Equitable Access and Acceptable Use
Obtaining the technology is only half the battle. The excuses for not using it must be addressed and are fundamental to the questions of equitable access. One of the less realized and more established roadblocks for the use of technology in schools is regulatory in nature. These regulations are usually promoted through misunderstood policy development in the form of Acceptable Use. Other themes that seem to promote equitable technology use are associated with a wide variety of topics. However, the major obstacle preventing the effective use of technology is how schools interpret federal regulations.
The Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is one of the most important documents a school will produce, as it will outline rules regarding internet use on school property. Creating a workable AUP requires thoughtful research and strategy. The policy portion of the document must address a number of issues including personal safety, illegal activities, system security, privacy, plagiarism, copyright infringement, and access to inappropriate materials. In addition, it should unequivocally rule limit the school’s technology property to educational purposes only. |
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Students’ rights, such as free speech, access to information, and due process, should be outlined in the document, as should the consequences for violating the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy should also address the use of social networking tools as a resource for educational applications. Secondly, the AUP must outline best practices or procedures that define responsible behavior in terms of acquired digital skills that are age specific.
The two edge dilemma
With the current push for mobile learning and social networking applications, many schools are faced with a double edged dilemma. The first edge of the dilemma is protecting students from pernicious materials and providing access to learning resources. Some schools rely on high end restrictive policies that eliminate access to harmful sites by network filtering and content blocking. The second edge of the dilemma is to take a less restrictive approach by teaching students digital citizenship skills while following federal filtering laws allowing students to learn responsible use of the internet. Those districts who promote student responsibility, define and hold students accountable for their behavior while accessing school internet resources. Schools with less restrictive environments also distinguish restrictiveness through age appropriate applications. The primary responsibility of every school district is to ensure that the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is being followed. The law requires every school district that receives E-Rate funding to filter or block visual depictions that are obscene, that contain child pornography, and/or material harmful to minors.
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Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA)
The Children's Internet Protection Act does not restrict the use of social networking sites or the use of web 2.0 tools. What the law does require is that school districts have in place an internet safety policy that includes the use of a filter or
blocking procedure for district computers used by minors. Some districts that operate on high end content restrictiveness through network filtering
have yet to understand that CIPA was written before the emergence of Web 2.0 applications. That CIPA does not stipulate any specific requirements to
block or ban the use of social networking tools.
Some school districts have a lack of knowledge or awareness of the Broadband Data Improvement Act. The Broadband Data Improvement Act that was written into federal law in 2008 requires schools to follow section 215 of Protecting Children in the 21st Century. The relevancy of Protecting Children in the 21st Century specifically requires all schools to educate minors about appropriate online behavior. This includes how to interact with others on social networking sites which includes awareness and response to cyberbullying.
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Broadband Data Improvement Act
The increasing prevalence for the need to teach students the skills necessary for social networking is causing a growing number of districts to provide less restrictive policies. Policies that were written before web 2.0 applications emerged to the forefront of useful educational resources. Now that the demon of Web 2.0 has been released from the evils of being misunderstood, to a more useful forefront for opening the doors to student mobile devices, the AUP's are also being refitted for less restrictive environments.
The evolution of technology has provided us with new tools like mobile devices which will bring about a new digital medium with the potential in Creating Classrooms Without Walls. One outcome of achieving this goal is the removal of some of those hindrances that are blocking prized paths of accessible tools and content. The development of Accessible Use Policies that promote connected learning experiences that are focused on academic gain, this may lead to restructuring ideas that promote equitable access that is associated with learned digital responsibilities. |
Procedures For Developing An Acceptable Use Policy
Faculty and community involvement are required to achieve the maximum level for the school’s AUP development. This involvement would include procedures for communicating with school employees and key community members. Formal involvement will include communication strategies that allow for the identification and analysis of issues surrounding AUP implementation, specifically issues that address the filtering of content, and the education of minors about appropriate online behavior.
There are three important goals the a development committee will need to meet. Committee members should study the federal requirements associated with internet usages, analyze the effects an AUP will have on individuals using information technology, and make content decisions regarding the AUP. Below is A Checklist for Planning, Developing and Evaluating an AUP based on federal requirements.
There are three important goals the a development committee will need to meet. Committee members should study the federal requirements associated with internet usages, analyze the effects an AUP will have on individuals using information technology, and make content decisions regarding the AUP. Below is A Checklist for Planning, Developing and Evaluating an AUP based on federal requirements.
