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Erin Settle January 23, 2014

EDIM 514

Appropriate Use/Internet Safety Policy

After reviewing my districts Responsible Use Policy found on the district webpage, Ibelieve that it does a good job covering the basics found in CIPA. I know our technologydepartment is very serious about aligning our RUP with CIPA and that is evident in the

policy. The RUP lays out the purpose of the RUP, the authority the district has,

guidelines that clarify by example the guidelines that apply to determining whether agiven use is acceptable or not, and delegation of responsibility. At the beginning of the

year, every student and parent receives a copy of the policy and signs the RUP stating

that they have read and understand the policy. If the RUP is not followed then the

students computer privileges will be taken away.

CIPA lays out that minors should be educated about appropriate online behavior

including topics such as cyberbullying awareness and interacting with others on socialnetworking sites and in chat rooms. I believe our district does a good job at addressing

this. Our guidance counselor comes into the classroom multiple times throughout the

year and conducts lessons on these specific issues. They address this at all age levels and

the students are educated about these topics year after year.

Under the authority section of my districts RUP it clearly states that they have filters that

comply with CIPA. This is evident in the fact that students have a school email addressand the RUP states that students are unable to send or receive emails from unauthorized

addresses. The RUP also states that the student should not expect any privacy using this

email. This is one way the district also monitors what students are doing.

As far as rules and processes there is nothing outlined in our RUP. As a building, we

tend to follow the same rules and procedures that are given to use by our building

technology leader. She is in constant contact with us and gives us a set of rules andprocedures that she has found helpful in the past. For example, there are guidelines for

how to handle the many different types of technology the students are using, how to turn

them on and off properly, how to retrieve them and place them back and plug them in. Inaddition, there are rules for not using any last names when students are creating and

posting projects for safety reasons.

There are ways the teachers can bypass filters when needed. If a teacher wants to get ontoa site that is blocked they must use their username and password to continue on. We are

aware that this is a way to monitor what we are viewing on the computer but as long as

we are showing that we are using the material for educational purposes there are no

questions asked.

In my opinion, I do not feel that these restrictions and barriers that have been put into

place hinder teachers. Our district is in fact extremely supportive of both teachers andstudents using technology. I appreciate the support and encouragement from our district

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to use as many different technologies as we can with our students. With the privilege of

using such technologies, it only makes sense that there are rules and procedures put into

place to hold teachers and students accountable for their actions. It is not a hindrance, butrather a way to make both teachers and students think about what they are using for their

work and especially a way to protect students from inappropriate content.

Technology is an amazing resource and learning avenue for both teachers and students. Ithink the rules set in the CIPA force districts to think about the information they use in

their RUPs, as well as the enforcement of them. It challenges teachers and students to

think about proper use of technology and the Internet, so everyone can improve theireducation, but in a safe fashion.