AUP Reflection

Activity 3: Discussion - Project - AUP Reflection

This week in graduate school we were researching Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) and even writing our own AUP for our school or district. I found this to be a rather difficult assignment. For something that parents and students had to sign it is practically a legal document and I have had no experience in this kind of writing. (My writing is about third grade level with my students most of the time.)    

            There are so many things to be included (so that my students or parents don’t try to loophole me.) I hate that I have to think this way, but my charter school has a very involved and very aggressive parent base. It’s pretty much the opposite of the never involved parent and it is definitely too much.

I tried to keep it as general and as open ended as possible. Many things fit under the umbrella of “show good character.” But if I were to list every single thing students could do to not show good character it would be a very long list and I would inevitably forget something and I could just see a student saying “but it wasn’t in the technology agreement that I couldn’t do this.”

I created my AUP for my classroom specifically and I definitely made good character the focus. We are a character school and pretty much everything we do revolves around character education. It is a really great way to tie everything together in my class and talk about making good choices; especially when it comes to technology.

When deciding what to put in my AUP I kept second-guessing myself. “Do I need this or do I need that?” I think if I had been actually creating this document for my school I would have been collaborating with other teachers, our technology director, and even administration. It’s just helpful to have someone to bounce ideas off of when creating a document like this. I really like what I ended up putting together, but I think before I implement this in my classroom in the fall I will definitely run it past several other teachers to help me tweak it to perfection.

          One thing I really enjoy about these online classes is that I do have classmates to “work with.” I really enjoy looking through everyone else’s work and seeing all my classmates’ great ideas. It gives me an idea if I am going in the right direction with my own work.

My AUP

Ms. Cutshall’s Acceptable Use Policy

Why do we need this? (Preamble)

Using the Internet and using technology are super important to learning in Ms. Cutshall’s classroom. We have some amazing technology tools available to us at Prospect Ridge Academy like iPads, computers, and we can even bring our own devices from home. We are a character school and in order for us to use this technology we have to show good character and be trustworthy. If I can’t trust you with technology it can be taken away. To make sure this doesn’t happen, all of the rules about technology are listed in this document so you know exactly what you can and cannot do. If you don’t understand something, please ask Ms. Cutshall.

(Definitions: Since this was written for my students I included all definitions within the text)

What technology are we talking about?  (Policy Statement)

In Ms. Cutshall’s class we will be using computers and iPads. We will also be accessing the Internet. You are allowed use to technology at school once you and your parents have signed the technology agreement. By signing it, you are telling me that you have read and understand everything in this document.

Rules (Acceptable Uses and Unacceptable Uses)  

·       Always follow Ms. Cutshall’s directions and get her permission before using technology in the classroom.

·       Only use the programs Ms. Cutshall tells you to use, and only when she tells you to use them. For example, if it is math time and you’re supposed to be playing a math game, don’t play a science game, or don’t look up pictures of Justin Bieber.

·       Always use two hands to hold technology. Make sure they’re clean!

·       Technology devices are in your hands or on a table. Never on a chair or the floor.

·       Never write your full name, address, or telephone number anywhere on the Internet.

·       Keep your passwords a secret.

·       Only speak online to people you know in real life.

·       When you are communicating online, be polite and show good character.  

·       You may bring your own technology device from home and use it at school, as long as you get permission from Ms. Cutshall and follow the rules. Ms. Cutshall and PRA are not responsible if your device gets lost or broken.

·       Be responsible and accountable for your actions all the time: especially when you are using technology.

What happens if… (Violations/Sanctions)

If you break these rules on purpose Ms. Cutshall can take away the technology at any time. You can also be written up for any inappropriate online behavior.

Technology Agreement

I have read and understand the technology rules for Ms. Cutshall’s classroom. I promise to show good character. I understand that if good character is not shown and these rules are broken there will be consequences.

This paper must be signed by student and parent and must be returned to Ms. Cutshall before technology can be used in the classroom.