Does the school’s Acceptable Use Policy:
The AUP usually has three main components that support a purpose driven statement appearing in the preamble of the document. These three support components include, Terms and Conditions Privilege of Use, Agreements and Consents, and how the AUP will be enforced.
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Purpose Driven Statement
RESOURCE: iPad Letter ACS Egham iPAD Pilot Project
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When the committee studies the schools Acceptable Use Policy, members should establish a purpose driven statement on the benefits of online learning. A purpose driven statement is a set of declarative sentences which summarizes the specific topic and goals of a document. It is typically included in the introduction to give the reader an accurate, concrete understanding what the document will cover and what he/she can gain from reading it.
Committee members should formulate internet use in terms of expected results, such as what the school wishes to achieve in terms of student learning. Schools usually address these goals in the preamble of the AUP document through a purpose driven statement. Below, Tod Baker provides an example of a purpose driven AUP statement: "Our students use technology to learn. Technology is essential to facilitate the creative problem solving, information fluency, and collaboration that we see in today’s democratic societies. While we want our students to be active contributors in our connected world, we also want them to be safe, legal, and responsible. This acceptable use policy (AUP) supports our vision of technology use and upholds in our students a strong sense of digital citizenship." |
Terms and Conditions
As the second level of their involvement, committee members should analyze the cause and effect that the acceptable use policy will have on individuals who will be subject to its regulations. This is the portion of the AUP that defines the terms and conditions of use of school provided internet services. Terms and conditions of internet services describe what limited computer services are covered by the AUP and the situations under which students can use computer services. The acceptable uses section of this policy should define appropriate student use of the computer network. The acceptable use section should also define how students will use Internet for "educational purposes.”
Some AUPs address multiple issues as the policy statements try to meet all possible scenarios and concerns. These policy designs may restrict open social networking applications that are not regulated under federal or state laws. One method for constructing acceptable use statements is review other school districts AUP’s that support Web 2.0 resources and tweak them to fit your individual school’s needs.
Some AUPs address multiple issues as the policy statements try to meet all possible scenarios and concerns. These policy designs may restrict open social networking applications that are not regulated under federal or state laws. One method for constructing acceptable use statements is review other school districts AUP’s that support Web 2.0 resources and tweak them to fit your individual school’s needs.
Agreements and Consents
To ensure AUP practices, it is highly recommended that there be a provision within the policy of written agreement. The agreement should be outlined as a written contract between two parties: the individual and the school. The school should clearly specify the rules for usage and the consequences involving violations of the agreement. School officials should require individuals wishing to use the school’s electronic communication systems to sign the agreement.
Officials should then file the document for reference in the individual’s cumulative file. In order to be effective, the governing agency must require the specific monitoring of individuals who use electronic information retrieval systems and make no exceptions for the failing to meet agreement standards. It is highly recommended that school officials distribute all forms of the agreement at the start of each school year and that parents are made aware of the permission forms.
The permission form agreement should address electronic mail restrictions, as well as ethical conduct required of individuals using electronic communication resources. The Parent Permission Letter & Internet Permission Forms Form, are best used to grant students electronic communication access privileges.
Officials should then file the document for reference in the individual’s cumulative file. In order to be effective, the governing agency must require the specific monitoring of individuals who use electronic information retrieval systems and make no exceptions for the failing to meet agreement standards. It is highly recommended that school officials distribute all forms of the agreement at the start of each school year and that parents are made aware of the permission forms.
The permission form agreement should address electronic mail restrictions, as well as ethical conduct required of individuals using electronic communication resources. The Parent Permission Letter & Internet Permission Forms Form, are best used to grant students electronic communication access privileges.
Enforcing the AUP
These documents should describe why the policy is necessary, provide specific examples of what constitutes unacceptable use, and address what consequences would result if individuals violated the schools AUP policy. Unfortunately, there will be occasional cases where students violate the AUP. The violations/sanctions section of the policy should address what the consequences will be when this occurs. The AUP should tell students how to report violations of the policy or whom to question about its application. Violations should be handled in compliance with the school’s general student disciplinary code.
Links to Acceptable Use Policies
AUP Driven by Vision not Protection: Created by U Tech Tips 2013
AUPs: A Layering Recipe: Created by School AUP 2.0
Guiding Documents for Development AUPs: Created by AUP 2.0
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Obstacles to Opportunities “Acceptable Use and the Web 2.0”
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