My District’s Acceptable Use Policy
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The acceptable use policy (AUP) in my district is one document for both students and staff. It is a lengthy document with a lot of information. It also includes acceptable use agreements for both students and staff to sign and return to hold them accountable if they are not following the policy. According to the article by Kajeet, there are six important components that should be included when creating an acceptable use policy. These include: an introduction, definitions, policy statements, acceptable uses, unacceptable uses, and violations. It does seem as if my district's AUP has most of these items. They have outlined the purpose which sounds like an introduction to the document. There are sections for acceptable and unacceptable uses as well as definitions to terms in the document.
There are some things I feel this AUP is missing or is not clear. One thing that is not super clear is violations. It does outline what students shouldn’t be doing with their devices. However, the only thing it says in terms of discipline is students wouldn’t be able to take home their devices any more. As a staff member of the district, I know there is more than just that as a consequence. Those consequences should be clearly laid out in the AUP. Additionally, the Kajeet article suggests breaking down the AUP into grade levels or grade level bands. My district is a pre-k through eighth grade district. Therefore, a policy for a kindergarten student should be different than for a sixth grade student. I think it may be beneficial to have an AUP for the different grade level bands or for the two different buildings (elementary and middle school). To ensure that all grade levels are represented the technology learning coaches from each building can work with our director of technology to ensure that happens.
The AUP was last updated January 30th, 2024. It does include information regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI). The AUP says “The district is committed to using AI to support and enhance student learning, while also protecting student privacy and safety.” From the AUP it seems the district is in support of using AI to support both students and teachers. The district just wants to make sure what AI is used for and what it creates will be aligned with the curriculum we use and our district goals.
Educator Safety
My district primarily uses Google for everything. All students and staff have a Gmail account. Our Gmail account is how staff communicates to one another. We use Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Classroom, and more daily. Grades third through eighth even have Chromebooks. Grades kindergarten through second have iPads however they use Google suites as well. Given the whole district uses Google, staff should be well trained how to keep their information safe while using Google. That isn’t the case. We do have training in phishing, a few other technology training we have to go through and of course our AUP as listed above. However, there is nothing specific to Google. Google has something called “Guidebooks” that is basically like safety 101. There are also guidebooks for things other than safety. These Guidebooks include specific Google account security tools, password managers, how to browse safely and more. There are lessons for each topic that you can view to learn more. The lessons are short and don’t take more than a few minutes to read through. I think just letting your staff that Google has these available to help keep their accounts safe would be amazing. I did not know these existed. All of my lesson plans and things I have created are on my work Google account - with some also on my personal Google account. I would be deeply upset if something happened to all the resources I have created and accumulated. Therefore, having these Guidebooks or something similar handy to view at my own discretion would be helpful and appreciated.
What does your district use for staff and students? What do they do keep their staff knowledgeable on internet safety? I would love to hear how other districts handle it!
Hi Ashley!
ReplyDeleteGiven the heavy reliance on Google services within the district, it's crucial for staff to receive specific training on maintaining security within these platforms, especially considering the potential risks associated with storing valuable resources. Introducing Google's "Guidebooks" or similar resources to staff could greatly enhance their understanding of account security measures and help safeguard their work.
My district, as many do, relies heavily on Google. I have always wondered, what would we do if Google crashed? As in, the software was unavailable for the day. I believe schools should have back-up plans in case of this event. I do not foresee this happening, but technology does always have a mind of its own..
I have always wondered what would happen too if Google were to crash! We rely on it so much throughout the day. I wonder what other schools use besides Google? Perhaps Apple products like keynote?
DeleteThis is a great post, Ashley. I really liked your thoughts on how an AUP should look different for a kindergarten student than it does for a middle school student. While the general policy could stay the same, the language used at different grade bands could certainly change. It's also wonderful to see your district's AUP was not only recently updated but recognizes and supports the positive use of artificial intelligence.
ReplyDeleteAI is definitely up and coming in our district. Just today at our faculty meeting, we discussed AI and the ways educators can use it to enhance their instruction. I feel the way students can use it is still forthcoming.
