BPS Digital Learning - BPS Digital Engagement Guideline

Digital Engagement Guidelines

BPS DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT GUIDELINES

Technology is an important part of teaching and learning in Burlington Public Schools, but its value depends on how it is used. These Digital Engagement Guidelines are designed to support thoughtful, purposeful, and balanced technology use that genuinely deepens learning.

Our goal is to ensure that technology serves instruction, not the other way around. Every use of technology should connect clearly to the curriculum, deepen student understanding, and promote active engagement. Students should be creating, collaborating, analyzing, communicating, and solving problems, not passively consuming information or completing analog work in digital form. Sometimes the strongest learning experience will involve technology; other times, hands-on, discussion-based, or paper-and-pencil activities will be the better instructional choice.

These guidelines also recognize the importance of developing students' digital readiness. Digital literacy, media literacy, and AI literacy should be intentionally integrated throughout the curriculum and taught explicitly when appropriate. As artificial intelligence becomes a more common part of education and the workplace, students should learn to use AI as a cognitive partner that extends their thinking, creativity, and problem-solving and not as a substitute for learning.

Technology should always be used with purpose and intention. It should support meaningful learning experiences, never serve as a reward or punishment, and always reflect what is best for students. By maintaining a balanced approach, we can create classrooms where technology strengthens instruction while preserving the collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and human interaction that remain at the heart of an exceptional education.

Classroom Recommendations k-6

Grades K-6: Keeping Homework Off Screens

Homework should be strictly non-digital for these grade levels.

We are committed to keeping homework expectations completely offline for our elementary and intermediate students. This approach is rooted in two vital considerations:

Prioritizing Equity: Unlike older students, K-6 learners do not take school-issued devices home daily. Requiring digital homework creates inequitable barriers for families without readily available devices or high-speed internet at home.
Protecting Quality Learning Time: At this developmental stage, the most impactful home learning happens through reading physical books, practicing math with paper and pencil, and engaging in physical play or family conversation. We want to ensure our youngest learners are focused on these foundational habits after a full day of school.

Supplemental digital resources can be provided for home use upon family request, subject to availability.

Classroom recommendations 7-8

Grades 7-8: Reducing Screen Reliance

Leaning heavily away from devices for home assignments.

Because our 7th and 8th graders currently take their school-issued iPads home, they have equitable access to digital tools. However, to combat screen fatigue during these critical developmental years, we strongly recommend that middle school homework lean heavily away from screens. We encourage a primary focus on offline reading, writing, and problem-solving. When a digital tool is necessary, we recommend keeping it brief, highly targeted, and mindful of a student's total daily screen exposure.

Classroom recommendations 9-12

Grades 9-12: Purposeful, Active Digital Learning

Focusing on meaningful, creation-based digital assignments.

With high school students taking their school-issued iPads home daily, we are able to ensure equitable access to technology for every student in grades 9-12. Digital homework at this level can be highly effective, provided it meets a high standard of quality:

Moving Past Passive Consumption: We strongly discourage assignments that simply require students to watch long videos without reflection, click through repetitive flashcard apps, or fill out low-level digital worksheets.
Emphasizing Active Creation: We recommend leveraging the iPad as a tool for deep thinking and production - such as coding, analyzing data, collaborating on group projects, or engaging in interactive, adaptive learning that challenges their critical thinking.
Leveraging Google Classroom for Student Organization: We recommend teachers utilize Google Classroom's organized topic structures, standardized assignment naming, and built-in "To Do" lists to help students manage deadlines, maintain focus, and build independent executive functioning habits.

ways to incorporate active digital homework using district approved tools

Use this guide to help shift student screen time from passive consumption to active digital homework engagement. These practices are intended to encourage students to create, synthesize, and interact with content in meaningful ways. Designed specifically for students in grades 7-12, these strategies align with our district’s commitment to purposeful digital learning.

Visual & Multimodal Creation
Canva: Students shift from text-heavy responses to visual design by using Canva to create infographics, digital mind maps, storyboards, or video essays. This approach requires them to visually organize their understanding of complex topics in their own words.

Google Products: Replace traditional text-heavy responses with visual or audio-based projects. Students demonstrate mastery by designing infographics, creating digital mind maps, drafting visual storyboards, or recording audio summaries to explain complex topics in their own words.
Interactive Video Analysis
Edpuzzle: Convert passive video watching into an active learning experience. Teachers embed open-ended reflection prompts, mid-video checks, or problem-solving tasks directly into videos, forcing students to pause, predict outcomes, and synthesize ideas. Edpuzzle can be easily embedded into Google Classroom.
Collaborative Knowledge Building
Google Workspace: Using Google Docs or Slides, students can actively co-create study guides, contribute individual entries to a class concept map, or review and leave constructive peer feedback on a shared assignment.
AI-Supported Inquiry & Synthesis
Google NotebookLM: Teachers have students upload specific source documents into a secure notebook. Students actively question sources and synthesize information to create personalized study materials.

Google Gemini: Create custom Gems designed to act as specific content-area experts or tutors. Students engage with a Gem programmed to serve as a focused study partner, such as a History Coach or Grammar Tutor, grounded in class-specific readings or unit rubrics. These Gems can be programmed to force students to think and elaborate on their ideas rather than giving direct answers. This provides personalized, 1:1 support that helps students clarify concepts, break down complex topics, or brainstorm writing topics while maintaining academic integrity.

MagicStudent: Assign homework in a secure "MagicStudent Room." AI acts as an editor, providing targeted writing feedback for students to manually fix rather than writing for them.

MagicStudent: Chatbot Socratic Seminar: Students engage in a guided dialogue with a chatbot programmed to act as a Socratic tutor. Instead of answering questions directly, the AI asks probing questions that challenge students to explain their reasoning, connect concepts, and deepen their critical thinking.
Quick-Check for Teachers
Before assigning a digital task, ask yourself: Does this requirement force the student to create, connect, or synthesize information rather than just consume it? If the answer is yes, you are fostering active digital engagement.

Marshall simonds middle school ipad carts

Beginning for the 2026-27 school year, Grade 6 students will use school-managed iPad carts during the school day rather than participating in a take-home device program. This model emphasizes responsible technology use, collaborative learning, and digital citizenship within the school environment. Students will continue to develop essential digital skills through regular classroom use of iPads and other learning technologies. School managed iPad carts help to limit passive consumption, support the curriculum, and allows iPads to remain at school for better management, maintenance, and instructional consistency.

apple classroom

Apple Classroom is a powerful app for BPS educators that helps guide student learning, share student work, and manage student iPads during class. More information can be found at the BPS Apple Classroom website.

approved apps and sites

Digital resources used by staff or students in BPS, whether free or purchased, must be vetted and approved. Information about currently approved resources can be found at our BPS Approved Apps and Sites page.

parent & Family resources

Managing student screen time at home is about helping children build healthy digital habits. Families can support balanced screen use by encouraging active learning, setting clear expectations, and using parental controls and monitoring tools thoughtfully.

Resources from Common Sense Media, CyberWise, and SmartSocial help parents understand digital safety, social media, online behavior, and age-appropriate technology use.

Families can also explore built-in tools like Apple Family Sharing and parental controls and Google Family Link to manage screen time, app access, privacy settings, and device usage across grade levels.

The resources below provide practical strategies for creating healthy routines that support learning, communication, creativity, and student well-being both online and offline.

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