Ian J. Loverro
loverroi@cwu.edu
Central
Washington University
June 17, 2002
According
to the National Center for Educational Statistics (May 2001), 98% of
schools
with Internet access have Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) in place.
Unfortunately,
many of these policies are written by legal advisors and difficult for
children to read. Unless parents, teachers, technology coordinators and
school administrators are able to interpret these policies into
"kid-friendly"
terms, children may not understand what the rules are and perhaps more
importantly why they exist.
AUPs
generally include lists of appropriate and in-appropriate uses of
computers,
e-mail accounts, and network resources, as well as consequences for
failing
to follow the policy. Often, the student and/or parent is expected to
sign
and return a copy of the policy, demonstrating understanding and
acceptance
of the AUP. Given the technical nature of these policies, it is often
likely
that young children and possibly their parents may agree to these AUPs
with little or no comprehension of the school's ethical and legal
mandates
for computer use. As a result of this potential conflict, it becomes
the
responsibility of teachers and administrators to develop
age-appropriate
interpretations of these district-wide policies.
Ultimately,
the final responsibility often rests with the classroom teacher.
Historically,
the computer lab teacher and librarians assumed these responsibilities.
But, as computer technologies are being integrated into regular
classroom
curricula; as school districts begin placing computer workstations in
individual
classrooms; as teachers begin adapting their curricula to include
technology
use by students, AUP interpretation is becoming a skill required of
teachers.
However, with little awareness or training, teachers may feel unable to
begin the process. More importantly, many teachers may be unaware that
this is a problem or that the policies even exist. In some cases,
teachers
distribute AUP contracts, along with numerous other forms and
permission
slips without paying any attention beyond obtaining the necessary
signatures.
In
light of these new responsibilities, what are the steps to interpreting
a district's AUP for an individual classroom? The process can be broken
down into seven steps:
The
Seven Steps to AUP Interpretation and Translation
1. Locate
the district policy.
2. Identify
individual regulations that apply to students.
3. Craft
these regulations in age-appropriate language, using sample activities
and examples.
4. If
desired, include additional classroom-specific rules for computer use
5. Identify
appropriate, hierarchical consequences for failure to follow the rules
6. Create
a packet that includes a cover letter to parents; the "kid-friendly"
AUP;
the district AUP; and a permission slip to be signed by the student,
parents,
and teacher.
7. Develop
a measurement instrument (test) to determine level of student mastery
of
the "kid-friendly" AUP.
To
illustrate these seven steps, the Seattle Public Schools AUP will be
examined
and interpreted.
Seven Steps to interpreting and
translating
the
Seattle Public School District
AUP
Step
1: Locate the district policy
The
SPSD's policy is available online: (http://web.archive.org/web/20020112223325/www.seattleschools.org/area/it/AUPandWPP.xml)Not
all districts make their policies as readily available. In some cases,
it may be necessary to contact site administrators or district
technology
coordinators.
Step
2: Identify individual regulations that apply to students
The
SPSD document includes a cover letter, a Student Internet Access
Agreement,
and World Wide Web Publishing Guidelines. For the sake of simplicity,
the
cover letter and Publishing Guidelines will not be included in the
following
interpretation, however, if a teacher intends to have students
publishing
their own web content, an interpretation of these guidelines would be
appropriate.
Surprisingly, most schools do not detail such guidelines.
Step
3: Craft these regulations in age-appropriate language, using sample
activities
and examples
Seattle
Public Schoolsâ Student Internet Access Agreement
ãThe
Seattle School District makes available access to a worldwide computer
network called the Internet for all students. Through the Internet you
will have access to hundreds of databases, libraries, and computer
services
from all over the world.You will
also have the ability to publish your work on the World Wide Web.The
District believes the resources available through this network offer
significant
opportunities to enhance your education, but also expects you to use
this
resource responsibly.ä
Conditions of Access
ãAs
a condition of my right to use the Seattle School District Internet
service,
I understand and agree with the following:
1.The
use of the SPSD Internet service, including access to other networks,
is
a privilege which may be revoked by the District administration at any
time for abusive conduct or violation of any of the conditions of use
set
forth herein.
