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The Champaign School District policy on use of computer resources is generous, student and staff privileges standard, and staff and student access to web publishing is definitely strict and challenging. This document hopes to summarize each of this areas with reference to Edison Middle School.
The philosophy of the district on resources and access is very clear. The technology in our buildings is to "support learning and to enhance instruction." This is for all technology and all students. Now you probably know as well as I do that not every educator agrees with this statement. Some educators in my building feel that the computer in their classroom (many have only one in their room) is a tool for their purposes only. If a student needs access, they cannot use this one, but rather must go to the lab to work. These machines area often places on the teacher desk to further emphasize this "ownership." Be that as it may, my district has made a strong effort to bring these resources into the classroom, and this commitment has brought verifiable results. For instance, I am the primary writing instructor on my team. I teach the research paper cooperatively with our social studies teacher. The first year students had access to the internet as a resource, it's use was probably ten percent. That was 4 years ago. This past year, I would say at least 70+ percent used the internet to research their topic. This increase has resulted in better papers and more accurate information. This commitment to technology has brought positive results, but also some difficulties. Good thing our district created our Acceptable Use Policy (AUP).
The older version of our district policy on staff/student privileges can be found at the web site linked here. This document recently has been updated, but most of the content is the same. The one area that users need to be aware of is the last statement about email: "System operators will have access to all user accounts, including email." This may surprise some users, but in the business world, this is standard practice. Below you will find a summary of the AUP and changes are in bold.
Users can:
1. Receive the privilege of
having a free Internet account. All that is required is parental
permission with a signature.
2. Keep an assigned Internet
account as long as the user is a staff member, member of the Board of Education,
or student in the Champaign Community Schools or a retired member of the
staff.
Users do not:
1. Use the Internet for any
illegal purpose.
2. Use impolite, obscene or
abusive language on the computer systems.
3. Violate the rules of common
sense and etiquette.
4. Change any computer files
that do not belong to the user.
5. Violate copyright restrictions
by uploading or downloading software illegally.
6. Give their passwords to
other users.
7. Post addresses or phone
numbers of students or colleagues.
8. Send or display offensive
or abusive messages or pictures.
9. Harass, insult, or attack
other users.
10. Use others' passwords.
11. Damage computers, systems or
networks.
12. Trespass in others' folders,
work or files.
13. Employ the network for commercial
purposes.
14. Access services illegally.
Users who do not follow the District's rules and
regulations in regard to its computer systems and access to
networked information resources may be subject
to any and all of the following sanctions:
1. Loss of access to the system.
2. Disciplinary action, which
could include suspension or expulsion, in line with that stated in the
Student
Code of Conduct regarding inappropriate language, behavior, destruction
of property or illegal
activities.
3. Notification of law enforcement
agencies when applicable.
System operators will have access to all user
accounts, including email. If the user is not sure how to do
something on the computer, ask a teacher or contact
the Technology Department in the District's
Administrative Center.
It has been infrequent that users access have been taken away. Only for instances of hacking, inappropriate surfing and computer use have students loss these privileges and this lasts for one school year. Part of that success, I feel, can be attributed to how well informed our students are about teacher right to their files and how quickly consequences have been meted out to offenders, especially for the minor offenses. Students recognize that access many times carries over to responsibilities academically, and without that access, sometimes work cannot be completed.
Our latest technology director has been very conservative in the area of web publishing. When I first began working with computers, the technology director encouraged my publication of work on the internet. I was the first teacher in my building with a web site. But, that philosophy has quickly changed. The newest tech. director has taken the approach of control: only the highest levels maintain our school's and district's pages. I no longer have access to my personal page. With that, students now have no access to publishing material. If I, or one of my students, want something to be posted, it first has to go to the tech director of the building, reviewed, and then she has access to place it on the server. Any changes to sites need to go through her. This process seems to me belaboring and backwards, given the AUP of the district and the consequence myself or one of my students would face if we violated this policy.
last updated 6.15.2000