The Digital Civics Toolkit is a free, teacher-facing website with lesson plans for exploring and fostering modern civic engagement and participation. Assembled by Good Project researchers and colleagues in the MacArthur Research Network on Youth and Participatory Politics (YPP), with Harvard University's Project Zero as a key research partner, the toolkit supports youth in exploring, recognizing, and taking seriously the civic potentials of digital life.
The toolkit is organized into five distinct modules capturing key practices of digital civics: Participate (exploring identities, communities, and civic issues), Investigate (understanding and analyzing civic information online), Dialogue (navigating diverse perspectives and exchanging ideas), Voice (creating, remixing, and sharing content in online spaces), and Action (considering tactics and strategies from civil disobedience to social media engagement). Each module contains a conversation starter, several activities, and a closing reflection.
Designed primarily for high school students but adaptable for younger learners, the Digital Civics Toolkit serves as a fantastic companion to digital citizenship instruction, encouraging students to use media not just thoughtfully and responsibly but as a tool for social change. Common Sense Education describes it as unmatched in its extensiveness and relevance for teachers looking to make civics relevant to students.