Are my social media privacy settings up-to-date and adequate to keep my information safe? Is this email legitimate and can I click the links within it? Do I have virus protection on my computer? Is my internet connection protected by an encryption or firewall? These are the questions that Digital Safety and Security asks us to consider. Understanding how to secure your devices and information online is an essential skill, especially when so much of who we are resides in the digital world. This month, we challenge you to perform a digital checkup to make sure you are safe and secure online.

The saturation of technology in day-to-day life has had an undeniable impact on society. It has had an outsized impact on the way we live and our quality of life. Digital Health and Wellness is defined as the physical and psychological well-being in a digital technology world. From Zoom fatigue to ergonomic computer accessories, almost any issues dealing with technology and health fall under this Digital Citizenship Essential. This month, consider the ways in which technology has affected your health and wellness and how you can leverage technology to improve it.

As is the case in broader society, the internet is also subject to our system of justice. Digital Law is the area of Digital Citizenship that deals with the laws and regulations governing the world wide web. For example, in the wake of social media and other internet-based businesses having unfettered access to our personal data, many states have moved in the past year to create privacy laws that regulate how their citizens' data is used and shared. These laws typically vary based on location and organization. Here at OPRFHS, we have an Acceptable Use Policy that governs what we can and can't do with District-issued technology and on school networks.

Arguably, no area has been more impacted by technological change than communication. Digital communication is defined as the electronic exchange of information. This includes mediums like email, text messaging, video conferencing, and social media which allow for instantaneous and global communication. Due to the pandemic, digital communication has allowed us to continue to remain connected to one another in ways that were not possible just a few decades prior. With all of these new communication tools and capabilities, it is more important than ever for students to consider how to appropriately and safely utilize them.

Understanding the basics of modern technology is a vital skill that all people need to know. Digital Fluency asks us to not only know the basics, but how to apply those skills to the work that we do. Our job is not over once we get onto the internet, we have to be able to find, interpret, and evaluate the content we seek. At a time when the internet is increasingly littered with misinformation and opinion-driven content, Digital Fluency has never been more important to a generation of students and citizens charged with navigating this vast and unfiltered digital space.

The holiday season is upon us and what better time to consider the buying and selling of goods and services online. Digital Commerce, also called Ecommerce, will make up 22% of global retail sales by 2023. To provide context for this growth, in 2019, the marketshare for Ecommerce was 14%. As online shopping has expanded, so too has the opportunity for scammers and identity thieves. It has never been more important to know how to protect your financial records and identity when shopping online. Click here to learn more with ISTE's student's guide to safe online shopping.

OPRF wants every student to be responsible online consumers and producers and well educated on the rights they are afforded online. It's important to remember that the internet is not a free-for-all, it's incumbent on us to treat the web as a community in which we protect and respect the rights it affords us all. The OPRFHS Library has compiled a number of resources aimed at helping students understand their Digital Rights and Responsibilities. Checkout what they have to offer here.

Check out the Best Practices for Digital Learning infographic for ways you (students) can easily avoid inappropriate digital behaviour! OPRFHS is committed to protecting all students by providing multiple anonymous resources for students to report incidents of bullying (digital or not) or digital harassment of ANY kind: 

OPRFHS is committed to providing all students with equitable and affordable access to home internet service.  In addition, to working with existing mobile venders, the OPRFHS Educational Technology department continually explores ways to improve our existing home internet options through both government, municipal, and non-profit means.

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For more information on obtaining affordable home internet, please click here.