Student use of Technology
Natomas Unified is committed to providing 21st century classroms for teaching and learning. NUSD supports and respects each family’s right to decide to allow for or request the denial of district technology services. As such, all students along with their parent/guardian, must sign a Student Technology Acceptable Use Agreement located here.
Digital Citizenship
What is Digital Citizenship?
“Digital Citizenship is a concept which helps teachers, technology leaders and parents to understand what students/children/technology users should know to use technology appropriately. Digital Citizenship is more than just a teaching tool; it is a way to prepare students/technology users for a society full of technology. Digital citizenship is the norms of appropriate, responsible technology use. Too often we are seeing students as well as adults misusing and abusing technology but not sure what to do. The issue is more than what the users do not know but what is considered appropriate technology usage.” (www.digitalcitizenship.net, 2015)
RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES
For parents and families, there are a variety of resources available for helping your child develop into a positive digital citizen. Here are some resources to start the conversation with your children.
Common Sense Media
Common Sense is a resource-rich site for all families and educators. Dedicated to seeing kids thrive in a world of media and technology, the site contains resources and tools for parents and teachers to help kids make wise decisions.
- Reviews – Not sure if your child should read a particular book or curious what conversations to expect after watching the latest video? Check out the Common Sense Media Review section. You will find reviews for books, movies, TV shows, and video games.
- Parent Concerns – A section of the site containing a variety of resources (videos, articles, blog posts) for topics parents often ask about regarding technology (ex: screentime, cyberbullying, social media, etc.).
- Parent Blog – Regularly updated blog posts for parents and educators on helping students use technology effectively. Topics can range from whether or not you should let your kid see a particular movie to great books for Christmas or apps that help with mathematical reasoning. You can subscribe to the blog via email or get regular posts by liking Common Sense Media’s Facebook page.
- Connecting Families – These pages are technically buried in the Educator section, but have phenomenal resources for families. Two powerful sections to check out are Discuss and Share. The Discuss section contains short articles and vignettes parents can use with their children to discuss how to handle situations like cyberbullying or multitasking and time management. The Share area has an amazing Family Tool kit with resources like customizable technology contracts and family media agreements.
Common Sense Media Parent Tip Sheets
Options for Limiting Technology Access
Concerned about this site your child might be accessing or the amount of time they are spending online? Or perhaps you are simply interested in a tool that would help you monitor and channel online activities? These might be some tools for you.
- Network Filtering – There are a variety of options for filtering your home network. Often, these will filter all users at the same level regardless of device they are using.
- Filtering Through Your Router – Depending on your router or internet service provider you might have the ability to limit or filter websites. Many service providers also provide third party tools. Here are a few to check out.
- Device Restrictions – Most modern devices allow you to set up some restrictions from programs and websites you can access to even time limits for using a computer. Below are links for setting up restrictions (often called “parental controls”) depending on your hardware and operating system.
- Windows Computers – Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista
- Apple (iOS) Tablets – Setting Up Restrictions
- Chromebooks – Setting Up Supervised Users (for personal Chromebooks and individual Gmail accounts)
- Android Devices – Coming Soon
RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS
Digital Citizenship Curriculum
Common Sense Media provides resources and curriculum regarding digital citizenship. These materials are free to download and fully customizable. They provide engaging entry points into lessons on using email, appropriate online behavior, and being ready for the 21st Century workplace.
- Curriculum Overview – A high level overview of all of the Common Sense Media curriculum resources.
- Scope & Sequence – A great place to start when it comes to navigating the full list of lessons.
Additional Helpful Resources
Along with the Digital Literacy & Citizenship Curriculum, Common Sense Media also provides a few other helpful educator resources.
- Graphite – Common Core-aligned resources and lesson ideas for teachers to use with their students. Many also weave in digital citizenship skills.
- Educator Blog – Common Sense Media maintains a blog target at educators with tips and tricks, as well as lesson resources. You can subscribe via email to get regular updates.
