Integrating SEL, Digital Citizenship, and AI Literacy in K–8 Schools

Patrick Dawson, Director of Innovation, Teaching & Learning, the Winnetka Public Schools

Patrick Dawson serves as the Director of Innovation, Teaching & Learning for The Winnetka Public Schools in Illinois. He leads district-wide initiatives focused on curriculum innovation, AI literacy, and the integration of digital citizenship. His work centers on preparing students and educators to thrive at the intersection of humanity and technology.

In Winnetka Public Schools, we see daily how our students move seamlessly between their physical and digital lives. For them, these worlds are not separate; they are the same. While adults often distinguish between online and real life, children are growing up in an environment where the two are fully integrated. This shift demands that educators expand their thinking about Social and Emotional Learning (SEL): not as a standalone curriculum, but as a foundation that extends across digital citizenship and, increasingly, AI literacy.

The New Frontier for SEL

For decades, SEL has guided schools in nurturing self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. These remain vital, but the context has changed. Students now form relationships, express their identity, and make decisions in digital spaces just as often as they do in physical ones. Suppose SEL is intended to help students navigate human interactions and emotions. In that case, we must prepare them for these interactions wherever they occur, whether in the classroom, a group chat, or an AI-enabled learning platform. Emotional intelligence in the digital age encompasses recognizing tone in online communication, managing digital stress, and practicing empathy without the cues typically provided by face-to-face contact.

Digital Citizenship: The Bridge Between SEL and the Digital World

Digital citizenship is often viewed as a set of safety rules, such as protecting your password or avoiding the sharing of personal information. At its heart, however, it is about character. It asks students to apply SEL competencies in an online context by showing empathy in digital spaces, managing impulsivity when posting, and making responsible decisions about how information is shared. In Winnetka, we intentionally blend digital citizenship into SEL lessons so that students learn to apply emotional and ethical reasoning online. For example, when third graders discuss kindness and inclusion, they also explore how these values manifest in their digital interactions. By middle school, students analyze real-world scenarios such as online collaboration or responding to misinformation to understand how choices in digital environments have lasting human impact.

“Emotional intelligence in the digital age encompasses recognizing tone in online communication, managing digital stress, and practicing empathy without the cues typically provided by face-to-face contact.”

AI Literacy: The Emerging Layer of Digital Competence

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence adds a new dimension to what it means to be both socially and digitally literate. The World Economic Forum has identified AI literacy as a core competency for future readiness, encompassing not only technical understanding but also ethical awareness and human judgment. For K–8 learners, this is not about coding complex algorithms. It is about developing curiosity and discernment. When students use an AI-based writing or image tool, they should ask questions such as: Where does this information come from? Whose perspectives might be missing? How do I use this responsibly? These are fundamentally SEL questions that are rooted in self-awareness, empathy, and ethical decision-making. At Winnetka, we are beginning to weave AI literacy into lessons on digital citizenship, helping students recognize bias in algorithms and consider how technology shapes their relationships with information and with one another.

Integrating the Three Domains in Practice

Blending SEL, digital citizenship, and AI literacy does not require three separate programs. It requires reframing instruction around the interconnected lives our students already lead. In early grades, teachers can anchor lessons in self-awareness by exploring how it feels when someone likes or ignores a post, or why it is essential to take breaks from screens. In upper elementary grades, digital citizenship becomes more explicit through lessons on evaluating media sources, respecting privacy, and contributing positively to online communities. By middle school, these ideas evolve into AI-aware citizenship as students explore how AI tools can assist creativity while also reinforcing bias or influencing perception. When students engage with these ideas through a unified lens, they begin to see technology as an extension of their humanity rather than a distraction from it. Teachers also benefit from cross-disciplinary professional learning, collaborating across SEL, technology, and ethics to co-design experiences that reflect the complexity of modern learning.

Preparing Students to Lead in an Uncertain Future

Our world is changing faster than any curriculum can keep up. Yet what endures are the skills that make us fully human: empathy, reflection, ethical reasoning, and the ability to connect across differences. By extending SEL into the realms of digital citizenship and AI literacy, schools can help students apply these human capacities in every dimension of their lives. As AI transforms society and new digital frontiers emerge, the next generation will not just navigate uncertainty; they will shape it. Preparing them for that future begins now by teaching them to lead with compassion and wisdom in both the physical and digital worlds they call home.

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