One of the great resources available over at the Banned Sites Awareness website is the Acceptable Use Policy Guide from The Consortium of School Networking (CoSN) which offers administrators guidelines for revising Acceptable Use Policies to reflect the current socio-mobile learning landscape. If you don't know, the Banned Sites Awareness website is filled with information and resources that celebrate the freedom to learn with participatory media in school. This particular resource provides guidelines and examples of various AUPs.
The guidelines address the following topics:
- How does policy differ from procedure and does the difference matter?
- What are the two major approaches used to develop district AUP policies?
- Is the district’s AUP a part of or the totality of the district’s technology policy?
- What are the key federal laws affecting Internet access, safety, and social networking in schools?
- How do state laws or district policies affect school districts’ Internet policies pertaining to filtering, AUPs, cyberbullying, and cell phone use?
- Does the increasing prevalence of Web 2.0 and student-owned mobile devices necessitate updating district ICT policies?
- Where can I find samples of various exemplary AUPs?
- What are some timely, relevant, and useful resources pertaining to the use of Web 2.0 technologies in schools?
You can visit the complete guidelines and samples here.
Lisa Nielsen writes for and speaks to audiences across the globe about learning innovatively and is frequently covered by local and national media for her views on “Passion (not data) Driven Learning,” "Thinking Outside the Ban" to harness the power of technology for learning, and using the power of social media to provide a voice to educators and students. Ms. Nielsen has worked for more than a decade in various capacities to support learning in real and innovative ways that will prepare students for success. In addition to her award-winning blog,The Innovative Educator, Ms. Nielsen’s writing is featured in Huffington Post, EdReformer, Tech & Learning, ISTE Connects, ASCD Wholechild,MindShift, Leading & Learning,The Unplugged Mom, and is the author the bookTeaching Generation Text.
