Open Curriculum for Teaching
Digital Citizenship & Internet Maturity

You are welcome to use this open curriculum in your school to teach DCIM to your students. It is best suited for grades 8 to 12. Our online courses are designed in accordance with this curriculum.

Licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND.
You are free to use and share this curriculum non-commercially, without modifying it, and by giving credit to iMature.in
 

Curriculum Objective: To make the learners capable of

 

Making the best use of Internet for learning & skill development.

Protecting themselves from online risks & threats.

Becoming ethical & empathetic digital citizens.

Becoming productive 21st century professionals.
 

List of DCIM Topics and Desired Learning Outcomes

 

1

 Understanding the Web 2.0

After completion of this topic, students should be able to visualize that the modern day Internet (Web 2.0) is all about 'User Generated Content' and 'User-to-User Networking'. This is the root of all issues & aspects of today's digital society. Today's Internet is very different from the Internet of 1990s, which was mostly 'read-only', like the traditional media (TV, newspapers, magazines etc). Students should also understand the impact of AI on 'User Generated Content' and 'User-to-User Networking'.

#  Key Concepts: web 1.0, web 2.0, user generated content, read-write web, online content sharing, online networking

2

 Digital literacy & content sharing

This topic should teach the students some important concepts regarding creating and sharing digital content online. This is the basic eligibility of becoming a digital citizen. After completion of this topic, students should be able to create all types of digital content such as text documents, images, presentations, videos etc. They must understand how generative AI is revolutionizing the creation of digital content. They should also understand the technicalities, Licensing and Intellectual Property concepts of sharing digital content publicly on the Internet.

#  Key Concepts: digital literacy, digital content creation, digital content sharing, embedding, SaaS, Creative Commons licenses

3

 Mature Social Networking

After completion of this topic, students should be aware about the best practices of social networking, and technical features associated with them. Their objective should be to create a useful social network for themselves. Also, they should thoroughly learn about the safety precautions and desirable netiquette associated with online social networking websites. They should become aware of the significant influence of AI algorithms on every aspect of social networking.

#  Key Concepts: real-world vs online social network, social media profile, friend lists, useful social network, connecting with strangers, safe social networking, online groups, online communities, social networking netiquette, role of algorithms

4

 Mature Professional Networking

After completion of this topic, students should have a clear understanding of what is the purpose of professional networking and how it is different from social networking. They should learn the right approach to build their Linkedin profile and how to create a professional network for the advantage of their future career. They should also learn the netiquette of professional networking.

#  Key Concepts: professional networking, Linkedin profile, social vs professional networking, useful professional network, connecting with professionals, Linkedin recommendations, professional networking netiquette, Linkedin groups

5

 Online Forums & Communities

After completion of this topic, students must have clarity on what online discussion forums are and how to differentiate between good & bad forums, amongst millions found on Internet. They should learn the techniques & netiquette to start a discussion on a forum effectively and to participate in an existing discussion. They must understand the strengths & weaknesses of AI (Large Language Models) emerging as alternatives to forum based doubt-solving and conversations.

#  Key Concepts: online discussion forum, group discussions, asynchronous discussion, threaded discussion forum, lurking, initiating forum discussion, replying to forum discussion, forum jargon, forum netiquette

6

 Blogging & Vlogging

After completion of this topic, students should realize the importance of writing blog articles for self-expression and understand the technical aspects associated with creating a blog, embedding content into blog posts etc. They should be able to present & structure a blog article effectively for maximum impact on readers. They should also understand 'vlogging' (video-blogging) and when to use it for self-expression. They must understand the pros & cons of using AI for generating content for blogs & vlogs.

#  Key Concepts: blog vs forum, blog creation, article planning, information presentation, embedding media, vlog creation

7

 Searching & Managing Knowledge

After completion of this topic, students should be able to find trustworthy & up-to-date information through online search engines. They should understand what is 'content pollution' (including fake news & misinformation) on Internet and how to avoid it. They must thoroughly understand the impact of AI on each of the above aspects of online searching. Additionally, they should learn how to build their personal knowledge library and also avoid 'information overload'.

#  Key Concepts: useful knowledge, content pollution, fake news, misinformation, trustworthiness of information, trustworthy sources, relevant keywords, online bookmarking, online file storage, RSS feeds, information overload.

8

 Online Educational Resources

After completion of this topic, students should have a thorough understanding of the world of OCWs (Open Courseware) and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) as trustworthy educational resources online. They should also learn how to make the best use of OCWs and MOOCs in their academics and for on-demand skill development. They must understand the strengths & weaknesses of AI tutors emerging as alternatives to OCWs and MOOCs.

#  Key Concepts: open courseware, massive open online courses, certification, trustworthy educational resources, self learning, educational software, virtual labs, AI tutors

9

 Cyber Safety

After completion of this topic, students should develop a deep insight into the various types of online threats & dangers. They must thoroughly understand how AI can make the existing cyber threats even more dangerous. They should learn hands-on ways to avoid those threats through techniques such as the iMature safety mantra "FAST CAR & Secret Location".

#  Key Concepts: cyber crime, cyber criminals, anti-social elements, cyber bullies, cyber stalkers, real-life criminals, online fraud, social engineering, hacking, cyber safety techniques

10

 Personal Data Privacy

After completion of this topic, students should have clarity on what is personal data, why & how their personal details are recorded and stolen online. They should understand all the risks associated with leaking of personal data into the hands of companies or criminals. They should learn about how to control their privacy across various platforms and also about the pro-privacy browsers, search engines, websites etc.

#  Key Concepts: personal data, data privacy, identity theft, privacy controls, pro-privacy software, cookies, tracking methods

11

Digital Ethics

After completion of this topic, students should understand the factors which influence a person to act unethically or illegally on the Internet. They should learn the importance of being an ethical & responsible digital citizen. They should be able to visualize how their careless actions online can land them in serious troubles.

#  Key Concepts: plagiarism, defamation, sharing illegal content, illegal online behaviour, unethical online behaviour

12

 Cyber Laws

After completion of this topic, students should have a basic knowledge of the laws which define the rights & responsibilities of the Internet users in their country. They should understand the legal implications of their online actions.

#  Key Concepts: IT laws, Privacy laws, COPA, GDPR

13

 Online Reputation

After completion of this topic, students should have a clear understanding of what is digital footprint, what their Online Reputation is made of, why it is extremely important, and how it impacts their personal & professional life. They should know the difference between the online & real-world reputation. They should also develop a clear vision to build a positive online reputation.

#  Key Concepts: digital footprints, online reputation, online vs real-world reputation, online reputation building, reputation mistakes

14

 Mental Health & the Internet

After completion of this topic, students should understand how online games and social media websites cause mental problems like addiction, inferiority complex, disorientation, depression etc. They must understand the positive & negative impact of AI on mental health. They should learn how to strike a balance between the real and the virtual world. They should learn how to make the best use of both for achieving success & wellbeing in life.

#  Key Concepts: digital addiction, mental health, impact of AI on mental health, slave vs master of technology, balancing real & digital life, personal qualities for success, purpose of technology

15

 Career Success & the Internet

After completion of this topic, students should realize that the Internet forms the backbone of business & industry in the 21st century. They should clearly understand what digital skills it takes to become a productive entrepreneur, employee or a freelancer. They should also know what digital tools, trends and culture are integral parts of today's professional world.

#  Key Concepts: work from home, e-commerce, virtual collaboration, project management tools, corporate intranets, gig economy, digital marketing


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