We are citizens of a digital community, with a parallel need for social conventions and rules that guide respectful, ethical and responsible membership. Similarly, as the real world can be dangerous, depraved, inaccurate or offensive, so can the digital world. Everyone has the right to a safe, positive environment online and off; and everyone should be held accountable for their conduct, regardless of venue. Acceptable Use Agreements and Responsible Use Agreements, especially paired with relevant instruction, are effective ways to promote a set of codes for constructive, honest and safe behaviors by educators, students and parents.
Acceptable Use Agreements are contracts that outline technology policies and procedures, rationales and consequences for user. Responsible Use Agreements are related documents that shift the emphasis away from a list of behaviors to which the signer agrees to abide or face penalty toward proactively helping students become conscientious and prudent participants of the digital world in and out of school (CoSN, 2013).
The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) enacted in 2000 deals with concerns about children’s access to harmful content online. CIPA directs school districts receiving federal E-rate funding to address the following digital safety areas:
(a) access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet;
(b) the safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms and other forms of direct electronic communications;
(c) unauthorized access, including so-called “hacking,” and other unlawful activities by minors online;
(d) unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and
(e) measures restricting minors’ access to materials harmful to them (CoSN, 2013; FCC.gov, 2011).
At a minimum, Acceptable Use Agreements should address CIPA internet safety guidelines by providing a clear policy statement, and unambiguous definitions of acceptable and unacceptable uses with transparent consequences (Education World, 2004). Acceptable Use Agreements should be easily understood by students with straightforward clear language and include an explicit connection to student codes of conduct or honor policies (AUPs in a Web 2.0, 2011).
Further, schools adhering to CIPA in 2011 have two additional requirements: 1) internet safety includes monitoring minors online and 2) educate minors on appropriate behavior according to the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act (CoSN, 2013; FCC.gov, 2011). The latter, though vague, suggests a move towards Responsible Use Agreements with increased instruction to help students develop knowledge and attitudes about safety, integrity, and productivity in school and out. This means writing a proactive policy with applied student learning goals to develop their digital citizenship rather than blanket policies defining limits. “In short, digital citizenship means the ability to use technology safely, responsibly, critically, and pro-actively to contribute to society,” (Farmer, 2010). Solid Responsible Use Policies embrace the learning potential of digital tools but also enhance students’ awareness and respect for both the positive and negative powers of technology regardless of particular technology or geographical location.
There exists a well of resources for educators including great examples of cogent Responsible Use Agreements and tutorials for essential digital citizenship skills.
Resources for developing Responsible Use Agreements
Tutorials and other resources to guide instruction of digital citizenship
All students benefit from a safe environment that maximizes their opportunities to inquire, explore, connect, extend and learn; followed by feedback about their experiences and interpretations. More and more students are using Web 2.0 technologies to create and publish art, audio, video and photography, and creative writing postings (Schuck, Aubussen, & Kearney, 2010). It is important that we teach our students how to challenge their own preconceptions, to be discriminate consumers of information, to avoid harming themselves or others, and to be responsible, productive members of any world.
Resources
AUPs in a Web 2.0 world | EdTech Magazine (2011) Retrieved June 17, 2014, from http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2007/07/aups-in-a-web-20-world
Farmer, L. (2010). Digital Citizenship. Retrieved June 17, 2014, from http://ecitizenship.csla.net/.
Federal Communications Commission (2011) Children’s internet protection act. Retrieved June 15, 2014, from http://www.fcc.gov/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act
Getting started on the internet: Developing an acceptable use policy (AUP) | Education World (2004) Retrieved June 17, 2014, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr093.shtml.
I-SAFE America Inc. Acceptable use policies.(n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.isafe.org/imgs/pdf/education/AUPs.pdf
Rethinking acceptable use policies to enable digital Learning: A guide for school districts – CoSN (2013) Retrieved June 15, 2014, from http://www.cosn.org/sites/default/files/pdf/Revised%20AUP%20March%202013_final.pdf.
Ribble, M. (2007). Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship. Retrieved June 17, 2014, from http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html.
Schuck, S., Aubussen, P., & Kearney, M. (2010) Web 2.0 in the classroom? Dilemmas and opportunities inherent in adolescent web 2.0 engagement. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 10(2), 234-246. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/d/31422
State of Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Educational Technology. (2011). Retrieved June 15, 2014, from http://www.k12.wa.us/EdTech/InternetSafety/AcceptableUsePolicyInfo.aspx
Zadravec, S. and Lotz, T. Information technology. (2014). Portsmouth School Department - City of Portsmouth. Retrieved June 16, 2014, from http://www.cityofportsmouth.com/school/policy/RUACSEV.pdf
Acceptable Use Agreements are contracts that outline technology policies and procedures, rationales and consequences for user. Responsible Use Agreements are related documents that shift the emphasis away from a list of behaviors to which the signer agrees to abide or face penalty toward proactively helping students become conscientious and prudent participants of the digital world in and out of school (CoSN, 2013).
