Acceptable Use Policies

Acceptable Use Policies in schools are intended to do exactly that - create guidance to the acceptable use of technology within a business or school setting. Depending on the grade level and experience using technology, these policies could come in the form of official school documents, binding contracts signed by students and parents, or hidden documents that you can only find if you know someone who works for the district. 


In the district where I work, both of the high schools are technology-driven, with a bring-your-own technology program. Students and their parent or guardian must sign a waiver in order to for the student to be allowed to use their mobile devices on campus. This is more of a liability form than one that has the students agree to use their mobile devices in an acceptable way on campus. The only part of the waiver that mentions being appropriate is where it states, "Only Internet access provided by the school district may be used during school hours. Personal internet devices such as cell phones, iPads, etc. are not allowed to access outside internet sources (3G, 4G, etc.)". Although this agreement isn't exactly for the students to agree to be on their best internet-based behavior, the waiver could include some basic manners of technology usage, also called Netiquette. My district suggest this book for teachers to read to understand what Netiquette is and how it can be infused within classroom culture.

A better example of what an Acceptable Use Policy for high school students looks like can be seen on Grant High School's website. This basic use policy breaks down every technology-based action that would break the policy agreement. It is short, sweet, and hard for students to find loop-holes. 

The best example I've found is from Main Township High School's website. This is a comprehensive look at the laws behind plagiarism and the consequences that should happen if this policy is broken. The only thing that I thought should be added is a more positive piece about what students should be doing with their internet freedom, almost like the Netiquette piece from above. 

Creating the perfect Acceptable Use Policy is tough work. If it is too soft, students may be able to find ways around the policy and have more freedom with their words on the internet. They may not be as diligent with following proper Netiquette. If it is too legal and wordy, students may not fully understand what is being asked of them, nor will they be able to tell you what it means. Finding that sweet spot is where districts strive to be. 


Resources:

Grant High School

Maine Township High School

Saint Charles Parish Public Schools

Shea, V. (2004). Netiquette. Retrieved February 29, 2016, from http://www.albion.com/bookNetiquette/

Video Blog: Relative Advantage of Using Hypermedia in the Classroom

Resources:

Florida Center for Instructional Technology

PowToon

Relative Advantage of Using the Basic Suite for Learning

In computer talk, the Basic Suite is a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation program. Most often, this can be seen as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. With web--based laptops becoming more popular, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides are being used more often. 

For students, the relative advantage of using the Basic Suite is to prepare them for the very same uses in the job world. As an adult who has a job that requires presentations, uses for a word processor, and data organization needs, I use a combination of the three programs on a daily basis. By introducing these programs to students early  in Elementary school, it allows students to become masters of the program's uses before they enter the work field and are expected to know everything about it. 

Another advantage of using these programs with students in schools is that they allow for differentiation. If a student has mobile difficulties and cannot use a writing utensil for extensive period of time or just has terrible handwriting, allowing those students to use a word processor is leveling the playing field. These students are gaining the opportunity to show what they are capable of in a way that caters to their specific needs. 

For teachers, the Basic Suite is used for building lesson plans, creating worksheets, sorting student data, and creating presentations to introduce material. The relative advantage of using these is that they provide everything you need with three basic programs. Within a word processor, you can create advertising fliers along with graphs and graphics. The use of web-based programs brings teacher collaboration to a higher level. Instead of having to email documents back and forth and waste time, teachers can collaborate on one document, presentation, or sheet. Teachers can sit at home on their couches and have a virtual editing session with peers all editing at the same time. 

The relative advantage of using these programs is the ease of working with other teachers in a team or vertical articulation situation. My partner teacher and I would be able to collaborate on documents or plans without having to make the time to sit together and discuss it. We could invite others in on our work and welcome their feedback on their time.

Roblyer, M. (2016). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (7th ed.). Massachusetts: Pearson.