Month: June 2012

Acceptable Use Policies (AUP)

jenniefinafrock Uncategorized

In some ways today’s students are very fortunate to have so much information at their fingetips with just the click of a button. On the other hand, having all of this information readily available can be dangerous. Students may not fully understand the global power of the internet. According to Education World, “Many educators and parents fear dangers that the uncensored Internet might hold for children: inappropriate or obscene words and images; violence; and people who pose an online threat.”

One way to put these fears at ease is to develop a clear and concise Accepatble Use Policy. These policies are necessary for schools and other businesses. Network users must agree to appropriate terms of use in order to protect themselves and others on the network. An effective AUP should serve as a legal document, protect students, inform parents, and be: complete, adaptable, and unique for your school or business.

According to the US Department of Education’s online Alphabet Superhighway AUPs should include:

  • A description of the instructional philosophies, strategies and goals to be supported by Internet access in schools
  • An explanation of the availability of computer networks to students and staff members in your school or district
  • A statement about the educational uses and advantages of the Internet
  • An explanation of the responsibilities of educators and parents for students’ use of the Internet
  • A code of conduct governing behaviour on the Internet
  • An outline of the consequences of violating the AUP
  • A description of what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable use of the Internet
  • A description of the rights of individuals using the networks in your school/district (such as the right to free speech, right to privacy, and so on)
  • A disclaimer absolving the school district from responsibility, under certain circumstances
  • An acknowledgement that the AUP complies with provincial and national telecommunication rules and regulations
  • A form for teachers, parents and students to sign, indicating that they agree to abide by the AUP

As I mentioned above, AUPs should be unique to each school district or business, but by including the above items and respectively enforcing their AUP, schools (and businesses alike) can be confident that their network is safe and secure.

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Examples of school AUPs:

1. Washington County Board of Education Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for Telecommunication

2. Virginia Beach City Public Schools AUP

3. Rocky Point Schools AUP

4. Worcester Public School Internet Safety and AUP

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References:

Acceptable Use Policies for Internet Use. (n.d.). Media Awareness Network | Réseau éducation médias. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from http://209.29.148.33/english/resources/special_initiatives/wa_resources/wa_teachers/backgrounders/acceptable_use.cfm

Education World: Getting Started on the Internet: Developing an Acceptable Us… . (n.d.). Education World: The Educator’s Best Friend. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr093.shtml.

Web 2.0/Mobile AUP Guide . (n.d.). CoSN Home Page. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from                http://www.cosn.org/Default.aspx?tabid=8139

Vision Statement

jenniefinafrock Uncategorized

Our education system today seems to be changing from year to year, maybe even more often. We have new standards and goals to meet each year as individual states adopt new curriculums. Some educators find this to be a burden because they are constantly being asked to change their resources and even their methods. However, we must ask ourselves: if our education system didn’t change as the world around us changes, then would it be education at all? This brings me to another constantly changing subject – technology. Technology, in its own right, is evolving constantly. If, we as educators didn’t use one to help the other, we would be gravely amiss.

As education and technology advance, so do our expectations of those who are entering our workforce. According to the National Education Technology Plan Executive Summary our nation’s goal is “that 60 percent of our nation’s population holds a two-year or four-year degree by 2020.” The Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the US Department of Labor states that, “the US workforce will become more diverse by 2020” and “demand for these workers will increase as technology advances.” It also states that, “jobs requiring a master’s degree are expected to grow the fastest, while those requiring a high school diploma will experience the slowest growth.” Today’s goal in education is to focus on college readiness for each and every student; this includes technological literacy.

Although today’s conventional student has been surrounded by technologies for the majority of his/her life, we must remember the latest in technology is changing on a second to second basis. As educators, our goal is to produce a productive and successful member of society to the world. Therefore, in order to give our students an edge, we must be able to provide them with the capabilities to access the latest in technology which will help to provide them with the latest information which is the essence of education. Since we will be holding our students to higher standards of technological capabilities, we will need a way to measure them. NAEP is developing the first ever NAEP Technology and Engineering Literacy (TEL) assessment. “In 2014, eighth-grade students who are selected to take NAEP will participate in the assessment.” The assessment will focus on three main areas: technology and society, design and systems, and information and communication technology.

As you can see, our nation is becoming more and more focused on technological growth within our educational atmosphere. We owe it to our youth to provide them with every possible opportunity to better themselves academically, socially, and of course – technologically. As Nigel Willetts once said, “When faced with a steam-rolling technology, you either become part of the technology or part of the road!” As an educator, I want success for my students. I want them to become part of the most current technology — not part of the road. We must dedicate a part of our education system to guarantee that they have every opportunity to succeed, and this can partially be done by helping them to become technologically literate.

References:

“NAEP-Technology Literacy.” NAEP-Technology Literacy. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 June 2012. http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/techliteracy/.

“National Education Technology Plan 2010.” U.S. Department of Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 June 2012. <http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010&gt;.

“Occupational Outlook Handbook.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 09 June 2012. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/About/Projections-Overview.htm.