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Digital Citizen

The Digital Citizen and Digital Maker Staged Activity Badges involve performing some tasks online, as well as finding out about topics, such as social networking and how digital technology works and can be used to enhance our lives. Before young people take part in these activities, they should be aware of the benefits and the risks to being online. Be sure they are aware of the safety rules first. Check that they understand that staying safe involves:

understanding that staying safe online is similar to staying safe in the real world using passwords to protect their computer and email accounts using trusted software and not downloading programmes they are not sure about having some form of anti-virus software recognising that they should ask an adult they trust before they visit a particular website, understanding that private information should not be given to anyone online without the permission of a trusted adult Resources have been developed to support with delivering the digital skills badges.

You can also read the badge support blog here and guidance for Leaders here and a jargon buster.

These requirements have been updated in October 2016.

Digital Citizen – stage 1

Complete every task to achieve Stage 1, showing that you have thought about the potential risks and how to stay safe for each activity.

  1. Show that you can:

    • turn on and log into a computer
    • use a piece of software, for example email or a game
    • name the main parts of a computer system
    • connect a peripheral (for example a scanner or printer) to your computer and use it.
  2. Create a piece of digital media. It could be artwork, a photograph, music or animation.

  3. Use the internet for research:

    • decide on an area of interest
    • find three websites with content that matches your area of interest
    • collect relevant information by printing or saving as files
  4. Using your internet research, design a presentation and tell others about what you have found out. This could be an electronic or paper based presentation.

Digital Citizen – stage 2

Complete every task to achieve Stage 2, showing that you have thought about the potential risks and how to stay safe for each activity.

  1. Plan and then create a piece of digital media. It could be music, animation, video, CAD (Computer Aided Design) or a 3D sculpture.

  2. Show that you can:

    • send or reply to someone with a short email and include an attachment
    • download photos or other media from a camera or smart card
    • open and save a document then share it using a cloud service (like Google Docs or Microsoft Sharepoint) or a USB stick
    • create a document that includes media that you’ve downloaded or copied from another source.
  3. Demonstrate how information online can be viewed and used by others once it has been posted/uploaded and how it is hard to remove.

Note: there is no requirement for members to post anything online themselves

Digital Citizen – stage 3

Complete every task to achieve Stage 3, showing that you have thought about the potential risks and how to stay safe for each activity.

  1. Show that you know how to:

    • use anti-virus software
    • set up or adjust settings for accessibility and security
    • Use the internet for research:
    • decide on a specific area of interest
    • use at least two different search engines, using operators like AND, NOT and OR in the search box
    • collect information by using bookmarks
    • select specific, reliable information relevant to your area of research
    • create a structured display of the information you have gathered. You could do this in a document, on a website or using a social tool such as Pinterest.
  2. Plan, make, edit and share a piece of digital media based on your research. Share your research with other people, for example by email, on the web, by Multimedia Messaging Service or social media.

  3. Create a multi-page website or social network group with your information. Present your information in a variety of ways. For example, you could use infographics, images or graphs.You should then:

    • share your website with a wider audience
    • explain your sources of information and why you selected the details you chose
    • get some feedback on what you have done and make changes to improve your website based on that feedback

Digital Citizen – stage 4

Complete every task to achieve Stage 4, showing that you have thought about the potential risks and how to stay safe for each activity.

  1. Create a portfolio of digital media. It might include artwork or a photograph that you alter using creative tools, music, animation, CAD (Computer Aided Design) or 3D sculpture.
  2. Create a film, video, stop-motion animation or podcast and share it using a suitable media sharing tool.
  3. Create a social network profile for your section, a band, local interest group or something similar. Alternatively you could make a small website that can host content, such as photos, poetry or information about your local area.

  4. Use the internet for research:

    • Choose a local, national, community or Scouting issue, or something from the news or current affairs.
    • Collect information from different sources, such as spreadsheets, databases, online news services and ‘open access’ data sources.
    • Put your information together in a structured way, for example grouping similar information. Make sure you know where each piece of information comes from.
    • Select the information you think is most appropriate and reliable.