Student Signature: ____________________________________________________________

Parent Signature: _____________________________________________________________

References

Education World (Ed.). (n.d.). Getting started on the internet: Developing an acceptable use policy(AUP). Retrieved July 17, 2013, from Education World website: http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr093.shtml

Magid, L. J. (n.d.). My rules for online safety. Retrieved July 17, 2013, from Child Safety on the Information Highway website: http://als.lib.wi.us/ALS/rules.html 

Newport-Mesa Unified School District (Ed.). (2006, August 22). Network acceptable use policy. Retrieved July 17, 2013, from Newport-Mesa Unified School District website: http://www.nmusd.us/district/net_aup.php 

Acceptable Use Policy

An AUP is an Acceptable Use Policy put into place by the school district in order to create parameters for students when they are using the Internet.  The National Education Association (NEA) has stated that proper school and district AUPs should contain six parts: a preamble, a definition section, a policy statement, an acceptable uses section, an unacceptable uses section and a violations/sanctions section.

    The first section in any AUP is the preamble. The preamble is the topic of the piece, why it is needed, and what the goals of the AUP are. In the Adams 12 Five Star school district, the emphasis is placed on student learning and ensuring that Internet use remains for educational purposes only. However, I think that statement is up to wild interpretation.

    The second section should be the definition section. This includes basic definitions in the AUP to ensure that everyone reading the document is on the same page when it comes to things like the “Internet.” Legal documents need to be as specific as possible. In my district there was not a definition section.

    The third section in an AUP is the policy statement. The policy statement discusses when student are allowed to use said computer services and what the AUP covers. Adams 12 focuses on student responsibility. It discusses how technology equipment is to be used and the form for parents to sign and return to school goes with this section.

    Next, an AUP should address acceptable uses. This section explains what students are allowed to do under the AUP. Oftentimes this section includes what the district defines as “educational” uses of the computers and Internet. My district states that students might be given an email address, and students do have permission to use different collaborative platforms such as wikis and blogs when monitored by a teacher.

    The penultimate section of AUPs discusses unacceptable uses.  This includes types of things such as which computers are not allowed to be accessed by students, and what kind of sites are not allowed to be viewed. There must be several specific examples. This includes things like prohibiting the sending of any kind of sexual harassment over the Internet. Adams 12 describes this by giving many specific examples including violence, destruction of property, pornography, bullying behavior, plagiarizing, profanity, hacking, altering equipment, and the violation of state or federal law. 

    Lastly is the section on violations and sanctions. This is simply information on how to report violations of any part of the AUP. Additionally, many AUPs have a page to be signed by students and/or parents saying that they understand the information in the AUP. In my district, they begin with reminding students that there is no expectation of privacy in regards to school and district computers. They also state privileges can be taken away at any time.

District AUP Wordle

Here is my District AUP Wordle. There is also a link below.



http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/6884901/Christie

Bloom's and Marzano's Reflection

When I keep Bloom’s and Marzano in mind during my lesson planning, it drives my instruction in a direction of critical thinking. Without them, it is very easy to slip into the busy work or textbook work that is only memorizing information. Keeping the Marzano strategies and levels of Bloom’s in mind helps me focus my instruction on skills that are more important.

Any competent teacher will be implementing some of Bloom’s or Marzano’s in their instruction without even trying. However, keeping them in mind is what creates master teachers. When I am planning, I usually have them on the back burner, so to speak. But I know that planning with those purposefully will make me a better educator. In terms of Digital Bloom’s, In my classroom, I currently do a lot of Creating projects, but I also do a lot of Remembering book work and worksheets. So I need to try and shift away from all the lower level thinking skills and try to be intentional about the higher level thinking skills. I will try to eliminate textbook lessons in social studies and replace them with hands on activities. I think with Marzano’s strategies, I do a little of each of them. But as I study them further I am coming up with new and exciting things to try. For example, I love the idea of creating analogies in the strategy of identifying similarities and differences. I can definitely use those in math when we are studying geometry.

Creating professional development for other teachers at my school is something that I am passionate about. I love to help, especially where technology and higher order thinking skills are concerned. Ideally, I would host a professional development session for my whole staff over Bloom’s and Marzano. I would want to present them with an overview of both to give them an idea of how the strategies could work and how they could help them in their classrooms. Most teachers just need help dipping their toes in, and once they are somewhat familiar they jump in on their own and at their own pace. More likely, I could send out a few emails with pieces of the information. Or I could have just a few minutes at a staff meeting to introduce the strategies and then follow up with the different grade level teams. I also could discuss the Bloom’s and Marzano’s strategies with the teacher technology team. There is one teacher from each grade level on that team. Then, those teachers could go back and give the information to their teammates. That would be a very efficient delivery of the information.