Digital Citizenship and Digital Learning
Digital Curriculum
Digital technology plays a crucial role in teaching, learning, and daily life. At Ōpua School, we value our ICT facilities for their positive impact on learning and school operations. We aim to foster competent, confident digital citizens who manage challenges like safety, privacy, copyright, and device protection, navigating the digital world with critical thinking, integrity, and respect for privacy.
Our philosophy embraces a balanced approach to blended learning, integrating the NZ digital curriculum with the effective use of technology. We combine traditional teaching methods with digital tools to equip students with the skills to succeed in both the digital and physical worlds.
We keep students engaged with new learning, technologies, and ways of accessing information.
We manage screen time carefully, viewing digital devices as tools for learning.
We guide students in choosing the best tools for their educational needs.
As defined by NetSafe, a digital citizen is:
A confident and capable user of ICT who participates in educational, cultural, and economic activities.
Someone who uses and develops critical thinking skills in cyberspace.
Literate in the language, symbols, and texts of digital technologies.
Aware of ICT challenges and capable of managing them effectively.
A user of ICT to engage with others in positive, meaningful ways.
Someone who demonstrates honesty, integrity, and ethical behaviour in their use of digital technology.
A person who respects privacy and freedom of speech in the digital world.
A contributor who actively promotes the values of digital citizenship.
In terms of some general good advice, have a look at our 10 Best suggestions for Managing Digital devices at home at the foot of this page and this one-page document from Network for Learning [N4L]:
What resources will we be using in school to support your children to be good digital citizens?
In Rooms 1 and 2, the children will be working through age appropriate modules to support their safety online. Some of these are called Hector’s World.
In Rooms 3, 4 and 5, the children will be continue to discuss digital citizenship in class and have a values based approach to online safety which we will be regularly referring to and teaching. We have a guide in Rooms 4 and 5 for this that is underpinned by our school’s AWHINA values.
Parent consultation meetings
Please see the powerpoint below which was the presentation given by our PLD providers to the Parent Consultation meeting on 11th August, 2016 . This powerpoint explains the thinking behind what we are trying to achieve: Powerpoint explaining rationale behind Digital Learning
This was the presentation given by our PLD providers to our second Parent Consultation Meeting on Tuesday, 30th August. The topic of this session was ‘Digital Citizenship & Online Safety‘.
A managed network
Our school is part of a countrywide ‘Managed Network’ with a number of robust, built in system tools and safeguards called N4L – Network for Learning. For general information about this N4L managed network, please go for a browse around their website: http://www.n4l.co.nz/
Keeping our children safe online
The Ministry of Education has supported the development of a ‘Netsafe Kit for schools’. I suggest a browse through at least the following pages:
www.netsafe.org.nz/the-kit/digital-citizenship
www.netsafe.org.nz/the-kit/schools-and-digital-citizenship
www.mylgp.org.nz and www.commonsensemedia.org/videos/super-digital-citizen
Please click on the useful links below for further good advice on keeping your children safe online:
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/privacy-and-internet-safety
Tech Savvy Kids: How to Empower Your Child to Explore the Internet Safely
OUR TEN BEST SUGGESTIONS FOR MANAGING DIGITAL LEARNING AT HOME:
- Show your children you are engaged and involved in their online learning;
- Establish agreed, shared rules when a device is purchased such as: parents always have the children’s updated passwords; all devices are put in an agreed location at an agreed time [especially – they are not in bedrooms and not being used after a certain time];
- Online friends should be treated [e.g. discussed and introduced] just like friends who visit your house;
- A parent should always be watched by the child as they do a ‘website history / sites visited’ check weekly;
- A child is told and understands why personal information should never be shared online;
- A child is supported and encouraged to lead a balanced life enjoying exciting and positive learning experiences in the digital world but also enjoying the physical world and traditional, active indoors and outdoors play;
- Don’t ‘bury your head in the sand’. The digital world is a reality and it is best to engage with it and go with your child every step of the way sharing the learning, discussing the issues and deciding on the best ways of reacting to online issues together instead of trying to be prohibitionist and over-protective.
- Know that a child between 5 and 18 is highly recommended to have an absolute maximum of 2 hours each day on a device.
- Use a timer to “prove” how long a child has been online. Take out the debate, emotion and arguments that commonly come with this topic.
- Be an adult “model”. Show that you also can put down your phone, turn off the computer and end your game when the agreed time limit has been reached.