Teach with Tech

As the school year begins, our classrooms are buzzing with new routines, new learning, and new technology. With students increasingly engaging online for research, collaboration, and creativity, it’s more important than ever to embed digital citizenship into everyday instruction.

Digital citizenship isn’t a one-time lesson or a yearly assembly—it’s a habit of mind that grows when reinforced daily. By weaving safe and responsible tech practices into the classroom, we prepare students to thrive in a connected world.

Here are some practical ways to embed digital citizenship throughout the year:

• Model responsible online behavior. Show students how you credit sources, evaluate websites, or craft respectful emails.

• Start small with “tech norms.” Post and practice clear guidelines for device use, online chats, and digital collaboration.

• Discuss current events. Use age-appropriate news stories to spark conversations about online privacy, safety, and kindness.

• Integrate into core subjects.

  • ELA: Practice citing digital sources and evaluating credibility.

  • Math: Discuss ethical uses of data and graphs.

  • Science: Evaluate trustworthy websites for research.

  • Social Studies: Explore perspectives in digital media and bias online.

• Use reflection prompts. Ask questions like: How do I know this site is reliable? How might my words online affect others?

• Leverage peer teaching. Let students create posters, videos, or tips for younger peers about responsible tech use.

One of the most practical ways to protect student safety online is teaching them how to create and manage strong passwords. Students often reuse simple words, names, or birthdates that are easy for others to guess. A little guidance goes a long way in building lifelong security habits.

Tips for Teaching Passwords:

• Explain why it matters. Compare weak passwords to leaving a house unlocked.

• Introduce the “Passphrase Method.” Use a phrase that’s easy to remember but hard to guess, like I would never kiss a frog.

• Add numbers, spaces, & symbols. Encourage students to swap or add elements for more security (1 w0uld n3v3r k1ss a fr0g!!).

• Teach Do’s and Don’ts.

✅ Do’s:

• Use a long passphrase (at least 12 characters).
• Mix letters, numbers, and symbols.
• Create unique passwords for different accounts.
• Change passwords regularly (every 6–12 months).
• Keep passwords private—share only with a trusted adult if needed.

❌ Don’ts:

• Don’t use personal info (name, birthday, pet’s name).
• Don’t reuse the same password across multiple accounts.
• Don’t use short/simple words like “123456” or “password.”
• Don’t write passwords where others can see them (sticky notes, desk, etc.).
• Don’t share passwords with friends, even if you trust them.

• Creating Strong Passwords - handout
• Secondary Tech Norms Poster (editable template on Canva)
• Elementary 2-6 Tech Norms Poster (editable template on Canva)
• Primary Elementary (K-1) Tech Norms Poster (Editable template on Canva)

Be Internet Awesome- Google

Google has a game with supplemental curriculum that is available to teachers and students for free. Students can access Google's Be Internet Awesome World (appropriate for ages 5+) through this link HERE. Students will explore the magical world of the Internauts and play action-packed games that teach them important online safety lessons – such as how to spot phishing scams, how to create strong passwords, being mindful about who and what information to share online, and much more! The curriculum is Be Internet Awesome (goes with the game above and is a supplement- appropriate for grades 2 through 6). This curriculum gives educators the tools and methods they need to teach digital safety fundamentals. The materials developed by Google in partnership with iKeepSafe enable educators to bring the most critical teachings—and the excitement of Interland—into the classroom. Included in the curriculum are lesson plans for the five topics, with activities and worksheets that were designed to complement Interland.

Common Sense Media

This resource has lesson plans organized by grade level (kindergarten through 12th grade) that provides lessons on healthy tech/online habits, privacy and safety, digital footprint, relationships and communication, cyberbullying and online harm, and information and media literacy.

FBI's Safe Online Surfing (SOS) Internet Challenge

This is a free, fun, and informative program that promotes cyber citizenship by educating students in third to eighth grades on the essentials of online security. For teachers, the site provides a ready-made curriculum that meets state and federal Internet safety mandates, complete with online testing and a national competition to encourage learning and participation.

