February Digital Citizenship

Adapting. Balancing. Collaborating.

Each month, we will share with families a Digital Citizenship newsletter. We would like to share with you information around the technology being used in Mentor Schools along with resources to support your child's education. Please reach out with topics you would find helpful in this newsletter.

Current Operating Systems

MacBook - 12.6.3

ChromeBook - 107

iPad - 15.7.1

as of 2/16/23

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence (AI) involves using computers to do things that traditionally require human intelligence. AI can process large amounts of data in ways that humans cannot. Recently, AI has been in the news for a program called ChatGPT. ChatGPT is designed to respond to text-based inputs, provide relevant information, and answer questions. Here are some things that parents may want to know about ChatGPT:

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence model. It is not human and does not have thoughts or feelings like humans do.
ChatGPT is designed to learn from the data it is trained on. It has been trained on a vast amount of text data to help it understand language and provide accurate responses to questions.
ChatGPT can provide information on various topics, from science and technology to history and current events.

Mr. Heath has shared information with all of our teachers about ChatGPT in our last IT News and Notes. He asked teachers to try ChatGPT when appropriate, so we can begin to discover the opportunities and limitations of this newer technology. Through Cardinal Nation, students at the high school have shared both positive and potential negatives of Chat GPT. As partners in supporting your children, we want to make you aware of this technology so that you, too, can have the opportunity to talk with your children about ChatGPT and other AI tools. Check out the article below from Common Sense Media on "How to Talk to Your Kids About ChatGPT."

Family Resource Corner

Digital Resources to Help Support Caregivers, Kids, and Families at Home

Having ADHD or parenting a child with it (or both!) can sometimes make ordinary, everyday challenges feel like impossible struggles. This is because ADHD impacts the brain’s executive functioning. That means that planning and organizing work, managing time, keeping track of things, and accomplishing tasks are often especially tricky for people with ADHD. There are a ton of helpful apps that can make things a little easier, though. Here are some great suggestions:

Does your family have a specific tech need? A resource that you love? Let me know about it!

Contributed by: Tricia Zeedrich, Mentor Schools Parent Mentor & Family Engagement Coordinator zeedrich@mentorschools.org 440.974.5359

Technology Used to

Support Learning

Brainingcamp is an online program available to all students in grades K-8 that offers interactive and visual math tools. Brainingcamp supports math instruction by providing a range of virtual manipulatives and simulations that can help students explore math concepts. One example is students using virtual fraction bars or algebra tiles to visualize and manipulate mathematical operations. The easiest way to access Braningcamp is through Clever.

How Can I talk to My Child about ChatGPT?

Common Sense Media provides great support materials for families to have conversations about various tech topics. A week ago, they posted some great ideas of how families could start to explore Chat GPT. Visit the Common Sense Media site for more information on ChatGPT and other technology topics.

Mentor Public Schools

6451 Center Street

Mentor, Ohio 44060

Phone 440.255.4444

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