Digital Citizenship is “the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use.” (Ribble& Bailey). To explore the nine elements of digital citizenship visit www.digitalcitizenship.net. Digital citizenship, with an emphasis on both safety and ethical behavior, is a key component of helping CBE students use the digital technologies available to their best advantage to reach their full potential with the CBE and beyond.

Edgemont School has a Digital Citizenship Plan in accordance with CBE regulations. Use of electronic resources requires students to act morally and ethically when using all digital resources within Edgemont School. Teachers and staff ensure that students understand their roles and responsibilities when using digitally networked resources and share in the supervision of all students while online (e.g. – students who are working within their classroom learning environment on networked computers).

No Personal Electronic Devices for Learning

We have a great variety of technology resources available to students and therefore we do not need children to bring their own devices. We prefer our resources as they make sure of CBE filters, which strengthens our ability to ensure that children only have access to appropriate sites. As well, we are concerned about theft, loss or damage that may result from bringing student-owned devices. 

We recognize that families may choose for their children to bring some digital devices to school (e.g. cell phone, electronic game devices, wearable tech-smart watches) and this would be at their own risk. Please talk to your child about the purpose for the device and reinforce the school's expectations.

Any devices that come to school must be kept in a backpack when arriving at the start of a day or leaving at the end of a day. Students are expected to turn the device into a teacher upon arrival in the classroom and it will be placed in a secure location and returned at the end of the day. Electronic devices should not be taken outside for lunch or recess as this is a time for children to be active and engage in unstructured play with their peers. Electronic devices that are causing distraction will be collected and kept at school until the teacher has had a conversation with parents and may be kept until a parent can come to collect the device.

Watches should be used as time devices only and set to airplane mode while in school. Alternately, watches should be left with teachers during learning time. 

If the student is breaching privacy rules (students taking pictures of other students/people without parental consent, posting photos/video online without consent of an adult), the technology will be confiscated, and parents will need to pick up the device at the office (technology will not be released back to the student).

If you need to contact your child, or they need to contact you, please contact the office. If a student is sick, our normal procedure is for students to tell their teacher, and then go to the office where we can manage illness, contact you and then wait with them until you pick them up. We’ve had instances where a student has contacted parents on their phone and left the school without advising anyone. If this happens, we initiate a lost child emergency protocol and would eventually contact Calgary Police. Please reinforce with your child, that they always need to talk to their teacher if they are feeling unwell.

Digital Citizenship Contract

Access

Electronic networkable devices and network access require teacher permission and supervision. Printing student work is permitted with staff permission. All students are eligible to receive a CBE email account. By utilizing the school’s computers and / or the network, the following agreement is accepted.

Acceptable Use of Electronic Information Resources

The privilege to use devices and networks is dependent on the level of responsibility shown by individual students. It is our intent to have all students access these tools for learning on an ongoing basis. The following acts and prohibited sites constitute inappropriate use and may endanger students, and/or possibly damage the network, hardware, and/or software.

Prohibited acts include:

• Use of someone else’s CBE account or access to network
• Sending or displaying offensive messages or pictures or using obscene language
• Harassing, insulting or attacking another person or their reputation
• Trespassing in others peoples folders, work or files
• Accessing, posting, sending or downloading of inappropriate material
• Assuming the identity of another person to gain information
• Viewing web pages through a proxy server
• Running an application/program from a memory stick/jump drive
• In any way altering, damaging, removal of keys, vandalizing or, opening hardware or computer accessories
• Any attempt and/or threats to harm a person
• Plagiarism of online content
• Posting, publishing, circulating or distributing personal information about oneself or others without the supervision and consent of a staff member
• Sharing of user names and passwords for other people to use
• Use of technology or the network to access sites / software not approved by staff.

Students must respect intellectual property and adhere to copyright, software piracy and fair dealing laws associated with learning technologies.

Prohibited Sites include those which contain:

• Vulgar or lewd depiction of the human body
• content publicly labelled for adults
• Violent acts
• On-line gambling
• Sites that encourage the use of illicit or illegal drugs, tobacco, or alcohol
• Sites that advocating violence or hatred against an identifiable group (i.e. race, religion, gender, disabilities, age, colour, sexual orientation, etc.)
• Sites promoting criminal activity

Violation of the CBE Policy

Each situation is dealt with on an individual basis and breach of policy may result in:

• Restriction or loss of technology privileges
• School based disciplinary consequences; and / or
• Police intervention and/or legal action