Internet Safety, Acceptable Use, Research and Copyright

AUPs are in every school (at least in some respect). These are important documents that help teachers, students and administrators sort through all of the web-based activity occuring in a school daily. Though they can be a nuisance, they are necessary in providing a safe, accountable and respectful educational environment.

There are a lot of factors that can contribute to AUPs, and they should always be revisited as new technologies, new trends, and new students are introduced to your schools. A static AUP, is a soon outdated document. To keep pace with the changes it's important to stay abreast of the current issues that we're all faced with. Contemporary articles that concern internet usage (and possibly the AUPs that govern it) will be introduced throughout this course. Some are for teachers to consider, others for parents, and still others for students.

Here's an example of a contemporary issue/article:

• Open Thinking & Digital Pedagogy - Possible Suspension for Student Who Created Proxy Site
• Educon2.0 Internet Filtering discussion - this is a video from this past winter's Educon conference

These conversations and more should be happening at your school. On the main page of the course, below this resource there is a sample AUP from the Vermont School Board Association, is it as good as your school's?