final project web 2.0

ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES IN THE SCHOOLS

(based largely on the following web page:)

http://www.justice.gov/criminal/cybercrime/rules/acceptableUsePolicy.htmMODEL

Policy statement: Classroom computer services are covered by the AUP. After completion of a "computer responsibility" class that will enhance student understanding of the AUP guidelines, students may use computer services only with permission and under teacher supervision.

The school's information technology resources, including email and Internet access, are provided for educational purposes. In addition to the stated policies, the school’s overall code of conduct also applies to student online activity. Adherence to the following policy is necessary to provide a safe and appropriate online/technology experience. Adherence is necessary for continued access to the school's technological resources:

Definitions:

Internet - a vast computer network linking smaller computer networks worldwide

Spam - disruptive messages, especially commercial messages posted on a computer network or sent as e-mail.

Students must

1. Respect and protect the privacy of others.
• Use only assigned accounts.
• Not view, use, or copy passwords, data, or networks to which they are not authorized.
• Not distribute private information about others or themselves.
2. Respect and protect the integrity, availability, and security of all electronic resources.
• Observe all network security practices, as posted.
• Report security risks or violations to a teacher or network administrator.
• Not destroy or damage data, networks, or other resources that do not belong to them Conserve, protect, and share these resources with other students and Internet users.
3. Respect and protect the intellectual property of others.
• Not infringe copyrights (no making illegal copies of music, games, or movies!).
• Not plagiarize.
4. Respect and practice the principles of community.
• Communicate only in ways that are kind and respectful.
• Report threatening or discomforting materials to a teacher.
• Not intentionally access, transmit, copy, or create material that violates the school's code of conduct (such as messages that are pornographic, threatening, rude, discriminatory, or meant to harass).
• Not intentionally access, transmit, copy, or create material that is illegal (such as obscenity, stolen materials, or illegal copies of copyrighted works).
• Not use the resources to further other acts that are criminal or violate the school's code of conduct.
• Not send spam, chain letters, or other mass unsolicited mailings.

Students may, if in accord with the policy above

1. Design and post web pages and other material from school resources.
2. Use teacher approved resources for any educational purpose.

Consequences for Violation. Violations of these rules may result in disciplinary action, including the loss of a student's privileges to use the school's information technology resources.

Supervision and Monitoring. School and network administrators and their authorized employees monitor the use of information technology resources to help ensure that uses are secure and in conformity with this policy. Administrators reserve the right to examine, use, and disclose any data found on the school's information networks in order to further the health, safety, discipline, or security of any student or other person, or to protect property. They may also use this information in disciplinary actions, and will furnish evidence of crime to law enforcement.

I ACKNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTAND MY OBLIGATIONS:

__________________________________________	__________________________
Student	Date
__________________________________________	__________________________
Parent/Guardian	Date

PARENTS, PLEASE DISCUSS THESE RULES WITH YOUR STUDENT TO ENSURE HE OR SHE UNDERSTANDS THEM.

THESE RULES ALSO PROVIDE A GOOD FRAMEWORK FOR YOUR STUDENT'S USE OF COMPUTERS AT HOME, AT LIBRARIES, OR ANYWHERE.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE www.cybercrime.gov.

One major challenge educators will face in ensuring students are ready for 21^st Century is the way in which the primary institution of education is constructed. As Will Richardson made mention, students today expect to have information available for their consumption 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Since, the content and curriculum planning is out of the control of teachers in most districts, we will be challenged in how to incorporate these new technologies into sometimes older models of learning. Creating/using rubrics that use newer web 2.0 technology will be an important step in meshing the worlds.

Skills typically taught and reinforced such as organization will still be important in education, however, organization skills will shift to organizing blogs and wikis. Teachers will add new roles as facilitators of information searches. In this new age of open communication and information overload, it will be important for educators to teach students how to evaluate information and develop critical thinking skills that challenge information and ideas presented on the web. Teachers will be challenged help students make connections to information and other people directly who are reliable sources of information. In order to achieve these goals, teachers are challenged to become savvy users of web 2.0 tools themselves and stewards of change within the school system. If school districts have major restrictions on tools available for use in education, one way to begin is using web 2.0 tools in personal or staff to staff settings, and then sharing ideas on ways to incorporate in the classroom.

I have always believed I have as much to learn from my students as they have to learn from me. It is exciting that there are so many ideas and ways in which students can share/communicate their ideas not only with their teacher, but other teachers and students all over the world.

In reflecting on all of the web 2.0 tools I have studied, I think the most useful would be the weblog. I could really see this as a tool I would use on a daily/weekly basis, with students acting as co-authors. It is essentially the spring board for most of the other web 2.0 tools. I would use the blog to post assignment, link other important/pertinent information related to community/current events or assignments. I may also post student work and class photos. The blog is very user-friendly from both an author and reader's perspective - akin to e-mail. The possibilities for using blogs in the classroom is virtually limitless, especially when partnered with some of the other useful web 2.0 tools.

oh my!!! I don't think I've been this frustrated in quite some time.... I am having an exceedingly difficult time with publishing my podcast! I have downloaded the Audacity software and mp3 converter, however, the Export as mp3 option necessary for publishing does not seem to exist on my version of the software. I am really hoping for some help. I think it would be much easier at this point to publish a youtube video.

My frustrations aside... I can see the value of using podcasts in the classroom. One could record lessons and post for students who have been absent to catch up. Students could also explore other students' podcasts from different regions/countries as well as publish their own work. I do believe that there would be additional incentives for students to put forth their best work when they know it will be published to the world wide web for unlimited access from virtually anyone. NETS for students include:

• Demonstrate creativity and innovation
• Communicate and collaborate

Wish me luck in completing my podcast - hopefully I will have the link up and running soon!

Flickr Photo Share Site

I did not find Flickr to be the easiest site to navigate and use. For example - the "add note" feature - I had to search e-how on how to use it! I've used other photo sharing sites such as shutterfly and photo bucket that I've found much more user-friendly. That being said.... I was impressed with the sheer number of photos on the site! I could find photos on virtually anything.

The possibilites of using a photo share site in a classroom are virtually endless - as indicated in the many examples and ideas in the book and web-links. I LOVE what the math teacher did - Having the students photograph ordinary objects and find different math concepts in them. The students had to make notes on the photos as part of the explanation. Since I do not teach high school math, I would probably have the students find a photo and create a short story around the chosen photo. The NETS standard met would be: Demonstrate creativity and innovation through either of these assisgnments.

DSC00345

DSC00345, a photo by Imadoglover1 on Flickr.

A smiling pig - uploaded from my new flickr account....

Wow! I just discovered social bookmarking sites! I didn't even know these existed before now. It is a very simple and effective way to organize all of your favorite sites - very useful in education in planning lessons. In my classroom I could set up a site for any project with safe/reliable bookmarks for students to use. Definitly helpful in conducting research and using information in the NET-S standards. The Apple.com and Freetech4teachers.com are bookmarks I have added in Delicious.