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Digital Literacy

Two students working on computers.

Director of Digital Literacy 

Molly Laden

Email:
mladen@medford.k12.ma.us

Medford Public Schools is committed to preparing students for success in the future. We view technology as an integral part of the educational experience and are committed to providing a strong digital learning environment for all students.

Medford Public Schools technology instruction is aligned to the Massachusetts Digital Literacy and Computer Science curriculum frameworks which address core concepts in 4 key strands for each grade span:

  • Computing and Society
  • Digital Tools and Collaboration
  • Computing Systems
  • Computational Thinking.

These frameworks integrate practices for students in a technological world; present concepts that progress from kindergarten to grade 12; and align with content in the other Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.

Guiding Principles

The Massachusetts Digital Literacy and Computer Science Curriculum Standards are grouped into 4 strands for each grade span K-2, 3-5. 6-8. 9-12 and within each strand there are topics that identify what students should be able to know and do:

Computing and Society

  • Safety and Security
  • Ethics and Laws
  • Interpersonal and Societal Impacts

Computing Systems

  • Computing Devices
  • Human and Computer Partnerships
  • Networks
  • Services

Digital Tools and Collaboration

  • Digital Tools
  • Collaboration and Communication
  • Research

Computational Thinking

  • Abstraction
  • Algorithms
  • Data
  • Programming and Development
  • Modeling and Simulation

Curriculum Overview

Grade K-2

Students learn to:

  • Operate digital tools
  • Identify, locate and use letters, numbers and special keys on a keyboard
  • Identify safe and unsafe examples of online communications
  • Use appropriate digital tools individually to create, review, and revise simple artifacts that include text, images and audio

Grade 3-5

Students learn to:

  • Use proper ergonomics when using devices(e.g. body position, positioning of equipment)
  • Identify appropriate and inappropriate used of technology when posting to social media, using email or texts and browsing the internet
  • Identify safe practices online
  • Understand the proper use and operation of security technologies(e.g. passwords, spam filters, popup blockers, cookies)
  • Identify and report different types of cyberbullying
  • Develop typing skills
  • Navigate and transfer files between local, networked and online/cloud environments
  • Define an algorithm as a sequence of instructions and use logical reasoning to predict outcomes of an algorithm

Resources

Medford Public Schools Student Data Privacy Agreements

The Medford Public School District is a member of the Massachusetts Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC), a collaborative addressing solutions to data privacy concerns. This link provides a list of student data privacy agreements that have been signed by technology resource vendors with the Medford Public Schools.

Responsible Use Policy

Policies, guidelines and rules refer to all computing devices, as well as technology infrastructure, associated peripheral devices and/or software that access the Medford Public Schools internet/computer network; and all computers and devices owned by the Medford Public Schools.