PUSD Superintendent Dr. Marian Kim Phelps recently released a statement in which she shared her top priorities for 2024. Among priorities such as addressing learning gaps and expanding CTE pathways, Phelps focused on the growth of PUSD’s Common Sense Education digital citizenship campaign as well as efforts to educate students on AI usage in schools.
In October, PUSD announced its goal of becoming a “Common Sense” School District, a designation put out by Common Sense Education that recognizes excellence in digital citizenship.
The Nexus appreciates PUSD’s efforts towards adapting students’ learning in a digitalizing world, and we encourage Westview to incorporate Common Sense lessons into our education, improving safety and online etiquette while encouraging ethical uses of technology.
On the district website, PUSD defines a digital citizen as someone aware of their online presence who makes positive contributions while remaining safe and adhering to community guidelines. PUSD publishes resources on its website for families to talk about technology usage at home. For example, the website features Common Sense Education’s Social-Emotional Learning in Digital Life Grades 9-12 Family Conversations Packet. This packet of information covers topics such as authentic social media use, screen time habits, online relationships, and online hate speech. It shares crucially relevant information about being a digital citizen in a way that applies to high school students in particular. While the information is accessible on the PUSD website, it is not widely advertised, so most families are not aware of the resources available to aid in having important conversations with their students. In addition to the online resources already offered, PUSD should also incorporate lessons and activities into school curriculums.
Mt. Carmel recently hosted a program for freshmen led by Link Crew focusing on countering hate speech online. Students sat in circles with a small group in their gymnasium and discussed their experiences with hate speech online. The Nexus would endorse similar, more regular activities at Westview since these are small ways that high-schoolers can work toward becoming safer and more respectful with their technology usage. Additionally, more lessons about online safety could be incorporated into freshmen ENS classes as the coursework is geared towards ensuring the security and well-being of students.
Superintendent Phelps also mentioned in her goals for 2024 the continuation of the Technology & Innovation Department’s work in understanding how AI can be effectively used in education. The topic of AI is becoming increasingly relevant in the classroom setting, as students are using tools such as ChatGPT to generate ideas, art, or entire essays. PUSD, and Westview specifically, should incorporate lessons directly addressing the ethical use of AI in education into every student’s curriculum. Understanding advanced technologies and how to use them properly is quickly becoming a skill equivalent in value to understanding history and science; PUSD should treat it as such. Whether through school-wide lessons, homeroom videos, or assemblies, it is important that Westview informs students about plagiarism, the value of original work, and how AI can be used as an educational tool.
The Nexus appreciates PUSD looking ahead and educating its students on technology; the efforts that PUSD is making in increasing digital citizenship are admirable. These lessons need to be introduced to all students, grade levels, and schools to truly make PUSD a district of digital citizens and ethical technology users.