In just two years, Kristen Mattson transformed Waubonsie Valley High School’s library into a vibrant 21st-century learning center. The focus was on digital citizenship, ensuring that all students and staff gained new skills and awareness. Mattson recently shared her vision for digital citizenship and how she helps teachers integrate these principles into their daily activities.

A School in Need of Digital Literacy

During her five years at Waubonsie Valley High School, Mattson worked tirelessly to modernize the library, making it relevant in a digital age. She started by auditing the library to determine how best to support the school’s needs. Her conclusion was that students needed books curated specifically for them.

Mattson and her team, including assistants, students, and parent volunteers, strategically rearranged the library. They genrefied the fiction section, created a dedicated narrative nonfiction section, and streamlined the reference books. In the first year, they weeded 10,000 books from the collection, some of which hadn’t been checked out for nearly 35 years.

Mattson also revamped the library’s web presence, adding information on eBooks, instructional database video tutorials, an online calendar of events, a list of available Makerspace materials, and a dedicated page for classroom projects. “It was important to me that our website be attractive, organized, easily searchable, and up-to-date,” she explained.

Future Ready Framework: Digital Citizenship

While addressing the needs of over 2,600 students, Mattson realized that prepackaged digital citizenship lessons were insufficient. She envisioned digital citizenship as an integrated thread woven throughout the library and school experience. “If you ask most educators to define digital citizenship, they will likely give you a list of rules they want students to follow when they are online. My vision for digital citizenship goes beyond this level of personal responsibility – I see it as an opportunity to be a contributing member of a community,” Mattson stated.

Digital Citizenship Shapes New Curriculum

As part of her doctoral research, Mattson explored ways to empower digital citizens. She developed a leadership course that emphasized possibilities over punishments and skills over scare tactics. “These kids are good citizens, and they want to be good digital citizens too,” she said. Mattson created opportunities to model, share, and teach digital citizenship in every interaction with students. For example, students used Google Hangouts™ to read to elementary school classrooms on World Read Aloud Day.

Mattson acknowledges that the journey is ongoing. “While many librarians, myself included, have shifted our mindsets regarding the digital citizenship conversation, we now have to do the hard work of shifting the mindsets of teachers and parents alike.” This involves educating one teacher at a time and coaching them to include digital interactions in their curriculum.

Adam Dyche, Social Studies Teacher and Department Chair, emphasized the importance of collaboration. “A future ready school and culture supersedes learning in ‘one-teacher classroom silos’ by fostering partnerships where teachers like Kristen and I can calibrate our performances to ensure a diverse and in-depth learning experience for our students,” he said.

A Future in Future Ready

Mattson is pleased with the progress, noting that more educators are engaging students in online communities. Teachers are adopting digital resources like MathXL and Gale Databases, which help classrooms become more student-centered and enhance digital literacy skills.

“Our students are excited to have conversations about technology with the adults in our school,” said Mattson. “It’s a digital world, and the skills we reinforce through our lesson designs are essential. We’re determined to make digital citizenship a natural part of every teachable moment, and we’re on track to get there. It’s an exciting time to share with students.”

Kristen Mattson concluded, “With digital resources and Follett Software’s integrated products, we are equipping students to be better digital citizens, ready to navigate and contribute positively to the digital world.”

For more information on how Follett Software can support your district, explore the suites.