Digital Tools

Digital Tools

The Loyalsock Township School District uses a number of contracted Essential Digital Tools and authorized Supplementary Digital Tools to enhance educational programs and services, engage students in educational experiences, and empower students to safely use online and digital tools. A digital tool is any interactive website, application (app), or software that requires an account with a username and password.

Essential Digital Tools

Essential Digital Tools are digital tools the District considers necessary to deliver educational programs and are supportive of the goals of the Comprehensive Plan. These Essential Digital Tools align with the LTSD curriculum standards and are Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) compliant. This list of approved websites and apps is updated regularly. Parents and Guardians should check back regularly at this site to stay up to date on the latest apps and websites approved for use across the District

Examples: Google Workspace, Moodle, Discovery Education, and i-Ready.

Details:

• LTSD maintains contracts and/or data sharing agreements with the vendors of these Essential Digital Tools to protect students’ data privacy and security.

• Students’ use of these Essential Digital Tools is required as part of the LTSD curricular programming specific to students’ grade level and academic programming.
• In most cases, student accounts are created at the district level and tied to students’ active directory credentials.

Supplementary Digital Tools

Supplementary Digital Tools are digital tools the LTSD administration authorizes to be used as supplementary (non-essential) enrichment to students’ educational experience.

This list of approved websites and apps is updated regularly. Parents and Guardians should check back regularly at this site to stay up to date on the latest apps and websites approved for use across the District.

Examples: Screencast-o-matic, Kahoot, and Evernote.

Details:

• Supplementary Digital Tools will only be authorized if they comply with federal and state standards for protecting students’ data privacy and security.

• Teachers will notify parents of the Supplementary Digital Tools that they have chosen to use in their classes, and parents have the opportunity to “opt-out” of their children’s use of these Supplementary Digital Tools. If parents choose for their children to opt-out of any Supplementary Digital Tool, then teachers will provide alternative opportunities for those children.
• Student accounts are not automatically created. Accounts are created individually by the teacher or the student, depending on grade level.