We are one of the leading educational institutions in Turkey with approximately 1800 students from different age groups and nearly 550 teachers and colleagues. We are one of the leading educational institutions in Turkey with approximately 1800 students from different age groups and nearly 550 teachers and colleagues.At Açı Schools, we expect all our students, from preschool to the last year of high school, to be safe, responsible, and knowledgeable individuals whle using modern information and communication technologies. As part of our mission to raise individuals equipped with 21st-century skills, we highly value the development of our students’ digital citizenship skills. One of our goals is to raise awareness among our students about the relevance of our core values (honesty, respect, responsibility, productivity, and awareness) within the digital world.
“Digital Citizenship” is an important topic that we incorporate not only in our ICT curriculum but also in interdisciplinary activities across all subjects. Since 2018, we have been working in parallel with Common Sense Education, the most recognized organization globally in the field of digital citizenship, and since 2022, our efforts have been accredited and renewed annually. Throughout the year, we continue to work on the topics outlined below, adjusted to the student’s level, from preschool to high school. You can access the “Common Sense Digital Citizenship Curriculum” via the provided link .
The topics we cover under the Common Sense Digital Citizenship Curriculum include:
1.Media Balance and Well-Being: This includes maintaining a healthy balance and a positive mental state in online environments. Topics like setting personal boundaries, managing screen time, and reducing digital stress are covered.
2. Privacy and Security: Students are taught how to protect their personal information online, apply security measures, and protect themselves from online threats.
3. Digital Footprint and Identity: This highlights the permanence of online interactions and how digital identities are formed. It focuses on managing one’s digital footprint and creating a positive online identity.
4. Relationships and Communication: It encourages ethical behavior in online platforms, helps develop digital communication skills, and supports the creation of healthy online relationships.
5.Cyberbullying, Digital Drama, and discrimination Speech: Students are encouraged to recognize negative behaviors such as cyberbullying and verbal discrimination and to learn how to handle such situations.
6. News and Media Literacy: This teaches students how to evaluate the accuracy of information obtained from the internet, recognize media manipulation, and identify reliable sources. It empowers students with critical thinking skills and the skills to accses reliable information
In middle and high school, our students come together for discussions with experts in the field on methods to stay safe in the digital world.
All of our expectations from our studnets regarding digital citizenship are also applicable to our teachers. Just as we care about our students being good digital citizens, we equally value our teachers being good digital citizens. We plan teacher training sessions to ensure this.
We also see parents as part of this process. To ensure that parents are informed and can support their children’s digital citizenship development, based on their grade levels and needs, we share documents prepared collaboratively by our ICT department and Guidance Unit with our parents as well..
Academic integrity is an integral part of digital citizenship. You can access our academic integrity policy via the link .