2.The
District will be the sole arbiter of what constitutes abusive conduct
or
violation of the District Internet policies. Abusive conduct includes,
but is not limited to:
ð
Transmission or deliberate access of obscene, indecent, abusive,
defamatory
or otherwise offensive material in any form;
ð
Any deliberate or malicious attempt to harm or destroy data on any
system
on the Internet;
ð
Unauthorized installation, storage or distribution of copyrighted
software
or materials.ä
3.The
District has the right to review any material sent, mailed, or stored
in
District computers, including e-mails. The District can edit or remove
any material that it believes may be unlawful, obscene, indecent,
abusive,
or otherwise is objectionable. I hereby consent to the review of any
material
sent, received, or stored on or through the District's network and
waive
any right of privacy that I may otherwise have in and to such material.
4.The
use of the Internet service is for educational purposes only. All
information
and services contained on District computers are placed there solely
for
general educational purposes.
Age-appropriate
Translation
ãI
agree to the following rules:
1.If
I do not follow the school rules for using the Internet at school, I
might
not be allowed to use it any more.ä
2.
The teachers and principal will decide if I break the following rule:
ð
Looking at or e-mailing things on the computer that should not be
brought
to school, and that might hurt other people.
ð
Trying to erase someone elseâs work from the computer.
ð
Copying computer programs or games that do not belong on the
schoolâs computers
or helping other people steal computer programs.
3.My
work is not private. The teachers and principal can look at any e-mail
I send or work that I save. If they find anything that breaks the
rules,
they can throw it away.
4.I
am only allowed to use the Internet at school for school work, and
nothing
else.
Step
4: Include additional classroom-specific rules
Most
teachers would probably want to establish some sort of additional
classroom
routines or rules related to the safe and appropriate use of
computers.
Sample Additional Rules
ãIn
our classroom, we need to be careful and polite when we use computers:
1.
We should never have food or drinks near the computers.
2.
I should always ask Mr. Loverro for permission before using the
computer
or printing anything.
3.
If I am working on the computer and someone else wants to use it, I
will
finish my work quickly and let them use it after me. If I am waiting to
use a computer, I will be polite and patient while I wait.
4.
I will never use my last name, phone number, or address when sending an
e-mail message.
5.
I will not bring any computer games or programs from home without Mr.
Loverroâs
permission.
6.
If someone is sending e-mail that bothers me or if I see anyone in my
class
not following our computer rules, I will tell Mr. Loverro right away.
Step
5: Identify appropriate, hierarchical consequences for failure to
follow
the rules
The
SPSDâs AUP does not elaborate on the range of possible
consequences for
failing to follow the policy. Classroom teachers should consult with
their
site administrators and district technology coordinators to locate or
build
a hierarchical list. Once the list of specific consequences is created,
the teacher can begin interpreting them for students. The list may
simply
read as follows:
ãIf
I break the school computer rules, my parents will be called and I
might
not be able to use the school computers for a day, a week, or even the
rest of the school year. It depends on which rules I break. If I break
the law, the police will be called.ä
Step
6: Create a packet that includes a cover letter to parents; the
"kid-friendly"
AUP; the district AUP; and a permission slip to be signed by the
student,
parents, and teacher.
The
most disturbing aspect of the SPSDâs AUP is that only the student
and a
school staff member are required to sign it. The staff member takes
responsibility
for the child understanding and following the rules. If the district
intends
to enforce these rules, parental permission is absolutely essential.
Furthermore,
children are not able to sign legally binding documents themselves. In
the case of the SPSD permission forms, the only instance in which
parents
are asked to sign is if they want to prevent their children from
accessing
the Internet at school. It is essentially an ãopt outä form.