DeleteAmazing post, Ashley!!!
ReplyDeleteWe've been using Google here as well. It does come in handy, especially concerning sharing documents. Which is something I get to do with my library patrons a lot (requests for duplication of materials we have in our library comes daily). While we do have our own program that have a time limit of how long the document is up for, sometimes, it's easier to just take quick snapshots, upload them onto google drive, and just send them to patrons.
As for our staff's knowledge, we get annual trainings for cybersecurity mostly. They're long, but rather informative. They talk about different ways in security can be violated and how we can prevent that from happening. It seems to be doing its job as we haven't had a lot of security breaches during my time here.
I feel the go to is always to take a screenshot and upload to Google Drive! It is quick and easy.
DeleteI love that even the libraries get cybersecurity training! We get some training but after learning more about security I am wondering if it is enough.
Your insights into your district's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) are insightful and raise some important considerations. It's commendable that your district has a comprehensive AUP that covers most of the essential components outlined by Kajeet. However, your points about the clarity of consequences for violations and the potential benefits of tailoring the AUP to different grade levels or buildings are valid. It seems like there's room for improvement in ensuring that consequences for violating the AUP are clearly outlined and that the policy is appropriately differentiated for different age groups.
DeleteIt's also interesting to hear about your district's approach to internet safety, particularly its reliance on Google tools and platforms. The availability of Google's "Guidebooks" for staff is indeed a valuable resource, and it's understandable that you'd appreciate more awareness about them. It's crucial for educators to have access to resources that can help them safeguard their work and personal accounts effectively.
My district is a Microsoft school, and we use Microsoft Teams for our Learning Management Systems and when we transitioned to this we did receive training from Microsoft provided by the district. The way our school approaches professional development is teaming up with our instructional coaches to develop meaningful discussions and mini lessons to both provide training and a space to collect feedback and concerns from staff. This is also how our district has been handling the discussion of artificial intelligence in education. Through lunch and learns run by our coaches we they gather data and concerns which they bring directly to administration. Now as of now most of these sessions run by coaches have been optional, however I always found them much more relevant and useful than the more broad district mandated professional development sessions.
I'm curious to know if your district has considered incorporating additional resources or training sessions specifically focused on Google account security?
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog post! Similar to your district's Acceptable Use Policy, Acero Schools' Acceptable Use of Acero Technology by Students policy covers multiple campuses and grade levels (K-12). I agree that there should be separate Acceptable Use of Acero Technology by Students policy for each campus and grade level. Kindergarteners and seniors at Acero Schools have vastly different uses for technology, so that should be reflected in our Acceptable Use of Acero Technology by Students policy. Acero Schools also uses Google for everything as all middle and high school students are issued Chromebooks. However, Acero students and staff lack proper training on how to protect their Internet safety while using Google. After reading your blog post, I will definitely be looking into Google "Guidebooks" to protect my Internet safety.
Thank you for sharing,
Emily
Hi Ashley! I also worked for a Pre-K through eighth grade district. We have the same Technology Policy in the Student handbook for all grade levels. I agree that some terminology could be changed so it is appropriate for each grade level. That's great that your district has updated the terms and placed information about AI. My district has not updated ours since 2018-2019 school year. Also, thanks for sharing the Guidelines on Google, I never knew that they had that resource.
ReplyDeleteAshley- Great post! I think you bring up great point that the expectations should change or be adapted for certain grade levels. My district has the same policy for all grade levels but has the students go through a program called Chromebook Academy that teaches them the AUP expectations. The district provides lessons broken up into different grade levels so the material is taught to at the level they will understand. I think another great point that you brought up was the layout of the consequences of not following the AUP. I think a detailed procedure of the consequences would be benefitable for students, staff and parents. My district also relies on Google. My district backs up our files with Barracuda and Veeam incase this would happen. I think that this is something that all districts should consider as technology can have mind of its own and isn't 100% accurate all of the time.
ReplyDelete