Terry Heick has a great definition of Digital Citizenship in an article on Teachthought.com. Below is what he wrote in the article titled "The Definition of Digital Citizenship".
"What is digital citizenship?
Well, first citizenship, which is formally defined (link to Merriam Webster) as “the quality of an individual’s response to membership in a community.” This makes citizenship far more complex than a simple legal matter, but rather one that consists of self-knowledge, interaction, and intimate knowledge of a place, its people, and its cultural history.
So digital citizenship is nearly the same thing–“the quality of a response to membership in a digital community” would be a good first crack at the definition.
Revising that might more clearly articulate the differences between physical and digital communities, so a decent definition of digital citizenship then might be “Self-monitored participation that reflects conscious interdependence with all (visible and less visible) community members”
But that leaves out the idea of content itself, which leads us to a pretty good definition for educators: “The quality of habits, actions, and consumption patterns that impact the ecology of digital content and communities.”
Still too wordy? Maybe a shorter version for students–with some moral imperatives and implied advice–could be: “the self-monitored habits that sustain and improve the digital communities you enjoy or depend on.”
"What is digital citizenship?
Well, first citizenship, which is formally defined (link to Merriam Webster) as “the quality of an individual’s response to membership in a community.” This makes citizenship far more complex than a simple legal matter, but rather one that consists of self-knowledge, interaction, and intimate knowledge of a place, its people, and its cultural history.
So digital citizenship is nearly the same thing–“the quality of a response to membership in a digital community” would be a good first crack at the definition.
Revising that might more clearly articulate the differences between physical and digital communities, so a decent definition of digital citizenship then might be “Self-monitored participation that reflects conscious interdependence with all (visible and less visible) community members”
But that leaves out the idea of content itself, which leads us to a pretty good definition for educators: “The quality of habits, actions, and consumption patterns that impact the ecology of digital content and communities.”
Still too wordy? Maybe a shorter version for students–with some moral imperatives and implied advice–could be: “the self-monitored habits that sustain and improve the digital communities you enjoy or depend on.”
For more information:
Edudemic
www.edudemic.com/15-resources-digital-citizenship-2014/
EDutopia
https://www.edutopia.org/article/digital-citizenship-resources
Montgomery County School District Site
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/digital-citizenship/index.html