Guidelines for Technology Use

The use of technology is an integral part of learning at all CBE schools, as required by the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Program of Studies.

Students are encouraged to use technology to:

• Access, critically assess, and communicate information and understanding
• Seek alternative viewpoints
• Collaborate during inquiry
• Construct personal knowledge and meaning
• Demonstrate understandings
• Organize and manipulate data
• Interact with others

Electronic networkable devices and network access require teacher permission and supervision. Printing student work is permitted with staff permission. All students are eligible to receive a CBE e-mail account.

Students will use devices and/or our network to:

• Demonstrate their understanding of learning outcomes in creative and thoughtful ways.
• Learn how to communicate in the same manner that will be asked of them when they graduate and emerge into the digital world of this century.
• Share their achievements and excitement about learning with their parents.
• Demonstrate what they really do know instead of what they don’t know.
• Support self-paced and just-in-time learning. They learn as they need to and learn thoroughly.
• Think critically and build information literacy skills.
• Explore deep questions that they have in relation to learning and life.
• Find rich and reliable sources of information that they will learn how to cite and share with others.
• Learn and practice digital etiquette in a compassionate manner.
• Have fair access to an electronic society so that they are ready to participate fully in it when they graduate from our educational system.
• In a manner that will support them constantly growing in their understanding of new digital technologies. Learn how to learn anytime anywhere!
• In a manner that protects their own and other’s privacy, safety and freedom of thought.
• In a manner that protects their own health and wellness. The Internet is a fascinating place and so is the real world.

The privilege to use devices and/networks is dependent on the level of responsibility shown by individual students. It is our intent to have all students access these tools for learning on an ongoing basis.

The following activities are inappropriate for students.

• Sending or displaying offensive messages or pictures
• Using obscene language
• Harassing, insulting, or attacking others
• Intentionally damaging computer equipment or the network
• Violating copyright laws
• Using other people’s folders, work, or files
• Allowing others to use your account
• Trespassing into other people’s folders, work, or files
• Intentionally destroying other people’s work
• Employing the CBE network for commercial purposes
• Using electronic media for plagiarizing
• Storing and using information for cheating
• Intentionally wasting system technology on non-teacher-approved activities such as:
• Playing games
• Participating in non-teacher-directed “chat”
• Participating in online gambling or other gaming activities
• Downloading software or restricted files (e.g. Exe, Zip, mp3)
• Installing software on any school computer
• Excessive or inappropriate printing
• Taking photos or videos of others without their permission

The following supervision strategy will be in place.

• Children will be supervised by teachers when using the internet or using their digital devices. Student owned devices (that are at school for educational purposes) will not go outside at morning recess or lunch recess, but be kept in the classroom.
• The placement of machines encourages active supervision by teachers (teachers see what students are working on at all times – monitor screens visible at all times).
• Students will access the internet only under the direct supervision of teaching staff.
• There will be no computer or other digital devices (student or school owned) used during an indoor recess or indoor lunch recess in the classrooms, unless supervised by a teacher.

Damage/Security

• Students must take responsibility for their own device and that the school is not responsible for loss, theft or damage of any student owned device.
• Student owned digital devices must be kept in a secure location at all times (locked in classrooms).

Technical Support

• The school is not able to provide technical support for any student owned device.

Consequences

There will be consequences for inappropriate use of CBE owned or student owned digital devices within Woodbine School. The following steps are in place for inappropriate use of CBE computers and the CBE network:

1. Documentation of inappropriate actions
2. Administrator intervention
3. Removal of privileges on school devices and/or student owned devices (length of time to be determined based on severity and/or frequency of inappropriate use)
4. Possible sending home of student owned devices (determined on severity of inappropriate use)
5. Parent communication (letter; phone call) from Administrator
6. Follow up plan (to use computers/digital devices on our network again)