Policies, Laws & Practice

Like everything, the internet has the potential to be abused. In order to safeguard from such possible misuse, a number of laws have been implemented. Most business and schools also follow Acceptable Use Policies (AUP). An AUP is an outline of standards that are expected to be followed to ensure appropriate use of the internet and networking systems. Although AUPs may vary from school to school, most include the following guidelines:

ð Use is a privilege.
ð Behave as a guest, use netiquette.
ð Rules for online safety.
ð Rules concerning objectionable sites.
ð Rules concerning Copyright infringement.
ð Rules concerning Plagiarism.
ð Consequences and disciplinary action if the rules are broken.

It is Important to be informed about laws and policies especially when you will be using this technology in the classroom. Internet security measures such as firewalls and filtering software should be used. In addition, it is important to take the necessary precautions to protect against disclosure of students’ identity and personal information. In 1998 The Federal Trade Commission’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) was established to protect against child identity thief. COPPA also provides useful information to educators, students and parents about sites that have been reviewed and rated safe for children.
Two recent government actions, Dot Kids Implementation and Efficiency Act along with Children’s Internet Protection Act, have increased protection for children against possible exploitation. Dot Kids Implementation and Efficiency Act provide that any domain name ending in .kids will have content suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Children’s Internet Protection Act requires that every public library will use filters to block web sites containing obscene images or content.
Using filtering controls, AUPs, curriculum pages and teacher observation in schools should aid in providing a harmless and enriching internet experience in schools.