Riverbend School Digital Citizenship Plan
Student Safety
Staff and students of Riverbend will take the following action to ensure student safety online:
- Students will be supervised by teachers when using technology at school. Students will access the Internet only under the supervision of staff.
- Learning spaces will be intentionally designed to encourage active supervision while technology is in use (i.e., student screens will be visible to staff).
- Computers and other digital devices will not be used during indoor lunch hour or indoor recess in classrooms or Learning Commons without active supervision.
- Students will be made aware of how to stay safe online (i.e., using approved CBE websites, avoiding inappropriate content).
In the case of inappropriate use of CBE owned devices at Riverbend School, one or more of the following actions will be taken:
- Communication with parents about the incident.
- Documentation of the inappropriate use.
- Intervention by principal or assistant principal.
- Removal of privileges on school devices (length of time to be determined based on severity and/or frequency of inappropriate use).
- Other disciplinary actions as outlined in Riverbend’s Acceptable Use Policy.
Student Learning
The outcomes of the ICT Program of Studies are met by embedding them across curricular areas. The following actions are taken to ensure that students meet outcomes relating to Information and Communication Technology.
| K | Students in Kindergarten begin to understand the nature of technology in the classroom. They
begin to use technology in conjunction with the teachers to support learning. Learning how to use
computers and SMART Boards begins the journey for students. |
| 1 | Students begin learning and understanding the proper use and care of technological resources.
They begin to use the technology on their own. Students are made aware of the importance of
utilizing their login and passwords. Students are first exposed to online research and teachers
guide them through understanding the material. |
| 2 | Grade 2 students have utilized numerous technologies and discussed the proper use and
troubleshooting with these technologies. While teachers search for resources, they explain how
they choose valuable resources. Students will be developing an understanding of digital etiquette,
and what is safe. They will also be developing critical researching skills, both on and off-line. |
| 3 | Different uses of technology – software and hardware - have been integrated into curriculum.
Supporting students with different needs to access understanding of curriculum has been a focus,
with access to such programs as Google voice typing. |
| 4 | Teachers and students continue to integrate technological resources into their classroom learning
experiences. Students explore the validity of information and sources they gain from the internet,
and how to spot misinformation. Students learn how to properly cite sources and pictures in their
daily work. Safety in social media becomes a focus, with discussion on cyberbullying, and sharing
of information with others. |
| 5 | Students grow in their use of technology to support their understanding of concepts. Students are
taught concepts of understanding proper use of technological resources and being good digital
citizens in terms of social media, cyberbullying, understanding relevance of information and proper
use of information from electronic and other sources. |
| 6 | Students continue to grow in use of computer skills. Digital citizenship has been addressed through
multimedia presentations and conferencing. Proper use of school and non-school technology has
been a focus, as has the pressures of social media, access to information, and cyber-bullying. |
Student-Owned Devices
Staff and students at Riverbend will take the following action around student-owned devices:
- Devices will be put away upon arrival at Riverbend School.
- Student-owned devices will not be in use during recess or lunch time.
- Devices should only be in use in the classroom when they are being used for a specific learning purpose, at the discretion of each teacher.
- Issues relating to student-owned devices will be clearly articulated for students, staff and families. These include:
- Students are responsible for their own devices and the school is not liable in case of loss, theft or damage.
- There is no technical support provided at school for student-owned devices.
Parent Communication
In order to ensure that home and school have common understanding around digital citizenship, the following measures will be taken to share this plan with parents:
- This document will be available on the school website.
- Parents and students will sign an Acceptable Use Policy document at the beginning of the school year.
- Students will be made aware of this plan at school and will share their understanding with their parents as appropriate.
