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Digital Literacy

Two students working on computers.

Director of Digital Literacy 

Molly Laden

Email:
mladen@medford.k12.ma.us

McGlynn MS Digital Literacy Staff

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 6-8

Students learn to:

  • Create a program, individually and collaboratively that implements an algorithm to achieve a given goal
  • Trace programs step-by-step in order to predict their behavior
  • Differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate content on the Internet
  • Demonstrate compliance with the school’s Responsible Use Policy (AUP)

Grade 6

Students learn to:

  • Use logical reasoning to predict outputs given varying inputs
  • Individually and collaboratively, decompose a problem and create a sub-solution for each of its parts
  • Recognize that more than one algorithm can solve a given problem and that boundaries need to be taken into account for an algorithm to product correct results
  • Describe current events and emerging technologies in computing
  • Evaluate how media and technology can be used to distort, exaggerate and misrepresent information
  • Collaborate synchronously and asynchronously through digital tools

Grade 7

Students learn to:

  • Identify and describe the use of sensors, actuators, and control systems
  • Individually and collaboratively design and demonstrate the use of a device to accomplish a task
  • Perform a variety of operations such as sorting, filtering and searching a database to organize and display information in a variety of ways such as number formats, charts, tables and graphs

Grade 8

Students learn to:

  • Gather, organize and analyze information from digital sources by quoting, paraphrasing and/or summarizing
  • Create an artifact, individually and collaboratively, that answers a research question and communicates results and conclusions
  • Use digital citation tools to cite sources using a school- or district-adopted format including proper citation for all text and non-text sources (e.g. images, audio, video)
  • Individually and collaboratively compare algorithms to solve a problem, based on a given criteria
  • Create a program, individually and collaboratively, that implements an algorithm to achieve a given goal

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.