The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) enacted in 2000 deals with concerns about children’s access to harmful content online. CIPA directs school districts receiving federal E-rate funding to address the following digital safety areas:
(a) access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet;
(b) the safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms and other forms of direct electronic communications;
(c) unauthorized access, including so-called “hacking,” and other unlawful activities by minors online;
(d) unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and
(e) measures restricting minors’ access to materials harmful to them (CoSN, 2013; FCC.gov, 2011).
At a minimum, Acceptable Use Agreements should address CIPA internet safety guidelines by providing a clear policy statement, and unambiguous definitions of acceptable and unacceptable uses with transparent consequences (Education World, 2004). Acceptable Use Agreements should be easily understood by students with straightforward clear language and include an explicit connection to student codes of conduct or honor policies (AUPs in a Web 2.0, 2011).
Further, schools adhering to CIPA in 2011 have two additional requirements: 1) internet safety includes monitoring minors online and 2) educate minors on appropriate behavior according to the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act (CoSN, 2013; FCC.gov, 2011). The latter, though vague, suggests a move towards Responsible Use Agreements with increased instruction to help students develop knowledge and attitudes about safety, integrity, and productivity in school and out. This means writing a proactive policy with applied student learning goals to develop their digital citizenship rather than blanket policies defining limits. “In short, digital citizenship means the ability to use technology safely, responsibly, critically, and pro-actively to contribute to society,” (Farmer, 2010). Solid Responsible Use Policies embrace the learning potential of digital tools but also enhance students’ awareness and respect for both the positive and negative powers of technology regardless of particular technology or geographical location.
There exists a well of resources for educators including great examples of cogent Responsible Use Agreements and tutorials for essential digital citizenship skills.
Resources for developing Responsible Use Agreements
- State of Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction at http://www.k12.wa.us/EdTech/InternetSafety/AcceptableUsePolicyInfo.aspx offers rationales, guides, tutorial links and sample plans. “Digital citizenship demands a new awareness of what it means to preserve personal safety online and engage civic life responsibly and effectively.”
- The Portsmouth School Department of New Hampshire opens with a letter to parents and students and includes a great section on digital citizenship and expectations rather than the list of violations at http://www.cityofportsmouth.com/school/policy/RUACSEV.pdf
- Greensboro Day School has a strong Technology Responsible Use Policy with a comprehensive list of I will... statements for students at http://academic.greensboroday.org/~smithd/techweb/Responsible%20Use%20Policy%202010%20-%20final.pdf from 2010!
- Easton Areas School District in California has a very long, legal, but well-defined agreement at http://www.easdpolicies.com/files/easd/815/index.html "Administrators, teachers and staff have the responsibility to work together to help students develop the skills and judgment required to make effective and appropriate use of network resources."
- Safe has comprehensive list elements for districts to consider when developing Responsible Use Agreements at http://www.isafe.org/imgs/pdf/education/AUPs.pdf
Tutorials and other resources to guide instruction of digital citizenship
- California School Library Association (CSLA) sponsors an excellent online course in digital citizenship for educators and their K-12 students at http://ecitizenship.csla.net/
- Designed for the Australian student, Digital citizenship.net contains a massive list of resources to assist educators http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Home_Page.html
All students benefit from a safe environment that maximizes their opportunities to inquire, explore, connect, extend and learn; followed by feedback about their experiences and interpretations. More and more students are using Web 2.0 technologies to create and publish art, audio, video and photography, and creative writing postings (Schuck, Aubussen, & Kearney, 2010). It is important that we teach our students how to challenge their own preconceptions, to be discriminate consumers of information, to avoid harming themselves or others, and to be responsible, productive members of any world.
Resources
AUPs in a Web 2.0 world | EdTech Magazine (2011) Retrieved June 17, 2014, from http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2007/07/aups-in-a-web-20-world
Farmer, L. (2010). Digital Citizenship. Retrieved June 17, 2014, from http://ecitizenship.csla.net/.
Federal Communications Commission (2011) Children’s internet protection act. Retrieved June 15, 2014, from http://www.fcc.gov/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act
Getting started on the internet: Developing an acceptable use policy (AUP) | Education World (2004) Retrieved June 17, 2014, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr093.shtml.
I-SAFE America Inc. Acceptable use policies.(n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.isafe.org/imgs/pdf/education/AUPs.pdf
Rethinking acceptable use policies to enable digital Learning: A guide for school districts – CoSN (2013) Retrieved June 15, 2014, from http://www.cosn.org/sites/default/files/pdf/Revised%20AUP%20March%202013_final.pdf.
Ribble, M. (2007). Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship. Retrieved June 17, 2014, from http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html.
Schuck, S., Aubussen, P., & Kearney, M. (2010) Web 2.0 in the classroom? Dilemmas and opportunities inherent in adolescent web 2.0 engagement. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 10(2), 234-246. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/d/31422
State of Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Educational Technology. (2011). Retrieved June 15, 2014, from http://www.k12.wa.us/EdTech/InternetSafety/AcceptableUsePolicyInfo.aspx
Zadravec, S. and Lotz, T. Information technology. (2014). Portsmouth School Department - City of Portsmouth. Retrieved June 16, 2014, from http://www.cityofportsmouth.com/school/policy/RUACSEV.pdf