Generative AI can be a really helpful tool for students, but it works best when used with purpose. The goal is not just to “use AI” for the sake of using it, but to support learning and critical thinking.

Ways Students Can Use AI Meaningfully

• Brainstorming and Getting Started: AI can help students come up with ideas or organize their thoughts for writing and projects. Students should take those ideas and make them their own.

• Research Support: AI can summarize articles or point students to sources. Students should always double-check the information and give credit where it is due.

• Revision and Feedback: Students can try AI suggestions to improve grammar, clarity, or style. The final decisions should remain theirs.

• Problem Solving: AI can show examples or hints for math, science, or coding. This gives students a nudge without doing the thinking for them.

Helping Students Use AI Responsibly

• Set Clear Classroom Policies: Let students know what is okay and what is not. Involve families in understanding expectations.

• Try a Stoplight Rubric: Green means go ahead, yellow means use with caution, and red means do not use. This simple guide helps students make smart choices.

• Focus on Thinking, Not Just Tech: Make assignments that ask students to analyze, create, or evaluate so AI is a support and not a shortcut.

• Encourage Reflection: Ask questions like, “Did I really understand this?” or “Would I have come up with this idea on my own?”

When used thoughtfully, AI can boost creativity, independence, and learning, but only when students know how to use it responsibly.

Canva recently introduced a new AI-powered feature called Canva Code that helps teachers quickly design interactive learning activities. With just a prompt, you can generate tools like sorting games, flashcards, memory matches, interactive timelines, and other review-style activities. All you need to do is enter the type of activity, the age group, and your learning targets or standards, and Canva Code builds it for you. I've provided two prompts with links to the activities so you can review - as you create these activities you are able to tell the AI to adjust and change functions to meet your needs before sharing with your students.

Example 1 – First Grade Math

Create a practice game using dogs and cats for first graders to practice single-digit addition and subtraction within 20. Align with first grade math standards and make the activity colorful and engaging. Added in chat: I would like them to have the same cat and dog (don't change them up. I also want the student to be able to x out the animals when they are subtracting and drag more animals together from a pool of them when they are adding.

Example 2 – High School Biology
Design an interactive review game for high school biology students to review cell structures and their functions. Include terms like nucleus, mitochondria, ribosome, and cell membrane.

How to share the activity

1. Click the purple "Use in a Design" on the top right corner and select "Presentation".
2. Click on the "Share" icon on the top right and select "Public View Link"
   
3. Copy that link and post in your Google Classroom (or another location) to share out with students.

Join us for a yearlong series of virtual Tech Talks focused on how AI is reshaping teaching and learning. Explore practical tools, ethical considerations, and classroom-ready ideas with fellow educators.

Goals
🔹 Build AI literacy for teachers and leaders
🔹 Explore ethical, student-centered applications of AI
🔹 Connect and collaborate in a growing AI-focused educator network

Monthly Tech Talks

Tech Talks will run from 4:00pm to 5:00pm. Register for each Tech Talk on the IMESD Events Calendar. Each month is linked to it's specific registration page.

• September 16: Teaching AI Literacy: Helping Students Think Critically About AI
• October 14: AI for Lesson Planning: Work Smarter, Not Harder
• November 18: AI-Powered Differentiation: Reaching Every Learner
• December 9: AI for Teacher Workload: Communication, Admin Tasks, and More
• January 13: AI for Feedback & Grading — and the Ethics Behind It
• February 10: AI & Writing: From Brainstorming to Revision
• March 10: AI for Visual Learning
• April 14: AI as a Thinking Partner – Using AI to Spark Deeper Inquiry
• May 12: Future-Proofing: Where AI is Headed — and How Educators Can Prepare

This is a monthly newsletter from the Instructional Services Department of the IMESD. If you would like more information on EdTech tools, resources, or training, please contact:

Ayla Olson

Instructional Coach

Email: ayla.olson@imesd.k12.or.us

Phone: 541-966-4657

Website: sites.google.com/imesdapps.org/instructional-coaching