Digital Citizenship

Technology in the Classroom

This year we will use a variety of Apple apps and various online tools.  When using technology in the classroom, students are expected to adhere to the North Kansas City Technology Policies.  As classroom teachers, we do our best to keep students safe online.  All of the online tools we will use are vetted for ages 13 and older.  When we have students set-up accounts, we have thoroughly review the tools and no information will be shared with any third parties. As teachers, we comply with all board policies in regards to technology.
Some of the tools we will use:

• Remind-Reminders and homework updates

• Smore-Homework updates and other school informations

• Twitter- Teacher keeps an account, student tweeters are welcome, students can set up their own accounts with parent permission 

• Office 365-Students can access email, store documents, and access documents from home.

• Google Docs

• Goodreads

• Blogs

North Kansas City Technology Policies

Social Media Guidelines for Students
All student social media accounts (e.g., Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.) will be PERSONAL accounts. School related pages should be created by school personnel such as an activities sponsor, coach, teacher or administrator.

• Be aware of what you post online. Social media venues are very public. What you contribute leaves a digital footprint for all to see. Do not post anything you wouldn't want friends, enemies, parents, teachers, or a future employer to see.
  
• Follow the school's code of conduct when writing online. It is acceptable to disagree with someone else's opinions, however, do it in a respectful way. Make sure that criticism is constructive and not hurtful. What is inappropriate in the classroom is inappropriate online.
  
• Be safe online. Never give out personal information, including, but not limited to, last names, phone numbers, addresses, exact birthdates, and pictures. Do not share your password with anyone besides your teachers and parents.
  
• Linking to other Web sites to support your thoughts and ideas is recommended. However, be sure to read the entire article prior to linking to ensure that all information is appropriate for a school setting.
  
• Do your own work! Do not use other people's intellectual property without their permission. Be aware that it is a violation of copyright law to copy and paste other's thoughts. It is good practice to hyperlink to your sources.
  
• Be aware that pictures may also be protected under copyright laws. Verify you have permission to use the image or it is under Creative Commons attribution.
  
• How you represent yourself online is an extension of yourself. Do not misrepresent yourself by using someone else's identity.
  
• Blog and wiki posts should be well written. Follow writing conventions including proper grammar, capitalization, and punctuation. If you edit someone else's work, be sure it is in the spirit of improving the writing.
  
• If you run across inappropriate material that makes you feel uncomfortable, or is not respectful, tell a parent or teacher right away.
  
• Students who do not abide by these terms and conditions may lose their opportunity to take part in the project and/or access to future use of online tools. Please reference the district’s Acceptable Use Policy online at:
  http://policy.msbanet.org/nkansascity/showpolicy.p
  hp?file=EHB‐C.NKC
  

Also, please refer to Board policy regarding Student Discipline addressing the consequences, including suspension or expulsion, for students whose conduct is prejudicial to good order and discipline in the schools or impairs the morale or good conduct of other students.
http://policy.msbanet.org/nkansascity/showpolicy.ph p?file=JG‐C.1 

Blogging in the Classroom

1.Treat blogs as “classroom spaces” — use appropriate language and be sure that anything you write you are proud of and are prepared to take responsibility for! Your blog exists as a public space on the Internet. When you put something on the Internet, odds are really good that it will ALWAYS stay on the Internet. If you are not careful about what you write, what you write now could come back to haunt you in the future.

2. Never EVER EVER give out or record personal information on your blog.

Please – no last names, phone numbers, home addresses, personal email address, Facebook, etc.

Again, your blog is a public space on the Internet and anyone, anywhere, could be reading it. So….don’t share anything that you don’t want the world to know. 

3. Never disrespect anyone or anything in your blog posts. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a person, an organization, or just a general idea. When you write your opinion on a topic, you don’t want someone making a stab at what you are passionate about. So, don’t do it to someone else. Try your best to make sure you’re not going to offend anyone in your posts.

4. Don’t write about other people without permission; if you can’t get their permission, use first names or initials only. Never share someone elses last name.

5. Always check over your post for spelling errors, grammar errors, and your use of words. (HINT: Try pasting your post in Pages or Word  first and using the spell checker or use an internet spellchecker before posting on your blog.)

6. Make sure things you write about are factual. Link to your sources. But never link to something you haven’t read and understood completely. When you link to something, make sure it is something that you really want to be associated with. If a link contains material that might be in poor taste or make some people uncomfortable, you should probably warn readers by using a parenthetical note or some other word of caution.

What to Blog About

Remember, your blog is about you.  I will give you topics to blog about on occasion, but feel free to  add to your blog whenever you want to!

Here are some ideas:

• Original Artwork-Snap a picture, add it to your blog, write about it!
• Original Stories
• Original Poetry
• Quotes you would like to respond to as long as you cite your source.