Students and Teachers Taught to Be Good Digital Citizens
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
Once a policy has been adopted by the school board, the policy is posted on the Warsaw Community Schools website, according to Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz.
That will include the social media use policy the board is scheduled to approve at its November meeting.
“Certainly if it’s a policy that relates directly to teachers and students, we certainly place a lot of emphasis on making certain our staff is aware of any new or revised policies,” Hintz said. “Policies really give us direction on what our school corporation will do in the whole area of governing the system.”
Along with the adoption of policies, Hintz said he works with the school board on administrative guidelines that implement the policies the board has adopted.
“It’s a dynamic process. We have policy revisions throughout the calendar year, especially after the end of the legislative session and as the laws change on how schools are governed at the general assembly. Those changes come in the form of revisions or new policies to every school corporation in the state,” Hintz said.
“I’m proud of the staff we have in place that have the knowledge and the skills and abilities to really protect everyone. As adults working in the system, we have a responsibility to do what we believe is right, to follow our policies, to follow our guidelines, always keeping the best interest of our students in mind,” Hintz continued.
Technology, he said, really has accelerated learning and heightened the creativity and curiosity of students.
“They walk through our doors every day with incredible technology skills and places where they’ve been on the Internet. Ways of finding information and researching and discovering new information. It’s incredible with what the learner brings through the front door of the school as far as the ability to really explore this world virtually,” Hintz said.
Tippecanoe Valley High School Principal Doehrmann said, “I think it’s important, as we take a look at this, when we talk to staff, we talk about what is appropriate, we talk about what is their online footprint because it’s always out there.
“As we have people who are role models, who might let down their guard when they can, they’ve got to know that everyone can see that,” he continued. “So we spend time talking with staff about these issues. We also see many things going on that have been positive.”
Many Valley teachers use text lists to contact groups like student council to let them know about an event. They can text out to all the kids, he said.
“Personally, I don’t friend any current student on Facebook, but if they graduate then that’s OK. I will friend them that way. But, on the other hand, I do use Twitter with current students. I know our P.E. teacher is excellent about sending out articles to kids to get responses from kids that way,” Doehrmann said.
“... It does help to establish relationships in a different way,” he said.
Brad Hagg, WCS chief technology officer, said, “One of our core missions at Warsaw Community Schools, too, is to equip our students. ... we have to teach these kids really strong digital citizenship skills.”
To do that, this year WCS has put in place a curriculum called Learning.com, Hagg said. Every elementary student in every school is taking time to go through this curriculum in the computer lab. It’s a special Warsaw has like physical education or library. The role of the librarian – media specialist – also has been changed this year.
“This year we’re using that time for the teachers to take students to the computer lab and they’re going through this Learning.com curriculum and they’re learning those digital citizenships – how to communicate safely online; how to make good, appropriate choices; how to be good digital citizens in every way. How to not cyber bully,” Hagg said. “All these good things we want from our kids. It’s not just how to be a good physical neighbor next door. We now have to teach them how to be a good neighbor online.”
Warsaw also did a pilot program this year with the Department of Education on a technology skills assessment at seventh grade, Hagg said. So far, Warsaw has one nine weeks of kids go through the course and did the assessment with them.
“We were surprised at how high they scored on that assessment for that first quarter group because this was a group that hadn’t had the formalized Learning.com curriculum, but they still by the end of that quarter a significant portion, the average was in the proficient area, so they were demonstrating they had a lot of those skills,” Hagg said.
Kayla Rassi, Tippecanoe Valley technology director, said, “As we do move to 1-to-1 (at the high school) next year, we are looking at a program called My Big Campus, which is pretty much a controlled social networking environment which will allow students and staff to collaborate, but it’s within our content filter.”
Everything will be monitored. Students and teachers will be able to share documents and it will be more of a classroom tool than a broad social media environment, she said.
In May, Valley Superintendent Brett Boggs said, the school board approved a cell phone, camera and social networking site policy for the TVHS athletic handbook.
The policy requires all cell phones and cameras to be secured and unseen in any locker room. Student-athletes are responsible for information contained in written or electronic transmissions and any information posted on a public domain such as Facebook, according to the policy.
“Student-athletes should be reminded that they serve as representatives of their team, the athletic program and the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation,” according to the policy.
Texting, tweeting and uses of other social networks to disparage or criticize the team, other students, opponents, coaches or other school personnel will be deemed conduct unbecoming a Tippecanoe Valley student-athlete, the policy states. Any individual identified on a social networking site which depicts illegal or unacceptable behavior will be considered in violation of the athletic code of conduct and subject to athletic discipline.
“A huge piece of 1-to-1 is digital citizenship,” Rassi said. “Teaching students how to appropriately use the Internet, technology and social media, and to be a good citizen in doing that. And I think a lot of that is going to be a learning experience for staff as well. It’s not just the students who are going to learn to be digital citizens, but staff being digital citizens and really modeling that as we move ahead.”
