Digital Literacy and Responsible Use
We live in a global and digital world -- a world changed by technology and new ideas about how we communicate with one another and exchange information. With support from technologically capable staff, students must develop the research, information fluency, and digital literacy skills that will allow them to be successful, safe, and ethical in this digital world. For this reason, staff and students are provided computer access privileges, as well as access to the Internet, email, digital communication and collaboration tools, online learning spaces, and electronic educational resources. These resources, tools, and equipment are essential to teaching and learning.
Overview
The guidelines for responsible use of digital tools and networking resources are outlined in School Board Procedure 2022P.
- District-owned technology on the NSD network, on non-school networks and offline
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Non-District technology, including privately owned technology that is connected to the NSD network or using non-district networks while on school property
Under the Federal Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) , the District is required to filter Internet access and to teach online safety. The District takes student safety and privacy very seriously and makes every effort to supervise and monitor student technology use. We use Internet filtering software to block access to content that is obscene, pornographic, or harmful to minors. We provide instruction to all students in the area of Digital Citizenship through use of District-approved curriculum from Common Sense Media.
NSD’s Responsible Use Procedure is in place to foster concepts of digital ethics and literacy. A digital citizen is one who:
- Understands human, cultural and societal issues related to technology and practices legal and ethical behavior.
- Advocates and practices safe, legal and responsible use of information and technology.
- Exhibits a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning and productivity.
- Demonstrates personal responsibility for lifelong learning.
- Exhibits leadership for digital citizenship.
As part of our efforts to comply with Copyright law, staff are expected to adhere to Fair Use principles in the creation of and use of curricular materials. Staff can read more about Fair Use by consulting this chart: Copyright & Fair Use Guidelines for Teachers . from Technology & Learning
Phishing
- Protect your computer by using security software. Set the software to update automatically so it can deal with any new security threats.
- Protect your mobile phone by setting software to update automatically. These updates could give you critical protection against security threats.
- Protect your accounts by using multi-factor authentication. Some accounts offer extra security by requiring two or more credentials to log in to your account. This is called multi-factor authentication. The additional credentials you need to log in to your account fall into two categories:
- Something you have—like a passcode you get via text message or an authentication app.
- Something you are—like a scan of your fingerprint, your retina, or your face.
- Multi-factor authentication makes it harder for scammers to log in to your accounts if they do get your username and password.
- Protect your data by backing it up. Back up your data and make sure those backups aren’t connected to your home network. You can copy your computer files to an external hard drive or cloud storage. Back up the data on your phone, too.
FAQs for Staff
Digital Citizenship & Responsible Use FAQs for Staff
- Is it ok for me to sell things I create on the Teachers Pay Teachers website?
- Who owns Google Documents? Do students own their own content?
- Is it ok for parents take pictures (on a field trip or at a party) and share them with other parents via a photo sharing site or share them on social media?
- What kinds of things can I do with my personal device on the district network?
- What should I do when the web-filter blocks sites that my students need to access? Can I use my credentials to override the filter for my students?
- How do I get a digital resource reviewed/approved?
- Is it ok for me to text my students?
- What is the policy for texting between parents and teachers?
- Can my school have a social media account?
- What should I do to make sure content I post on social media sites does not negatively impact my employment status? How do I separate my private and professional presence?
- What types of devices are unauthorized for use on the district network?
Is it ok for me to sell things I create on the Teachers Pay Teachers website?
It depends on who the copyright owner is for the materials being sold. Work created by employees as part of their employment is considered property of the District under the terms of “work made for hire.” This means that content created using district time and/or resources becomes the intellectual property of the District, and should not be sold on Teachers Pay Teachers. If you create materials on your own time, using your own resources, and they are created off site, then you can sell those materials. If you have more copyright questions please contact Shelby Reynolds (Assistant Director for Library Services and Instructional Technology) or Allen Miedema (Executive Director of Technology).
Who owns Google Documents? Do students own their own content?
Is it ok for parents take pictures (on a field trip or at a party) and share them with other parents via a photo sharing site or share them on social media?
Since parents are not district employees, they are not held to the same requirements and standards as district staff. Best practice would be for parents to work with teachers to understand the privacy needs of students in their class and properly inform all parents/guardians that pictures might be taken and shared. Teachers and/or Principals may determine that for any particular event, attendees should not take and/or share pictures to social media.
What kinds of things can I do with my personal device on the district network?
When you use a personal device for work-related activities, your entire personal device could be subject to discovery in a public records request. Using an app like Outlook on a personal device is a safe way to connect to work related communications. However, staff should be careful about maintaining a strong boundary between personal and professional work. Staff should avoid using text messaging to communicate any student information or sensitive content. As the RUP states, “Student and Staff use of the network for incidental personal use shall be in accordance with all District policies and procedures.” Incidental personal use (such as checking a personal email account) is not prohibited.
What should I do when the web-filter blocks sites that my students need to access? Can I use my credentials to override the filter for my students?
Technology has the ability to unblock certain websites that you know you will want students to utilize for a specific project or unit (as long as there is a student-learning-related reason for the request). Technology also has the ability to make a site available for a set period of time. In circumstances like this, when you reach the Lightspeed or Fortinet block page, you (the teacher) can request an exception and include the specific information and rationale for needing access to the site. Teachers should NOT sign into Fortinet with their teacher credentials for students. To request that a site be blocked or unblocked, visit https://helpdesk.nsd.org and create a support ticket.
How do I get a digital resource reviewed/approved?
Any web service that collects student data or where a teacher can enter student information must be reviewed for compliance with FERPA and COPPA. Staff who use these websites without review take on the liability of risking exposure of federally protected information. For more information visit the link https://go.nsd.org/drr .Some services will also need approval as curriculum. don’t need to go through CMAC unless they are a full curriculum (including pedagogical recommendations, assessments, content, and differentiation).
Is it ok for me to text my students?
No, staff members should not text students from their personal cell phones. Northshore has implemented Parentsquare and Studentsquare for safe and consistent communication with students and their families. Additionally, our learning management systems (Schoology and Seesaw) offer methods of communication with students and parents.
What is the policy for texting between parents and teachers?
If the content of the messages is related to school/district topics, then those messages should not be sent via text. Email should be used to communicate student, school, or district information to parents so it can be archived and recovered, if necessary. In the case of field trips, it is ok for parents and teachers to exchange phone numbers to ensure that everyone can stay in contact during the outing. If a parent then starts using text messaging to communicate with the teacher, the teacher should copy the text into an email and respond from there.
Can my school have a social media account?
What should I do to make sure content I post on social media sites does not negatively impact my employment status? How do I separate my private and professional presence?
Be aware of your Privacy settings on social media sites. You can typically access privacy settings through your profile settings/options. Some social media sites even have privacy setting tutorials. As a school district employee it is important that you have a strong boundary between your personal and professional online presence.
What types of devices are unauthorized for use on the district network?
Types of devices that are not safe or proper to use on the District network include: game players, personal media players (non-district Apple TV, Roku, etc.), anything that would create a backdoor network connection into our district network from outside (like dedicated Skype device), and anything that would be used to attack or steal information from our network. Additionally, any non-district network switch, router, hub, or similar devices indented to connect computing devices to the network are unauthorized.