What is an Acceptable Use Policy?
An acceptable use policy (AUP) “outlines, in writing, how a school or district expects its community members to behave with technology.” (“1-1 Essentials”) It is common for schools and districts to outline both acceptable and unacceptable use, being careful not to create a negative tone by only listing the dont’s. Encounters with inappropriate material, digital citizenship, network fraud and protecting personal information are just a few of the many topics that should be included in a comprehensive AUP. Creating the AUP is only the jumping off point. Using the policy to teach students appropriate and responsible online behavior is the next crucial step. Depending on the age and maturity level of students, this conversation will look and sound different. In the 12 technology classes I teach, we learn, review and sign the AUP before we access the internet or any of the school’s technology tools. The same AUP is used for students K-6, but the explanation and discussion of the AUP is simplified depending on the age of the students. At the end of our discussions and lessons, all students sign the AUP. After creating and teaching the AUP, the next part of successful implementation is follow through. The folks at Common Sense Media remind us that “an acceptable use policy is only as strong as your commitment to enforce it.” (“1-1 Essentials”) Therefore, someone, or a group of people, should be appointed to enforce the consequences set forth in the policy. Let students know they are being monitored and then apply consequences as necessary. As the use of the internet and technology tools are implemented in education, we are faced with a difficult challenge as dictated by our friends at Common Sense Media. “Today’s educators have the tough job of maintaining the delicate balance of protecting students while providing access to the digital world. Educators need to be comprehensive yet not limiting when creating a stimulating but safe learning environment. An AUP is a first step in framing these opportunities.” (“1-1 Essentials”) What Should be Included in an AUP? “The Acceptable Use Policy for Internet use is one of the most important documents a school will produce.” (“Getting Started”) With this in mind, here are some common elements of Acceptable Use Policies:
Resources 1-to-1 Essentials - Acceptable Use Policies. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2017, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/1to1/aups Why Have a Technology Policy in Your School or Library? | Librarians. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2017, from http://www.scholastic.com/librarians/tech/techpolicy.htm Education World: Getting Started on the Internet: Acceptable Use Policies. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2017, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr093.shtml Links to Acceptable Use Policies 1. Compass Public Charter School https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mnkPDWXI1UrmG5RcHeKF9ZNv125pk1ZT55QiJpWw9yw/pub 2. West Ada https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uyRpW1qqO_mbxJo2cywFos_2yt714GlP9JOEMPIxlI4/pub 3. North Star Charter School http://www.northstarcharter.org/wp-content/uploads/Computer-Network-Use-12-13.pdf 4. Liberty Charter School http://www.libertycharterschool.com/uploads/7/2/1/4/7214198/3000_series_policy_2012_final.pdf
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I’ve been teaching in the classroom for eight years. Six of those years have been spent teaching technology skills to young learners, and I can’t imagine a curriculum without the Basic Suite. The Basic Suite includes word-processing, spreadsheet and presentation software. While there are many technology tools available for use in education today, the benefits of these three types of software, for both teacher and student, should not be underestimated or overlooked. The development of these software tools as a cloud based suite has made them even more appealing.
Roblyer reflects that, “Perhaps no other technology resource has had as great an impact on education as word processing.” (2016) Any teacher actively involved in the classroom in today’s world is most likely in agreement. Word processing has simplified the life of the teacher and the student. The teacher sees that the benefits of word processing are numerous and have made tasks like writing lesson plans, creating materials for those lesson plans and tracking student behavior more efficient. To truly appreciate the ease of use of a word processing software, imagine making changes to a hard copy during or after the creation process in the same way we edit a digital copy. Editing digital text is made simple as the user is able to copy/paste large amounts of text, easily erase several words or an entire paragraph with the stroke of a key, insert a page or a table at any location during any time of the creation process, and change font style, color and size. In order to accomplish the same tasks on a hard copy, the user would need markers, scissors, tape, glue, and whiteout, and the final product would be sloppy and messy. The result of using the digital features available in a word processing software is a neater, more professional looking product in less time. In addition to the outstanding editing capabilities of word processing, the benefits of the cloud based versions make it an even more irresistible resource. It allows students to share their document with teachers for immediate feedback. Teachers can access the document from any computer with an internet connection and make suggestions on the student document that become visible immediately. Peer editing can happen in person or via the internet as well. Students can even participate in a group project, working in a document simultaneously or individually as time and circumstance allows. The next resource in the Basic Suite is the spreadsheet, one of my favorite and most frequently used tools! At the beginning of each year, I create a spreadsheet for every class and section I will teach. As a technology teacher with 12 classes, changes are constantly being made throughout the year with enrollment. Having a digital copy of my gradebook makes it simple to remove or hide a student who leaves the school, and add a row at any spot in my spreadsheet for a student entering the school. I can also easily track the progress of my students by highlighting pertinent information about students, such as: who has met the typing goal, has a missing assignment or is struggling in a particular subject. I also often create rubrics for individual assignments or projects. At the bottom, under the points possible column, I enter a formula that calculates total points from the points earned in each category for that assignment. Spreadsheets make my life as an educator more simple, organized and efficient. Using spreadsheets with students has its advantages as well. I love using spreadsheets in the computer lab to reinforce mathematical concepts the students have learned in the classroom. In the younger grades, students play Battleship to help them understand coordinates. We take surveys or use data provided by the teacher and organize it in a spreadsheet. Then, we manipulate the data by calculating the sum, difference, product, quotient, average, etc. Story problems come to life as information is organized and manipulated by students in a spreadsheet. Data can be further visualized and analyzed as students create graphs. All of these tools combined are engaging students in math, which I believe is one of the greatest benefits of the spreadsheet. The third resource in the Basic Suite is presentation software. Perhaps because of its overuse in the past, and the variety of alternative methods for presenting information to students, this is the least used software in my classroom. Even though I rarely use it, I can clearly the advantages. In my computer lab, I use it as an instructional tool for younger students as an excellent way to experience their first research project. I have them participate in an animal research project where they select an animal, gather facts (teacher directed, of course) and organize those facts into a presentation in order to share the information they have gathered. I appreciate and agree with the summary offered at the end of the the chapter in Roblyer’s book in the overview of the “Basic Three.” He states the “benefits of these programs include improved productivity, appearance and accuracy, and more support for interaction and collaboration.” (2016) This is why life without the Basic Suite is practically unimaginable! Resource Roblyer, M.D. (2016). Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching [eText]. Retrieved from www.pearsonhighered.com/etextbooks. |
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April 2017
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