Acceptable Use Policies - EDTECH 541 Week 2 Blog Entry

Acceptable Use Policies are guiding documents that outline both the policies and procedures of of an institution with regards to technology (Bosco, 2011). They set forth the guiding principles and philosophy of an institution's orientation toward technology, while also stipulating procedural norms and potential consequences for violating the institution's expectations.

In this writer's opinion, the most effective policies are those crafted with multiple stakeholders, as this increases the potential for both understanding and buy-in of the policy (Bosco, 2011). Some districts, like Burlington High School in Massachusetts, provide both general expectations of behavior and an explanation of the philosophy and rationale behind certain decisions regarding technology - in this instance, the high school's decision to implement iPads on a 1:1 basis.

AUPs don't only outline the behavior expected of users, they can also, in the case of the New Canaan Public Schools, describe the district's responsibilities in terms of technology. In New Canaan, the district pledges to provide orientations for staff and students on information technology, and ensure all members of the school community have access to necessary and appropriate technologies. 

The Edina Public Schools go into great dept outlining what constitutes unacceptable use, which includes viewing pornography; shopping online; storing non-educational related photos, videos, music, or files; and using the district's electronic technologies for political campaigning.

The Edina Public Schools also include an Online Code of Ethics, which falls under the category of education and training regarding what is considered responsible use. This is an important aspect of an AUP, as without a teaching and learning component, AUPs are significantly less effective and meaningful.  

The Broward Schools is one district which weaves an educational component into its policy, noting that "primary priority of the technology system is to improve student learning." As such, its policy outlines expectations of the superintendent and technology committee to "identify student and staff competencies" and provide the requisite training to ensure the population is able to effectively use technology to improve learning (Broward Schools, 2003).

 The best acceptable use policies do more than just outline acceptable behaviors - they provide a written account of a district's vision in terms of how technology is used to enhance learning.

References:

Bosco, J. (2011). Acceptable use policies in a web 2.0 & mobile era: A guide for school districts. Consortium for School Networking, Retrieved from http://www.cosn.org/Default.aspx?tabid=8139

        Broward Schools. (2003, Mar. 29). School and district technology usage. Retrieved from https://www.browardschools.com/virtualcounselor/bsvc/policy5306.htm

        Edina Public Schools. (2011, Feb. 21). New canaan public schools. Retrieved from http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/district/board/edinabpm/600/634.pdf

 

Larkin, P. (2012, Jan. 5). Burlington high school acceptable use policy 2011. Retrieved from http://www.patrickmlarkin.com/2012/01/download-our-bhs-11-overview-an-e-pub.html 

        New Canaan Public Schools. (2007, Jul. 3). New canaan public schools information and communication technologies acceptable use policy guidelines. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/vnbwIo