Digital Citizenship & Privacy

Digital Citizenship

Digital citizens develop, sustain, and exhibit ethical and respectful relationships as contributing members of local and global communities.  Digital literacy underpins digital citizenship and is more than teaching students how to use technological tools; it is a way to prepare students to be responsible technology users in a technology rich society. 

Digital Citizenship is defined in Nova Scotia as someone who acts ethically and with critical understanding, while using information and communication technology in the context of local and global communities.  Learners are expected to use and apply technology to collaborate, communicate, create, innovate, and solve problems, and to use technology in a legal, safe, and ethically responsible manner to support and enhance learning.

To assist schools with resources related to digital citizenship, several resources are available through the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

MediaSmarts -  USE, UNDERSTAND & CREATE: A Digital Literacy Framework for Canadian Schools

Additional resources are available from the Google Safety Center.

• • Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act 

  • Personal Information International Disclosure Protection Act 

  • Network Access and Use Policy (Nova Scotia Education) 

  • Provincial Privacy of Student Information Policy 

    • Google Workspace for Education - The use of Google Workspace in our schools is possible under a Privacy Impact Assessment for staff at the Department of Education and Early Childhood development and the Digital Resource Assessment (French and English) for teachers, staff and students in all Nova Scotia regional centres for education.

For additional details about Google Workspace for Education, see the Support page or the Google Privacy page.

Each RCE/CSAP maintains a list of DRAs completed. In order for the resources to be used the DRA would need to be accepted and signed off by the respective Regional Executive Director/Superintendent.