PLUM BOROUGH SCH OOL NE WS
lum Borough
Digital Citizenship
Librarians throughout the district’s elementary schools
have begun their annual lessons about empowering
students to think critically, behave safely, and participate
responsibly in our digital world. These lessons range from
going places safely on the internet, giving credit to digital
work, cyberbullying and digital drama, to lessons on
maintaining a positive digital footprint and reputation when
online. In the ever-changing digital lives of our students,
digital citizenship and literacy are part of the new norm.
These complex and necessary skills are taught in
conjunction with an iPad app called Nearpod. Nearpod is an
interactive application that allows all students in the class
an opportunity to take part interactively in the day’s lesson.
The district’s librarians use the lessons provided by Common
Sense Media to help them integrate digital citizenship
and literacy into each lesson. Commonsensemedia.org
is an invaluable online tool for parents, educators, and
students and can be used in a variety of ways. The district’s
librarians and Educational Technology staff strongly urge
parents to visit the website with their children and have
serious discussions regarding maintaining a positive and
responsible online presence.
Another notable tool used by the district’s 6th graders
is Digital Compass. Digital Compass is designed for grades
6-8, and it invites students to explore digital dilemmas,
make good (and not-so-good) decisions, and try out
possible solutions through stories and mini-games – all
without risking their real-world reputations. From the digital
compass page of Common Sense Media, students will be
able to develop skill-based competencies through gamebased learning, find facts and gather data for conscientious
decisions, and assess situations in order to make informed
online judgements.
The Plum Borough School District encourages
meaningful conversations with your child(ren) about the
important topic of digital citizenship. Again, please visit
commonsensemedia.org for some relevant and topical
conversation pieces for you and your family.
Reach for the Stars at Center Elementary
3,2,1...Blast Off! Center students are soaring
through the solar system using their math skills.
Each student has a monthly opportunity to
meet their grade level goal through completing
benchmark tests. Students are sharpening their
computation of whole numbers, decimals, and
fractions. For each benchmark they receive a star
with their name on it that is displayed within our
Center Solar System. Along with their star the