Montour School District is the first in the state to receive certification for teaching all of its students how to be good citizens online.
The district teaches a curriculum to all kindergarten through 12th-grade students developed by Common Sense, a national, San Francisco-based nonprofit. The lessons focus on how to deal with cyberbullying, what constitutes as online plagiarism, and students' digital footprints.
Thirty school districts in Allegheny County are using some part of the curriculum in certain grades or schools but not their entire districts, according to the group.
“The whole thing was about being proactive, giving teachers, students, parents the tools to use devices in a productive way,” said Justin Aglio, director of innovation at the Montour School District.
Every class had a lesson from the curriculum during the first two weeks of school. The district sent letters and information home to parents on how to navigate the Internet with their children.
Montour High School also has let its students run its Facebook page, to give them hands-on experience in digital marketing.
This is the first year that Montour has implemented a districtwide initiative, but digital citizenship will be a mainstay, Aglio said.
“Its not a one-week or two-week drive-by. We're going to continue to teach those skills throughout the year and into the future,” he said.
The curriculum emphasizes respect and courteousness, and teaches students to treat people online the same way one would in person, he said.
Students talk about what it means to be a good digital citizen and discuss how to deal with cyberbullying, information security, lack of privacy and creating a digital footprint.
The permanency of a digital footprint is one many students and parents don't fully comprehend, said Jennifer Ehehalt, an educational regional manager with Common Sense who is based at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit at The Waterfront in Homestead.
Oftentimes, students assume that when they delete photos or posts online, they're gone, but that is not true, she said. People should know that what they post will always remain online in some form.
“People just assume that if people take it down it's fine, and the curriculum offers a lot of lessons around the digital footprint. They're not aware sometimes of how their digital footprint is being designed,” she said.
The curriculum also focuses on creating a more positive and responsible school culture and the hazards of being reckless online
“It's easy to be someone else online,” said Ehehalt, who has been working with Allegheny County schools for four years. “We try to offer the balanced tone of what you say to someone's face should also be what you're comfortable saying online.”
Katelyn Ferral is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-380-5627 or kferral@tribweb.com.
