DIGITAL LEARNING
(Internet, social media and digital devices)

Help for non-English speakers

If you need help to understand the information in this policy please contact Reservoir East Primary School office on 9460-1569.

Purpose

To ensure that all students and members of our school community understand:

(a) our commitment to providing students with the opportunity to benefit from digital technologies to support and enhance learning and development at school

(b) expected student behaviour when using digital technologies including the internet, social media, and digital devices (including computers, laptops, tablets)

(c) the school’s commitment to promoting safe, responsible and discerning use of digital technologies, and educating students on appropriate responses to any dangers or threats to wellbeing that they may encounter when using the internet and digital technologies

(d) our school’s policies and procedures for responding to inappropriate student behaviour on digital technologies and the internet

(e) the various Department policies on digital learning, including social media, that our school follows and implements when using digital technology

(f)  our school prioritises the safety of students whilst they are using digital technologies

Scope

This policy applies to all students and staff at Reservoir East Primary School (REPS).  

Staff use of technology is also governed by the following Department policies:

·       Acceptable Use Policy for ICT Resources

·       Cybersafety and Responsible Use of Digital Technologies

·       Digital Learning in Schools and

·       Social Media Use to Support Student Learning.

Staff, volunteers and school councillors also need to adhere to codes of conduct relevant to their respective roles. These codes include:

·       REPS’s Child Safety Code of Conduct

·       The Victorian Teaching Profession Code of Conduct (teaching staff)

·       Code of Conduct for Victorian Sector Employees (staff)

·       Code of Conduct for Directors of Victorian Public Entities (school councillors)

Definitions

For the purpose of this policy, “digital technologies” are defined as digital devices, tools, applications and systems that students and teachers use for learning and teaching; this includes Department-provided software and locally sourced devices, tools and systems.

Policy

Vision for digital learning at our school

The use of digital technologies is a mandated component of the Victorian Curriculum F-10.

Safe and appropriate use of digital technologies, including the internet, apps, computers and tablets, can provide students with rich opportunities to support learning and development in a range of ways.

Through increased access to digital technologies, students can benefit from learning that is interactive, collaborative, personalised, engaging and transformative. Digital technologies enable our students to interact with and create high quality content, resources and tools. It also enables personalised learning tailored to students’ particular needs and interests and transforms assessment, reporting and feedback, driving new forms of collaboration and communication.

REPS believes that the use of digital technologies at school allows the development of valuable skills and knowledge and prepares students to thrive in our globalised and inter-connected world. Our school’s vision is to empower students to use digital technologies safely and appropriately to reach their personal best and fully equip them to contribute positively to society as happy, healthy young adults.

Safe and appropriate use of digital technologies

Digital technologies, if not used appropriately, may present risks to users’ safety or wellbeing. At REPS, we are committed to educating all students to use digital technologies safely, equipping students with the skills and knowledge to navigate the digital world.

At REPS, we:

• use online sites and digital tools that support students’ learning, and focus our use of digital technologies on being learning-centred

•  use digital technologies in the classroom for specific purpose with targeted educational or developmental aims

• supervise and support students using digital technologies for their schoolwork

• effectively and responsively address any issues or incidents that have the potential to impact on the wellbeing of our students

• have programs in place to educate our students to be safe, responsible and discerning users of digital technologies, including Cool Australia esafety

• educate our students about digital issues such as privacy, intellectual property and copyright, and the importance of maintaining their own privacy and security online

• actively educate and remind students of our Student Engagement policy that outlines our School’s values and expected student behaviour, including online behaviours

• have an Acceptable Use Agreement outlining the expectations of students when using digital technologies for their schoolwork

• use clear protocols and procedures to protect students working in online spaces, which includes reviewing the safety and appropriateness of online tools and communities and removing offensive content at the earliest opportunity

• educate our students on appropriate responses to any dangers or threats to wellbeing that they may encounter when using the internet and other digital technologies

• provide a filtered internet service at school to block access to inappropriate content

•  refer suspected illegal online acts to the relevant law enforcement authority for investigation

• support parents and carers to understand the safe and responsible use of digital technologies and the strategies that can be implemented at home through regular updates in our newsletter, information sheets, website/school portal and information sessions.

Distribution of school owned devices to students and personal student use of digital technologies at school will only be permitted where students and their parents/carers have completed a signed Acceptable Use Agreement.

It is the responsibility of all students to protect their own password and not divulge it to another person. If a student or staff member knows or suspects an account has been used by another person, the account holder must notify their classroom teacher immediately.

