The document discusses considerations for revising an Acceptable Use policy to be less restrictive and more instructive. It suggests creating a policy with clear definitions and standards for acceptable content, goals for valued skills, flexibility for changing technology, and clear communication. The goal is to guide appropriate behavior while teaching students appropriateness, rather than just listing prohibitions.

1. Policy Reflection Questions:
1. What is our main policy revision goal – why did we come today?
2. Are we satisfied with the tone and focus of our current policy approach?
3. Is our current policy approach grounded in a vision of what we want to
occur or dominated by a description of what we don’t want to occur?
4. Does the current policy approach allow for progressive and interpretive
discipline if guidelines are not followed?
5. Would our current policy approach interfere with a movement to…
• increase access to online learning?
• use some form of BYOD implementation?
• implement a one-to-one instructional model?
General Policy Considerations:
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2. Moving from “lock and block” to a more productive open access framework which bridges
the gap between the way students live and the way students learn.
The question then is how do we create a policy balance that allows for access and timeliness but
at the same time provides for an adequate level of protection from dangerous content? It would
appear that a successful policy intervention in this area would need to accomplish the following
goals:
• Contain clear definitions and standards for what the community believes is acceptable
content and processes for helping determine what fits the standard and under what
conditions.
• Contain clear goals and standards for what skill outcomes are valued by the
community and what an application of these standards looks like in the local learning
environment
• Be flexible enough to work in an ever changing technological environment.
• Be easily communicatable frameworks for helping members of the community
understand what schools are doing and why they are using the materials that they are.
Improvement in Acceptable Use policy development – and certainly in implementation – should
be driven by a focus on the each of the goals listed above. Generally, policies need revamping so
they are less restrictive and more instructive. The ultimate goal would be to create a policy that
can act as an effective behavior guideline while at the same time helping educators to teach
students about what is appropriate.
Most of the energy for policy in these areas is dedicated to what not to do – “you will not access
this, you will not download that” as if everything all of the time can be neatly segmented into
these clean categories. Life, learning, and the real world are rarely so segmented. How would
one study art history for example if a total ban on images of the female breast was in place?
Probably 1/3 of all baroque French art would be off limits. Other topics that get swept up in the
blocks are as varied as sociology, religion and anatomy. Just blocking an item without context
does as much to prevent learning of appropriate topics than it does prevent bad what it is
intended to stop.
The blocking mania that followed the passage of CIPA in 2003 was inevitably followed by an
effort at course correction. This trend toward a more open interpretation of blocking protocols is
clearly already in the marketplace. Connecticut’s own online delivery tool, the Connecticut
Education Network (CEN) based on overwhelming feedback from its public school constituents
in surveys during the 2008-2009 school year lead to a complete change in its filtering policy. In
its first few years of service the CEN default position was to filter everything and let schools
open it at their discretion. Now, the default position is to open the pipeline for everything except
pornography and graphic violence and to have schools add filters if they desire.
Employees and students should be aware that the district may monitor usage of electronic
resources by individuals and that all electronic resources have been provided to employees
and students of _________________ to support the educational and administrative
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3. purposes of the district. Employees and staff of the district are responsible for ensuring
that they understand and follow this policy and promise that use of the internet and digital
resources for learning in our district will be used to ensure that I legally:
• Use real-world digital and other research tools to access, evaluate and effectively
apply information appropriate for authentic tasks.
• Work independently and collaboratively to solve problems and accomplish goals.
• Communicate information clearly and effectively using a variety of tools/media in
varied contexts for a variety of purposes.
• Demonstrate innovation, flexibility and adaptability in thinking patterns, work habits,
and working/learning conditions.
• Effectively apply the analysis, synthesis, and evaluative processes that enable
productive problem solving.
• Value and demonstrate personal responsibility, character, cultural understanding,
and ethical behavior.
Acceptable Use Policy Implementation Framework
Item Unacceptable Marginal Acceptable Excellent
Content or process is Content or process is Content or process is Content or process is
illegal. The student has only marginally legal. legal. There is an clearly legal. There is
done something or used While there may be a articulated educational an effectively
something that is not rationale, the student rationale and the articulated educational
allowed through the has done something or outcome is both rationale and the
statutes or other used something that can educationally and outcome is both
existing laws (including be interpreted as not legally acceptable educationally and
Legal but not limited to Fair allowed through the (including but not legally sound with
Considerations Use and age statutes or other limited to Fair Use and recognized impact
appropriateness existing laws (including age appropriateness (including but not
provisions). but not limited to Fair provisions).. limited to Fair Use and
Use and age age appropriateness
appropriateness provisions)..
provisions)..
There is no plausible There is a plausible There is a reasonable There is an explicit and
Content
connection to an connection to an connection to an direct connection to an
Connections established curriculum established curriculum established curriculum established curriculum
goal within the district. goal within the district. goal within the district. goal within the district.
The content was not While some of the The content was used The entirety of the
Appropriate used for any content was not used for an appropriate content was used for an
Usage appropriate for an appropriate application. appropriate
application. application, there is application.
evidence that parts
were.
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