SUSD offers online training for students

Scottsdale Unified School District is going beyond “the three Rs” of reading, writing and arithmetic this school year.

The district is adding a fourth “R” - for REAL, as in “Keeping it REAL.”

The initiative is about helping students with skills to navigate the digital world safely, responsibly, and with a critical eye.

REAL stands for:

• R - Research thoroughly – ensure the information being presented in print, broadcast and social media, on the internet and/or through artificial intelligence programs is accurate and reliable;
• E - Evaluate sources – evaluate the credibility of the information’s source to determine what it’s trying to achieve;
• A - Analyze content critically – consider what the content’s intention may be and whether the evidence provided supports the claims being made;
• L - Lead with Respect – avoid engaging in or promoting cyberbullying and be mindful to engage respectfully online

The district embraces the potential of AI as an educational tool, director of teaching and learning, Dr. Kim Dodds Keran said in a press release. She describes helping students develop safe media literacy skills as important work.

“Online safety is a priority for educators and families today,” Dodds Keran said. “Equipping our students with skills to discern whether something they see or read is based in fact — what we’re calling ‘REAL’ — or whether it’s an effort to mislead them is yet another way we are preparing them for the future.”

Parents will play a major role in the district’s initiative, according to the release. “Keeping It REAL” will encourage parents to engage with and guide their children’s online activities, most of which take place outside of school, and to set appropriate boundaries.

Students will be encouraged to take responsibility for their online actions and to strive to apply critical thinking and ethical considerations in their digital interactions, the release said.

The final piece of “Keeping It REAL” falls to teachers, who will be tasked with integrating digital media literacy into the curriculum, where appropriate, and providing students with the tools and knowledge they need to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly, the release said.

“Helping students become technologically literate, informed digital citizens requires the deep thinking that will serve them well throughout their lives, regardless of the path they choose,” Dodds Keran said.

“Keeping It REAL” signage will be on display in SUSD classrooms. For information on this district initiative for the 2024-25 school year, go to https://www.susd.org/academics/curriculum/keeping-it-real.