Safety & Engagement in a Digital World

Michelle Gebel

Acceptable Usage Policy

Acceptable Usage Policies are necessary in today’s technology driven world. Many

policies include disclaimers about the contents of emails and appropriate use of computers,

hardware, and software used by the company or school. Acceptable Usage Policies outline the

best practices for schools and businesses. Schools’ acceptable use policies aim to protect staff

and students, as well as create guidelines for communication.

Indianola Community School District’s Acceptable Usage Policy contains sections for

responsibility for appropriate internet/network use, access and use of ICSDnet, cyberbullying,

unauthorized costs, email usage, policy violation consequences, and enforcement. Currently

section I of responsibility for appropriate internet/network use states that students in grade 6-8

will receive specific education on Internet and network usage, including interacting with other

students on social networking websites and chat rooms. They will also be educated in

cyberbullying awareness and response. As we have learned in class, early education is key.

Education about cyberbullying and being respectful and safe online should begin as soon as

students start learning how to access social media, email, and other communication platforms.

Our district became fully 1:1 last year, so I hope that eventually internet safety education will

start sooner.

The policy also has a short section for unauthorized costs. Recently, my coworker was

confronted about a charge on a district credit card. The district had purchased a specific app for a

special education student last year. The student no longer attends our district; however, the
automatic renewal was never canceled and the account was charged today. My coworker was

accused of using the credit card to make the purchase, even though no staff have access to a

district credit card. The district states that the user will pay for any unauthorized costs. In this

case, it was not the cost was not entirely the fault of the user, so would the district assume the

cost?

Promoting Digital Citizenship

Digital Citizenship teaches students how to make smart choices online, develop healthy

digital habits, and think critically (Common Sense Media, 2022). Students need to learn how to

be good citizens in the classroom by following directions, helping others, and being responsible

for themselves. Digital citizenship is equally important for students today. Our media specialists

have utilized some lessons from the website, and it comes recommended by our AEA.

Common Sense Media has several lessons for elementary, middle, and high schools that

teach digital literacy to students. The topics include: media balance & well-being, privacy &

security, digital footprint & identity, relationships & communication, cyberbullying, digital

drama, & hate speech, and news & media literacy. It would be great for a team to dig into the

available lessons for each grade span at the elementary level and map out a plan to cover each of

the categories. Shorter lessons could be taught during morning meetings. It would be incredibly

beneficial if time could be built in to teach digital citizenship lessons to make sure they were

being taught on a regular basis with fidelity.

Our district also provides Go Guardians for teachers. However, I know several teachers

who do not use it on a regular basis. Some teachers may need a refresher course or even an

extension course to make sure they know how to use the program and its features. I use Go
Guardian on a daily basis to monitor my students’ activity on their Chromebooks. I am able to

push out specific links to them, as well as watch their screens live time. I can close tabs, like

Spotify or YouTube, if they are not supposed to be on the site. I am also able to lock the

computer if I see a student off task. This ensures that the students are on task, even if I am not

able to circulate the room.

Equitable & Accessible Classroom

Equity is something that our district is looking into. Class Link is one way to make sure

students are able to access the same websites in school at home. Class Link has bookmarks to our

AEA websites, as well as district provided curriculum (Bridges Math, Amplify Reading, and TCI

science/social studies). Students are able to utilize these websites easily at home or at school.

Internet access is a major factor in student usage at home. Our school is over 40% free

lunch, so we have many families who are not able to afford internet on their own. A family can

fill out a form and receive a hot spot provided by the district. However, I feel like this option is

not advertised enough for families to really take advantage of it. We also have many families

who live out of town who do not have a strong enough connection to use WiFi and are relying on

hot spots. Wifi is a problem that is not easily solved.

Charging Chromebooks initially was also a hurdle when becoming 1:1. Initially, our

district did not provide chargers so students would not be able to use their Chromebook at all

because we were not able to charge the devices at school. The district finally provided each

teacher with two chargers. We still encourage students to charge their Chromebook at home, but

it is important for teachers to have empathy for the students who are unable to charge their

device at home or forgot for the first time in the year.

Elementary teachers were introduced to the SAMR model last year when students

received their devices. The SAMR model outlines ways to use technology in the classroom:

substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition. Each phase represents a different

involvement of technology, it is similar to Bloom’s Taxonomy. Teachers are encouraged to

move past the phase of substitution and augmentation and into modification and redefinition.

This process will be gradual, as it takes time to create new materials and become familiar with

different teaching and learning options.

I have many tasks that would be considered substation and augmentation. PearDeck is a

program that the AEA provides for us. It works in conjunction with Google Slides. It allows

students to type answers to their questions and see them real time, without the stress and fear of

speaking out loud in front of their peers. It has greatly impacted student participation in social

studies and reading when I use it.

Promoting 4 C’s

The 4 C’s of 21st Century Skills include critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and

communication the skills should be incorporated throughout the school day in different subject

areas. Critical thinking happens when students have to go through the problem-solving process

and explain their thinking. Creativity is more than just art work, it goes hand in hand with critical

thinking. It involves looking at something with an open mind and seeing different avenues.

Collaboration occurs when students feel safe taking learning risks with their peers and sharing

their thoughts. Communication also goes hand in hand with collaboration. Students need to

develop the skills to communicate effectively with their peers and their teacher. The 4 C’s are
already easily incorporated into any classroom. If they are established, they can easily be

transferred to computer science and computational thinking.

PowerSchool. (2022, November 22). Retrieved from SAMR model: A practical guide for K-12 classroom
technology integration: https://www.powerschool.com/blog/samr-model-a-practical-guide-for-
k-12-classroom-technology-integration/