Personal technology

Personal Technology policy | all personal technology should be off and away unless a teacher has given permission for its use. 

 Expectations are developed to be consistent between classrooms – teachers do not have different expectations, but may have different learning tasks related to the use of technology. The school provides tech (tablets, laptops) when appropriate and needed for learning and there is no expectation that families provide technology or send cell phones to school.

 We often use the phrase "invisible unless invited" with students to remind them that all personal tech stays away unless a teacher has created an opportunity for use during a learning task and gives permission for use. This may be on an individual or whole class basis, based on the task or learning needs.

• Expectations for technology apply to all personal electronic devices, such as (but not limited to): cell phones, headphones (of any kind), smartwatches, and laptops/tablets. 
• We ask that caregivers and family members do not text or call students during instructional time as this is distracting to our learning environment.  Your child’s technology will be off and away and they may not respond as quickly as you wish. If your child needs to reach a caregiver, they have access to a phone in every classroom.
• Students using personal devices at lunch, or before/after school, are still bound by the expectations of Digital Citizenship, and the Administrative Reg 6005 (Student Code of Conduct)
• We discourage students from bringing valuables to school. The school will not be responsible for lost or stolen electronic items and assumes no liability for lost, stolen or damaged items; such items are brought to school at the students’ own risk. 

School technology

At Terry Fox School, we believe that technology can be a tool to enhance and support the learning of each student. There can be benefits from using technology to support learning, and learning how to use technology appropriately is important. Digital Citizenship is an approach to using technology appropriately. This approach is taught in classrooms, modelled by teachers, and expected of all students.

Students have the opportunity to access and use technology to support their learning, and are also responsible to use technology in appropriate and ethical ways. To support this work, all students, staff and parents must follow established standards of appropriate and ethical use while using technology.

Every classroom is equipped with a SmartBoard. Terry Fox School has a technology device ratio of 3 students for every 1 device (laptop, chromebook, or ipad).  For our current population, that means that the maximum number of tech devices in the school is 214.  These devices are organized and shared between classrooms, and we have a booking system that teachers use in order to ensure equitable distribution of resources.