A proposed curriculum framework for teaching digital citizenship and Internet maturity to students of classes 8th and above in schools. The objective of this curriculum framework is clearly defined as: “To make students capable of utilizing the power of Internet for learning; protecting themselves from its harmful effects, and growing into mature and ethical digital citizens.”

1. Open Curriculum for Teaching
Digital Citizenship
& Internet Maturity
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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.

2. List of Topics
Open Curriculum for Teaching DCIM
Online Forums & Communities
Blogging & Vlogging
Searching & Managing Knowledge
Online Educational Resources
Cyber Safety
6
5
8
7
9
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Personal Data Privacy
Cyber Ethics
Cyber Laws
Online Reputation
Mental Health & the Internet
11
10
13
12
14
Career Success & the Internet
15
Understanding the Web 2.0
Digital Literacy & Content Sharing
Mature Social Networking
Mature Professional Networking
2
1
4
3

3. Desired Learning Outcomes
Open Curriculum for Teaching DCIM
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Understanding the Web 2.0
Digital Literacy & Content Sharing
2
1
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).
Key concepts: web 1.0, web 2.0, user generated content,
read-write web, online content sharing, online networking
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 should also understand the technicalities of sharing
digital content publicly on the Internet. They should also
understand content Licensing and Intellectual Property concepts.
Key concepts: digital literacy, digital content creation, digital
content sharing, embedding, SaaS, Creative Commons
licenses
Mature Social Networking
3
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

4. Open Curriculum for Teaching DCIM
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Mature Professional Networking
4
useful social network for themselves. Also, they should thoroughly
learn about the safety precautions and desirable netiquette
associated with online social networking websites.
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
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
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.
Online Forums & Communities
5
Desired Learning Outcomes

5. Open Curriculum for Teaching DCIM
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Key concepts: online discussion forum, group discussions,
asynchronous discussion, threaded discussion forum,
lurking, initiating forum discussion, replying to forum
discussion, forum jargon, forum netiquette
Blogging & Vlogging
6
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.
Key concepts: blog vs forum, blog creation, article planning,
information presentation, embedding media, vlog creation
Searching & Managing Knowledge
7
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 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.
Desired Learning Outcomes

6. Open Curriculum for Teaching DCIM
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Online Educational Resources
8
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.
Key concepts: open courseware, massive open online
courses, certification, trustworthy educational resources,
self learning, educational software, virtual labs
After completion of this topic, students should develop a deep
insight into the various types of online threats & dangers. They
should learn hands-on ways to avoid those threats through
techniques such as the iMature safety mantra “FAST CAR & Secret
Location”.
Cyber Safety
9
Key concepts: cyber crime, cyber criminals, anti-social
elements, cyber bullies, cyber stalkers, real-life criminals,
online fraud, social engineering, hacking, cyber safety
techniques
Personal Data Privacy
10
After completion of this topic, students should have clarity on
what is personal data, why & how their personal details are
Desired Learning Outcomes

7. Open Curriculum for Teaching DCIM
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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
Cyber Ethics
11
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
Cyber Laws
12
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
Desired Learning Outcomes

8. Open Curriculum for Teaching DCIM
iMature.in
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.
Online Reputation
13
Key concepts: digital footprints, online reputation, online vs
real-world reputation, online reputation building, reputation
mistakes
Mental Health & the Internet
14
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 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, slave vs
master of technology, balancing real & digital life, personal
qualities for success, purpose of technology
After completion of this topic, students should realize that the
Internet forms the backbone of business & industry in the 21st
Career Success & the Internet
15
Desired Learning Outcomes

9. Open Curriculum for Teaching DCIM
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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
Desired Learning Outcomes
Free tips & resources for implementing this DCIM
curriculum in your school can be accessed here.