Boggs said Valley has had an acceptable use policy for a number of years, but things have changed so much, the policy will be revised and expanded.[[In-content Ad]]
Once a policy has been adopted by the school board, the policy is posted on the Warsaw Community Schools website, according to Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz.
That will include the social media use policy the board is scheduled to approve at its November meeting.
“Certainly if it’s a policy that relates directly to teachers and students, we certainly place a lot of emphasis on making certain our staff is aware of any new or revised policies,” Hintz said. “Policies really give us direction on what our school corporation will do in the whole area of governing the system.”
Along with the adoption of policies, Hintz said he works with the school board on administrative guidelines that implement the policies the board has adopted.
“It’s a dynamic process. We have policy revisions throughout the calendar year, especially after the end of the legislative session and as the laws change on how schools are governed at the general assembly. Those changes come in the form of revisions or new policies to every school corporation in the state,” Hintz said.
“I’m proud of the staff we have in place that have the knowledge and the skills and abilities to really protect everyone. As adults working in the system, we have a responsibility to do what we believe is right, to follow our policies, to follow our guidelines, always keeping the best interest of our students in mind,” Hintz continued.
Technology, he said, really has accelerated learning and heightened the creativity and curiosity of students.
“They walk through our doors every day with incredible technology skills and places where they’ve been on the Internet. Ways of finding information and researching and discovering new information. It’s incredible with what the learner brings through the front door of the school as far as the ability to really explore this world virtually,” Hintz said.
Tippecanoe Valley High School Principal Doehrmann said, “I think it’s important, as we take a look at this, when we talk to staff, we talk about what is appropriate, we talk about what is their online footprint because it’s always out there.
“As we have people who are role models, who might let down their guard when they can, they’ve got to know that everyone can see that,” he continued. “So we spend time talking with staff about these issues. We also see many things going on that have been positive.”
Many Valley teachers use text lists to contact groups like student council to let them know about an event. They can text out to all the kids, he said.
“Personally, I don’t friend any current student on Facebook, but if they graduate then that’s OK. I will friend them that way. But, on the other hand, I do use Twitter with current students. I know our P.E. teacher is excellent about sending out articles to kids to get responses from kids that way,” Doehrmann said.
“... It does help to establish relationships in a different way,” he said.
Brad Hagg, WCS chief technology officer, said, “One of our core missions at Warsaw Community Schools, too, is to equip our students. ... we have to teach these kids really strong digital citizenship skills.”
To do that, this year WCS has put in place a curriculum called Learning.com, Hagg said. Every elementary student in every school is taking time to go through this curriculum in the computer lab. It’s a special Warsaw has like physical education or library. The role of the librarian – media specialist – also has been changed this year.
“This year we’re using that time for the teachers to take students to the computer lab and they’re going through this Learning.com curriculum and they’re learning those digital citizenships – how to communicate safely online; how to make good, appropriate choices; how to be good digital citizens in every way. How to not cyber bully,” Hagg said. “All these good things we want from our kids. It’s not just how to be a good physical neighbor next door. We now have to teach them how to be a good neighbor online.”
Warsaw also did a pilot program this year with the Department of Education on a technology skills assessment at seventh grade, Hagg said. So far, Warsaw has one nine weeks of kids go through the course and did the assessment with them.
“We were surprised at how high they scored on that assessment for that first quarter group because this was a group that hadn’t had the formalized Learning.com curriculum, but they still by the end of that quarter a significant portion, the average was in the proficient area, so they were demonstrating they had a lot of those skills,” Hagg said.
Kayla Rassi, Tippecanoe Valley technology director, said, “As we do move to 1-to-1 (at the high school) next year, we are looking at a program called My Big Campus, which is pretty much a controlled social networking environment which will allow students and staff to collaborate, but it’s within our content filter.”
Everything will be monitored. Students and teachers will be able to share documents and it will be more of a classroom tool than a broad social media environment, she said.
In May, Valley Superintendent Brett Boggs said, the school board approved a cell phone, camera and social networking site policy for the TVHS athletic handbook.
The policy requires all cell phones and cameras to be secured and unseen in any locker room. Student-athletes are responsible for information contained in written or electronic transmissions and any information posted on a public domain such as Facebook, according to the policy.
“Student-athletes should be reminded that they serve as representatives of their team, the athletic program and the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation,” according to the policy.
Texting, tweeting and uses of other social networks to disparage or criticize the team, other students, opponents, coaches or other school personnel will be deemed conduct unbecoming a Tippecanoe Valley student-athlete, the policy states. Any individual identified on a social networking site which depicts illegal or unacceptable behavior will be considered in violation of the athletic code of conduct and subject to athletic discipline.
“A huge piece of 1-to-1 is digital citizenship,” Rassi said. “Teaching students how to appropriately use the Internet, technology and social media, and to be a good citizen in doing that. And I think a lot of that is going to be a learning experience for staff as well. It’s not just the students who are going to learn to be digital citizens, but staff being digital citizens and really modeling that as we move ahead.”
Boggs said Valley has had an acceptable use policy for a number of years, but things have changed so much, the policy will be revised and expanded.[[In-content Ad]]
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