Good manners and civilized social behavior has been traditionally taught by both parents and teachers. The same etiquette we've learned to apply to family, friends and professional relationships, carry into the digital world. It's important that we teach our children to apply these good manners to their use of digital tools. The following ten commandments are presented by Miss Manners as a way of extending our general behavior in society to the digital world.
1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.
2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work.
3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's files.
4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.
5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.
6. Thou shalt not use or copy software for which you have not paid.
7. Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without authorization.
8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output.
9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you write.
10. Thou shalt use a computer in ways that show consideration and respect.
When in doubt about my manners in the digital world I ask myself a simple question, 'What would my grandma say?" I think many of us can recall an individual in our life who instilled in us the common since to apply good manners to a variety of settings. It's import that we instill in our children the same common sense when applying good manners in the digital settings. For more information on netiquette and internet safety you can visit the following sites.
http://course.cse.ust.hk/comp102/Info/digitethic.htm
http://www.edutopia.org/whats-next-2008-netiquette-guidelines#sidebar
http://www.edutopia.org/netiquette-guidelines
http://www.bpl.org/kids/netiquette.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Et8PzXHlcA&NR=1
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=df79qwfs_149drc2x73g
http://netsmartkids.org/computers.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Esj-PBmXjCU&feature=related
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Friday, March 06, 2009
Going Digital 5: Laptops Required for all High School Students for 2009-10 School Year
As WBAIS continues its evolution into a 21st century school, it is important that students have access to the tools that will build their digital literacy skills and prepare them for a 21st century workforce. For the past two years we have strongly recommended that students use their family-owned laptops to complete digital assignments at school. Next year, all high school students will be required to follow this college-model 1-to-1 laptop program by bringing their family-owned laptops to school when needed for learning activities. Currently 50 percent of our high school students have registered their family-owned digital assistants (laptops, net books, and/or itouches) for use on our school network. Our requirement is for 100 percent of our high school students to have their family-owned laptops registered and used on campus for the 2009-10 school year.
Why family owned in high school?
As opposed to the elementary and middle schools, our high school has a more diverse approach to laptops, in part because increasing numbers of family-owned laptops have been brought to the high school by students over the last three years. During the 2006-07 school year an estimated 40 family owned laptops were used on campus; this number has more than doubled with the move to the new campus and the increased use of computer resources by high school courses.
This diversity serves the high school students well because some benefit from inexpensive laptops, while others benefit from tablets or expensive laptops. Instead of trying to implement a uniform program as in middle school, this broad range of laptops in high school allows families to address the individual needs of their students. Fulfilling this goal for all students would be very difficult for a school our size. In addition, this makes sense in that high school students should develop the skills and maturity to care for their own laptops, as they will when they go on to university.
Why do we use the term “family-owned laptop”?
We believe in the importance of parent involvement when it comes to the use of the Internet and other digital tools by our students. Our young high school ladies and gentlemen still need parental guidance in the area of digital citizenship, digital manners and laptop care. Family-owned indicates that the laptop is shared by the family. Its use and data should be appropriate for any member of the family to operate and view. It is important that parents take an active role in monitoring the use of the laptop. The student needs to feel a since of responsibility to the family for the care and use of the laptop. While your high school student may be the primary and sometimes only user of the laptop, parents and other family member should feel free to use the laptop when not in use by the primary user. However the actual ownership, responsibility and use of the laptop are a family decision.
What laptop should our family purchase?
Your choice of laptop should match your child’s or family's needs. The educational program of some students only requires them to do Internet research, word processing and occasional multimedia presentations. In this case, simple, somewhat inexpensive laptops known as netbooks (such as the HP Mini Note or Lenovo IdeaPad) may meet their needs. Some 1-to-1 programs are even exploring the use of smart phones (such as the iPhone or Palm Treo) with Internet, word processing and spreadsheet applications to satisfy their school computing needs, but students should check the requirements of their class syllabuses before selecting this option. Some students who take multimedia-rich electives probably will prefer high-end laptops that easily handle video and other large graphic editing.
The nice thing about our program is that the choice and expense is up to you. To help you with this, you can use the following specifications as a guide when purchasing your family-owned laptop. Most school-related tasks can be accomplished with the following generic hardware specifications, the same guidelines we use for purchasing our desktop and laptop computers. Both Mac and PC models will meet these specifications. The laptop you choose may meet more, less or the same specifications depending upon your student’s needs.
