careers, civic life, and greater independence in digital spaces. These resources help educators support deeper conversations about digital safety, media literacy, well-being, social responsibility, AI, and the choices students make as digital citizens.
Digital citizenship is most effective when educators have shared language, practical strategies, and confidence in how to address digital life with students. These professional learning opportunities can help educators build understanding, connect the framework to classroom practice, and support consistent implementation across schools.
Schools and education organizations may benefit from outside voices who can help deepen local conversations, support professional learning, or guide systems-level planning. The individuals and organizations in this section offer expertise connected to digital citizenship, digital well-being, media literacy, online safety, and responsible technology use.
Inclusion on this page is intended to help educators discover relevant voices and resources and does not represent a formal endorsement of any individual, organization, product, or service.
Strong digital citizenship work should be informed by current research, trusted guidance, and emerging issues in students’ digital lives. These resources can support school leaders, educators, and teams as they explore topics such as online safety, media and information literacy, digital well-being, AI companions, student privacy, and responsible participation in digital spaces.
Digital citizenship does not stop at the school door; students’ digital lives are shaped by what happens at home, in school, and across their communities. These materials can help schools communicate with families and support shared conversations about safety, well-being, media literacy, AI, and responsible technology use.
Events and student contests give schools a way to make digital citizenship visible, engaging, and connected to student voice. These opportunities can help students apply what they are learning, share their perspectives, and participate in statewide conversations about responsible digital life.
