Setting the Foundation for Student Digital Agency: An Educator’s Guide to Amplifying Student Voice

Presented by Sue Thotz, Senior Program Manager, Common Sense Education; Dan Frost, Digital Learning Partner, San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), CA; and Devorah Merling, Digital Learning Partner, San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), CA
Hosted by Jennifer Ehehalt, Sr. Regional Manager, Common Sense Education

Sponsored by Common Sense Education

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With the ever-increasing normalcy associated with tech use, we often overlook the many ways students are developing positive habits online. How can schools better highlight their students’ positive presence online? Watch Common Sense and San Francisco Unified School District’s Department of Technology as they share ways that educators can design a foundational level of understanding related to digital agency.

The discussion includes:

• How to have a flexible implementation plan that enables creativity
• Creating fun, customizable asynchronous materials that are appropriate for students to independently interact with
• Best ways to incorporate celebrations such as National Digital Citizenship Week, culminating media projects, and teacher recognition
• How to set up systems to disseminate information to all school sites

This recorded edWebinar will be of interest to preK-12 teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders.

About the Presenters

Sue Thotz is the Senior Program Manager for Common Sense Education. Since 2011, Sue has been partnering with educators and administrators to create a culture where students use technology in a meaningful, thoughtful, and respectful way. Sue has provided educational leadership through keynotes, professional development workshops, conference presentations, and consulting with districts and counties on the West Coast. Prior to Common Sense, Sue was a researcher and educator. She holds a master’s degree in public health and an undergraduate degree in zoology and chemistry.

Dan Frost has been an educator in San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) for fifteen years and has always been an avid implementer of technology in his classrooms. He currently works as a digital learning partner in the Department of Technology at SFUSD helping teachers, administrators, and other staff integrate technology into their practice more effectively and efficiently. He develops and delivers training sessions and professional development series, leads and facilitates initiatives around digital implementation in schools, and advises administration on how to integrate technology use more thoughtfully for their whole school. He is currently spearheading the Digital Agency and Digital Learning Facilitator initiatives for SFUSD.

Devorah Merling has been an educator for over 20 years and has worked in a variety of organizations from the classroom to textbook companies to edtech companies and has returned to San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) as a digital learning partner in the Department of Technology to support the implementation of deeper learning with digital content. Devorah is passionate about building engaging, innovative digital content for and with teachers to support students in learning through the connection, in content that students relate to, and with students’ voice and choice at the forefront. Devorah collaborates on many initiatives in the district including Digital Agency for SFUSD.

About the Host

Jennifer Ehehalt is the Pittsburgh Regional Manager at Common Sense Education. Jennifer has over 20 years of experience in education. She continues to partner with state-level organizations, school districts, and community organizations across the nation to help integrate Common Sense education resources. Jennifer provides educational leadership through consultation with school districts, professional development (both in-person and virtual), conference presentations, and parent universities. Jennifer sits on the Advisory Council for Kidsburgh and is a champion for Remake Learning Days Across America. Jennifer has a B.S. in elementary education and an M.Ed. in educational leadership. Jennifer was recently named 2019 Alumni of the Year from Edinboro University.

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Common Sense Education develops high-quality digital citizenship programs and digital teaching resources, providing educators and students with the digital learning tools they need to harness the power of technology for life.