ãPlease
note that if you do not sign and return this form, we are assuming that
you are granting permission for your child to access the Internet and
allow
your childâs work to be posted on District web pages, within the
limits
spelled out in the attached Web Publishing Guidelines.ä
In
essence, a child could simply sign the form and return it to the school
without ever showing his or her parents. This may prove to be
problematic,
in a legal sense, for the SPSD. A parental signature should be required
for students to gain access to the Internet while at school. A student
signature should be included as well, not so much from a legal
standpoint,
but from the point of view that they are agreeing to monitor their own
behavior and follow the rules. A teacher or principalâs signature
is less
important, although it is a nice addition to send the message that this
is a serious matter and that teachers are aware of the rules and
consequences
as well.
Step
7: Develop a measurement instrument (test) to determine level of
student
mastery of the "kid-friendly" AUP.
Some
form of assessment to establish that the student understands the rules,
as they apply to typical classroom situations, can be valuable in
providing
children an opportunity to practice following the AUP and classroom
rules.
Yahooligans (http://www.yahooligans.com/tg/aup7.html)
provides the following quiz:
Assessing Your Students'
Understanding
of the Do's and Don'ts
Do
this questionnaire together as a class. There are no trick answers.
This
is one more opportunity for you to reinforce key safety do's and
don'ts.
1.You
are working with friends on a project. You save the file to your
private
folder. Your friends say they need to know your password so they can
access
the file. You should:
a)
Give them your password and username. They can be trusted.
b)
Even though you trust your friends, ask your teacher to help you find a
way so all of you can access shared files without having to share
passwords.
2.You
visit a really cool site. There is a space for signing up for a contest
to win neat prizes and trips. The electronic form asks for your name,
email
address, home address, your favorite computer games, and home phone
number.
You should:
a)
Resist the very tempting offer. You know you can't give out this much
information
to a stranger about yourself. But, you REALLY want to sign up. If so,
ask
a teacher or parent for advice.
b)
Fill in the space with any information requested. What harm could it do?
3.You
get an email message from someone you don't know or from another
student
on campus that hurts your feelings. You should:
a)
Let your teacher know. If someone you know is doing this, they might
not
be being safe with their use of the Internet and could get in some
serious
trouble. If it is a stranger, they could be bothering other students
too.
b)
Show it to all of your friends, delete the message then send a nasty
response.
No one will find out anyway.
4.You
are searching for information on the Internet. You accidentally open a
web site that is scary or not educational. You should:
a)
Click the back button and leave the site ASAP. Or if you're not sure,
ask
your teacher if the site is okay. If you have ANY doubts, ask an adult.
b)
Call over a few friends to check out the web site.
Conclusions
The
Seven Steps to AUP Interpretation and Translation provide preliminary
guidance
to teachers faced with the responsibility of ensuring students can
understand
and following their districtâs AUP. Although there is a great
deal of information
available on the Internet related to AUPs, many of these resources are
specific to AUP creation and do not address the issue of interpretation
and translation of existing AUPs into ãkid-friendlyä
language. Below I
have provided a number of excellent Internet resources focused more
specifically
on interpretation and translation.
Online Resources for Creating
and
Interpreting AUPs
Acceptable
Use Guidelines: Grades K-5
http://k-12.pisd.edu/guide/elemen/index.htm
Center
for Responsible Use of Information Technologies
http://ces.uoregon.edu/responsibleuse/
Critiquing
Acceptable Use Policies
http://www.io.com/~kinnaman/aupessay.html
K-12
Acceptable Use Policy for K-20 Network
http://www.k12.wa.us/k20/aup
Teachers'
Guide: Acceptable Use Policies
http://www.yahooligans.com/tg/aup.html
updated 11/19/2003:
the Seattle Schools have since adopted a more child-friendly AUP for
elementary students. An archived copy is available here.