Digital Learning (Internet, Social Media and Digital Devices) Policy

Help for non-English speakers If you need help to understand the information in this policy, please contact the school on 9311 9325

PURPOSE

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

• our commitment to providing students with the opportunity to benefit from digital technologies to support and enhance learning and development at school including [our 1-to-1 personal device program or insert other appropriate programs as relevant to your school]
• expected student behaviour when using digital technologies including the internet, social media, and digital devices (including computers, laptops, tablets)
• 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
• our school’s policies and procedures for responding to inappropriate student behaviour on digital technologies and the internet
• the various Department policies on digital learning, including social media, that our school follows and implements when using digital technology
• our school prioritises the safety of students whilst they are using digital technologies

SCOPE

This policy applies to all students and staff at Western English Language School.

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:

• Western English Language School’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

At Western English Language School, digital technologies and the internet provide teachers and students with opportunities to connect, create and collaborate with individuals, and organisations throughout the world. This also includes contact with students’ relatives and friends in their home country. Empowering students for education through digital technologies is integral for New Arrival students to transition into the Australian education system and workforce. Digital Learning enables students to interact with and create high quality content, resources and tools. The availability of translation software, and language apps and tutorials, make digital technologies and media an excellent resource for additional language acquisition. It also enables personalised learning and transforms assessment, reporting and feedback.

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.

Western English Language School 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 interconnected 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 people.

Personal Devices at the Western English Language School

Classes at the Western English Language School are provided with a school-issued device for use during school hours. Students are responsible for charging their device. Students complete a variety of learning activities each day using their device. The school’s insurance policy covers damage during class and school hours.

The Western English Language School has in place arrangements to support families who may be experiencing short-term hardship to access devices for schoolwork. This includes provisioning internet devices and providing all students with an iPad or laptop for remote learning.

The Western English Language School provides mainstream students who participate in the Melton Online Learning program with a school-issued laptop for the duration of the program. Prior to commencing the program, students complete the ICT Acceptable Use Agreement.

Safe and appropriate use of digital technologies

[Under the Minimum Standards for school registration, including the Child Safe Standards, schools are required to have policies in place to manage student safety and wellbeing when using the internet. The purpose of this section is to help you meet these requirements, by stating broadly what the school is doing to ensure that digital technologies are used safely and responsibly by students. You should also consider including detail about the procedures and practices in place to foster a healthy and educationally focused digital culture at school. The text below is included as a sample only and should be amended to reflect your school community].

Digital technologies, if not used appropriately, may present risks to users’ safety or wellbeing. At Example School, 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 Western English Language School 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 [insert details of specific programs]
• 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 [insert relevant role/s, i.e. classroom teacher, the administration], 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 Western English Language School’s Statement of Values & School Philosophy 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), the Western English Language School 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
• other consequences as outlined in the school’s Student Wellbeing & Engagement and Bullying Prevention Policy

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

POLICY REVIEW AND APPROVAL

This policy has a mandatory review cycle of 2 years

ANNEXURE A: ACCEPTABLE USE AGREEMENT

Acceptable Use Agreement

The Western English Language School’s ICT Acceptable Use Agreement