Picture Books for Teaching Digital Citizenship!

I have been talking about digital citizenship a lot over the last couple of months.  In my workshops and presentations, I love sharing picture books that would be perfect to use in conversations, writing and projects with students, teachers and families.  

Digital Citizenship was something I talked about every day with our community as the district teacher librarian working with K-12 students in Van Meter, Iowa.  It is something that was an important conversation within our home too as I raised three children who were more and more connected over the years to their own devices, texting, social media tools, blogging and more.  

I loved finding picture books for hooks to conversations, deep dives into important topics, and as a platform when creating projects, sparking debates and even writing new stories. 

And using picture books for teaching digital citizenship isn't just for your youngest learners. In fact, I used several picture books with even my oldest students and you wouldn't believe the conversations that came about after introducing a topic through a picture book.

Last year, I even wrote my own picture book with Cantata Learning called Staying Safe Online.  I am very proud of this book and especially love that it is about digital citizenship.  To make it even more impactful and fun for our learners, Cantata Learning pairs their stories with engaging illustrations and amazing music.  My friend and songwriter, Emily Arrow, wrote and sang for Staying Safe Online, which is part of the Library Skills series.

You can check out Staying Safe Online and the other three stories and songs in the series here.

Recently, we added a few new picture books to the suitcase I pack when working with students and communities.  My daughter, Brianna and I looked through so many picture books to find the best ones. 

I wanted to share these with you so Brianna and I brought together lots of picture books for teaching digital citizenship on this Padlet that you will find here. 

Please take a look and let us know if there are other picture books that should be used when teaching digital citizenship.  

Also, you can add different ideas, resources, videos, and other important support materials in the comments at the bottom of each book just like we did here.  

We promise that by using picture books when teaching digital citizenship you will open the door for honest conversations, deep thinking, creative writing and amazing creation of new ideas from your digital citizens at school and home too! 

You can find these books and even more focusing on digital citizenship in this awesome Titlewave list from Follett.