In recognition of such growing concerns about Internet safety, the National Association of Secondary School Principals has adopted a policy statement with recommendations for educators and policymakers about Internet usage. The NASSP recommendations form the cornerstone of CTAP's work in cybersafety education. All school districts can benefit from applying these leadership directives.
NASSP recommends that school leaders:
Familiarize themselves about all aspects of computer technology, including the mechanics of the Internet, blogs, social networking Web sites, and the liability issues associated with the use of these technologies
Form a technology team that comprises staff members, parents and students to act in an advisory capacity to the larger school community
Educate staff members and students on using technology within the boundaries of the law
Guide teachers and students on how the Internet can serve as effective educational tools
Formulate clear guidelines to protect students and teachers against cyber bullying and other criminal activities
Conduct orientation sessions for parents regarding student use of the Internet
Reinforce these guidelines with parents and encourage vigilance of Internet use at home, including the elimination of derogatory statements against other students or staff.
Jeff Johnson on 09 Jul 08I've been getting this question a lot lately from administrators, parents, and taxpayers. The question isn't malicious, but rather comes from folks with a vested interest in making sure that our technology dollars directly benefit students. Does giving teachers laptops directly benefit students? For people who aren't actively teaching in a classroom, that's a hard question to answer.\n\nI don't think it's very hard for teachers to answer the question, though, especially at the secondary level. For most people entering the business world, there is no question that they will have a computer on their desk when they are hired. It might be a laptop, a desktop, a shared desktop facilitated with some sort of flextime arrangement, or even a computer allowance so that the new hire can buy a machine that makes them the most productive. However, it's not terribly likely that they'll just be handed a dry erase marker and a whiteboard, pointed towards a copy machine, and told to go for it.