All messages created, sent or retrieved on the school’s network are the property of the school. The school reserves the right to access and monitor all messages and files on the computer system, as necessary and appropriate. Communications including text and images may be required to be disclosed to law enforcement and other third parties without the consent of the sender.

Information on supervision arrangements for students engaging in digital learning activities is available in our Yard Duty and Supervision Policy.

Social media use

Our school follows the Department’s policy on Social Media Use to Support Learning to ensure social media is used safely and appropriately in student learning and to ensure appropriate parent notification occurs or, where required, consent is sought. Where the student activity is visible to the public, it requires consent.

In accordance with the Department’s policy on social media, staff will not ‘friend’ or ‘follow’ a student on a personal social media account, or accept a ‘friend’ request from a student using a personal social media account unless it is objectively appropriate, for example where the student is also a family member of the staff.

If a staff member of our school becomes aware that a student at the school is ‘following’ them on a personal social media account, Department policy requires the staff member to ask the student to ‘unfollow’ them, and to notify the school and/or parent or carer if the student does not do so.

Student behavioural expectations

When using digital technologies, students are expected to behave in a way that is consistent with REPS’s  Statement of Values, Student Wellbeing and Engagement policy, and Bullying Prevention policy.

When a student acts in breach of the behaviour standards of our school community (including cyberbullying, using digital technologies to harass, threaten or intimidate, or viewing/posting/sharing of inappropriate or unlawful content), REPS will institute a staged response, consistent with our student engagement and behaviour policies.

Breaches of this policy by students can result in a number of consequences which will depend on the severity of the breach and the context of the situation.  This includes:

·       removal of network access privileges

·       removal of email privileges

·       removal of internet access privileges

·       removal of printing privileges

·     other consequences as outlined in the school’s Student Wellbeing and Engagement and Bullying Prevention policies.

COMMUNICATION

This policy will be communicated to our school community in the following ways:

Available publicly on our school’s website

Included in staff induction and child safety training processes

at staff briefings/meetings as required

Included in our staff handbook/manual

Included in transition and enrolment packs

Made available in hard copy from school administration upon request

POLICY REVIEW AND APPROVAL

Policy last reviewed: 29 August 2022

Consultation: Staff, School Council

Approved by: Principal, James Cumming

Next scheduled review date: 29 August 2024

ANNEXURE A: Acceptable Use Agreement

Student Acceptable Use Agreement 

Safe, responsible and behaviour  

When I use digital technologies I communicate respectfully by: 

• always thinking and checking that what I write or post is polite and respectful

• being kind to my friends and classmates and thinking about how the things I do or say  online might make them feel (ask students to reflect on how they would feel.)  

• not sending mean or bullying messages or forwarding them to other people.  

• creating and presenting my own work, and if I copy something from online, letting my  audience know by sharing the website link to acknowledge the creator. 

When I use digital technologies I protect personal information by being aware that my full name, photo, birthday, address and phone number is personal information and is not to be shared online. This means I:  

• protect my friends’ information in the same way 

• protect my passwords and don’t share them with anyone except my p

• only ever join spaces with my parents or teacher’s guidance and permission 

• never answer questions online that ask for my personal information 

• know not to post three or more pieces of identifiable information about myself.  

When I use digital technologies I respect myself and others by thinking about what I share online. This means I:  

• stop to think about what I post or share online 

• use spaces or sites that are appropriate, and if I am not sure I ask a trusted adult for  help 

• protect my friends’ full names, birthdays, school names, addresses and phone  numbers because this is their personal information 

• speak to a trusted adult if I see something that makes me feel upset or if I need help

• speak to a trusted adult if someone is unkind to me or if I know someone else is upset  or scared 

• don’t deliberately search for something rude or violent 

• turn off or close the screen if I see something I don’t like and tell a trusted adult

• am careful with the equipment I use. 

At school we/I have:  

• discussed ways to be a safe, responsible and ethical user of digital technologies.

• presented my ideas around the ways that I can be a smart, safe, responsible and  ethical user of digital technologies. 

I will use this knowledge at school and everywhere I use digital technologies. 

My ideas on safe and responsible behaviour  

When I use digital technologies I communicate respectfully. This means I:   

When I use digital technologies I protect personal information. This means I:    

When I use digital technologies I am responsible. This means I:   

Student name: _____________________________________________________________

Student signature: __________________________________________________________

Date: ________________

Parent/Guardian has read the agreement:   Y / N