Group items tagged

"Well, to help, the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) has released an AUP guide ( Acceptable Use Policy Guide) to help school district leaders rethink their internet use policies and how educational technology can best be used to help students get the most out of their time in school."

Scroll down to check out Mount Erin College's 'Acceptable Use Policy for Mobile Devices'. This school is also has a blog "The Daily Insider" and is using Twitter.

This school's policy on mobile phone use is progressive and sensible. It's worth a look.

"Full on transformation can only be fueled by a deep understanding of how significantly out of step the school experience has become with the real world. If we're honest, we know we've always been lacking in that regard. But there's little question that the gap between school learning and life learning has become wider and more acute as the Web and mobile technologies continue to evolve as learning opportunities."

The best way to get young users thinking about the risks of sharing sensitive information online, he says, is through horror stories. "There are so many stories of kids posting something embarrassing on Facebook and then not getting accepted to college. You always think, 'it's not going to happen to me"

Provides a number of templates related to cyber safety.

MODEL ACCEPTABLE USE POLICYINFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES IN THE SCHOOLS The school's information technology resources, including email and Internet access, are provided for educational purposes. Adherence to the following policy is necessary for continued access to the school's technological resources: Respect and protect the privacy of others. Use only assigned accounts.

Internet Acceptable Use Policy: Educational Rationale: As part of our educational curriculum at the Junior School we are aiming to develop the research and communication skills in all of our boys. In doing this, we wish to carry out research in the most efficient and current means of doing this.

"Does your employer / Institution have a policy for the accepted use, by staff, for how they can use Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, SlideShare, YouTube, WordPress, etc)? Is it limited to how you can use it for work, or in work, or does it cover your usage outside of work and how you talk/post about what you do at work? Are you allowed to use images/logo of your employer/Institution in your work?"

"There are many ways that our kids can communicate now as the Internet continues to expand its collaborative/social applications. Many of us are encouraging the use of wikis, blogs, emails, discussion boards, and chats (text and video) for educational uses and are integrating them into our curriculum. But we know that the kids are also extensively using the Internet as a social meeting place. It's imperative that we are advocating acceptable manners for all communications. Commonly called "netiquette", there are a number of guidelines that we should be promoting in order to emphasize good online citizenship. "

A useful set of resources on Social Media Policy

K-12 Wiki: Social Networking Acceptable Use

"You may wonder how the Facebook for Educators guide came about … A few months ago, Facebook recognized that a guide like this was needed. They asked me to write it. I accepted the offer on the condition that I could write without filtering or restrictions from Facebook. Facebook saw the value of a candid third-party opinion and agreed."

The most enlightened and relevant article I have read for a long time on how to approach using digital technologies in schools that references the work of Scott McLeod as well.

"All members of the school community should agree on a clear definition of cyberbullying and hostile online behaviour. This definition needs to be understood, accepted and shared within the whole school community, including identifying unacceptable online behaviours and the consequences of these behaviours. It should reflect the school's ethos that cyberbullying is unacceptable, harmful and will be acted upon."

The digital world is a vast expanse of learning and entertainment. But it is in this digital world that kids are also exposed to many risks, such as cyberbullying, technology addiction, obscene and violent content, radicalization, scams and data theft. The problem lies in the fast and ever evolving nature of the digital world, where proper internet governance and policies for child protection are slow to catch up, rendering them ineffective. Moreover, there is the digital age gap. The way children use technology is very different from adults. This gap makes it difficult for parents and educators to fully understand the risks and threats that children could face online. As a result, adults may feel unable to advise children on the safe and responsible use of digital technologies. Likewise, this gap gives rise to different perspectives of what is considered acceptable behaviour. So how can we, as parents, educators and leaders, prepare our children for the digital age? Without a doubt, it is critical for us to equip them with digital intelligence.

2 page acceptable use policy (from the course forum)

"Information and communications technologies (ICT) policies in schools have two dimensions. One is to ensure that students are protected from pernicious materials on the Internet. The other is to enable student access to the extensive resources on the Internet for learning and teaching. While these two dimensions are not intrinsically in conflict, in actuality, such can become the case."

A very comprehensive policy, clearly set out and defined.