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Digital Citizenship certification gives EPISD students responsibility tools for Internet
The El Paso Independent School District has once again been certified as a Digital Citizenship District by Common Sense Education.
To reach this milestone, all schools in our district had to be certified as digital citizenship campuses.
This achievement supports the district’s vision that every student in the El Paso Independent School District will become a responsible digital citizen who knows how to harness safely, ethically, and respectfully the learning potential of digital media in a 24/7 connected world.
At EPISD, we want our students to make good decisions so they can take advantage of the powerful technology that fills their lives both at school and at home. But to make good choices, kids must know how the digital world works.
The stakes are high because our kids' technological abilities can be greater than their maturity and judgment. Having unrestricted access to information and people can result in gaining a wealth of information and experiences. But it can also mean accessing inappropriate content or making inappropriate contact with others. The difference between a great experience and an iffy one lies in the decisions kids make.
To become a certified district, Common Sense requires schools to provide at least three 45-minute lessons for three grade levels at each campus. EPISD goes far beyond this minimal requirement.
We offered four 45-minute lessons to all middle and high school students. At the elementary level, students in grades 1, 3, and 5 received three 45-minute lessons and grades K, 2, and 4 each received one 45-minute lesson.
A big “thank you” goes to the librarians in our district who provided the leadership at each campus to make sure their students received instruction in digital citizenship. The Instructional Technology Specialists also provided training and support across the district.