Policy

Digital Technology Policy

Numurkah Primary School Approved at School Council Meeting: 25th June 2018

Policy: Digital Technologies (Internet,Social Media, Digital Devices) DET

Date: June 2018 Review: 2020

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
expected student behaviour when using digital technologies include 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

Scope

This policy applies to all students at Numurkah Primary School.

Staff use of technology is governed by the Department’s Acceptable Use Policy .

Definitions

For the purpose of this policy, “digital technologies” are defined as being any networks, systems, software or hardware including electronic devices and applications which allow a user to access, receive, view, record, store, communicate, copy or send any information such as text, images, audio, or video.

Vision for digital technology at our school

Numurkah Primary School understands that digital technologies including the internet, apps, computers and tablets 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 enhanced learning that is interactive, collaborative, personalised and engaging. 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.

Numurkah Primary 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 inter-connected world. Our school’s vision is to empower students to use digital technologies to reach their personal best and fully equip them to contribute positively to society as happy, healthy young adults.

Netbooks & ipads at Numurkah Primary School

Classes at Numurkah Primary School are delivered with the use of netbooks and ipads. The netbooks are stored in 2 locked cabinets which also contain chargers for all of them. These are located in the library and book alcove in the Prep-2 building. The netbooks are always being charged when not in use.

Our school also operates a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program, which means students bring their own purchased or leased netbook with them to school each day. This program is for students in Years Four to Six. Numurkah Primary School has special arrangements with the company Learning with Technologies that offers discounted prices for the purchase of the netbooks by families for their child’s individual use.

Students that have their own netbooks are required that their netbooks must:

be charged at home ready for school use
be brought to school in a protective case

PLEASE NOTE: The school’s I.T. technician uploads the school image and gives students access to the school network.

Please note that our school does not have insurance to cover accidental damage to students’ netbooks and parents/carers although there is coverage provided by Learning with Technologies which is an extra to the purchase price. Otherwise families are encouraged to consider obtaining their own insurance for their child’s netbook.

Students, parents and carers who would like more information or assistance regarding our BYOD program are encouraged to contact the school principal on 03 58621426.

Safe and appropriate use of digital technologies

Digital technology, if not used appropriately, may present risks to users’ safety or wellbeing. At Numurkah Primary School, we are committed to educating all students to be safe, responsible and discerning in the use of digital technologies, equipping them with skills and knowledge to navigate the digital age.

At Numurkah Primary School, we:

use online sites and digital tools that support students’ learning, and focus our use of digital technologies on being learning-centred
restrict the use of digital technologies in the classroom to specific uses with targeted educational or developmental aims
supervise and support students using digital technologies in the classroom
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 promoting safe, responsible and discerning use of digital technologies
educate our students about digital issues such as online privacy, intellectual property and copyright, and the importance of maintaining their own privacy 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 technology at school
use clear protocols and procedures to protect students working in online spaces, which includes reviewing the safety and appropriateness of online tools and communities, removing offensive content at 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 to block access to inappropriate content
support parents and carers to understand safe and responsible use of digital technologies and the stra