* At least a 1.7 GHz processor,
* At least 1 GB of RAM
* 80 GB hard drive or higher
* 802.11 b or 802.11g integrated (internal) wireless network card
* Network/Internet: Built-in 10/100BT network card
* Combo drive DVD-R/CD-RW
* Ability to set multiple network connection location profiles
* Ports include Fire wire, USB x2, Ethernet, sound in and out, and data projector connectivity
* Built-in mic and speakers
* Battery life of 4 or more hours
* Good anti-virus software and spyware protection programs
* Three year repair and replacement warranties
Optional add-ons or replacements
* Software: Vendor’s educational bundle if available
* Protective case and bag for extra care and easy carrying.
* Extra battery of 4 or more hours of use between charges
* Extra power unit (cord and transformer)
* Additional memory and hard drive space is recommended for students doing video editing
To further explain the 1-to-1 family-owned program in high school and address some of your questions, we will have two information sessions during Parent Teacher Conference Day, on March 6, at 11 AM and 12 PM. Please plan to attend one of these sessions as your feedback will help us further customize the program to meet the needs of our school community. At that time we will also have local computer vendors on campus who can talk to you about their laptops and other digital assistant devices.
For more information about our 1-to-1 laptop program feel free to visit our Going Digital blog (currently being developed) and Tech Talk blog (which archives all our technology-related newsletter articles).
Keep Computing!
The WBAIS Tech Team
Why family owned in high school?
As opposed to the elementary and middle schools, our high school has a more diverse approach to laptops, in part because increasing numbers of family-owned laptops have been brought to the high school by students over the last three years. During the 2006-07 school year an estimated 40 family owned laptops were used on campus; this number has more than doubled with the move to the new campus and the increased use of computer resources by high school courses.
This diversity serves the high school students well because some benefit from inexpensive laptops, while others benefit from tablets or expensive laptops. Instead of trying to implement a uniform program as in middle school, this broad range of laptops in high school allows families to address the individual needs of their students. Fulfilling this goal for all students would be very difficult for a school our size. In addition, this makes sense in that high school students should develop the skills and maturity to care for their own laptops, as they will when they go on to university.
Why do we use the term “family-owned laptop”?
We believe in the importance of parent involvement when it comes to the use of the Internet and other digital tools by our students. Our young high school ladies and gentlemen still need parental guidance in the area of digital citizenship, digital manners and laptop care. Family-owned indicates that the laptop is shared by the family. Its use and data should be appropriate for any member of the family to operate and view. It is important that parents take an active role in monitoring the use of the laptop. The student needs to feel a since of responsibility to the family for the care and use of the laptop. While your high school student may be the primary and sometimes only user of the laptop, parents and other family member should feel free to use the laptop when not in use by the primary user. However the actual ownership, responsibility and use of the laptop are a family decision.
What laptop should our family purchase?
Your choice of laptop should match your child’s or family's needs. The educational program of some students only requires them to do Internet research, word processing and occasional multimedia presentations. In this case, simple, somewhat inexpensive laptops known as netbooks (such as the HP Mini Note or Lenovo IdeaPad) may meet their needs. Some 1-to-1 programs are even exploring the use of smart phones (such as the iPhone or Palm Treo) with Internet, word processing and spreadsheet applications to satisfy their school computing needs, but students should check the requirements of their class syllabuses before selecting this option. Some students who take multimedia-rich electives probably will prefer high-end laptops that easily handle video and other large graphic editing.
The nice thing about our program is that the choice and expense is up to you. To help you with this, you can use the following specifications as a guide when purchasing your family-owned laptop. Most school-related tasks can be accomplished with the following generic hardware specifications, the same guidelines we use for purchasing our desktop and laptop computers. Both Mac and PC models will meet these specifications. The laptop you choose may meet more, less or the same specifications depending upon your student’s needs.
* At least a 1.7 GHz processor,
* At least 1 GB of RAM
* 80 GB hard drive or higher
* 802.11 b or 802.11g integrated (internal) wireless network card
* Network/Internet: Built-in 10/100BT network card
* Combo drive DVD-R/CD-RW
* Ability to set multiple network connection location profiles
* Ports include Fire wire, USB x2, Ethernet, sound in and out, and data projector connectivity
* Built-in mic and speakers
* Battery life of 4 or more hours
* Good anti-virus software and spyware protection programs
* Three year repair and replacement warranties
Optional add-ons or replacements
* Software: Vendor’s educational bundle if available
* Protective case and bag for extra care and easy carrying.
* Extra battery of 4 or more hours of use between charges
* Extra power unit (cord and transformer)
* Additional memory and hard drive space is recommended for students doing video editing
To further explain the 1-to-1 family-owned program in high school and address some of your questions, we will have two information sessions during Parent Teacher Conference Day, on March 6, at 11 AM and 12 PM. Please plan to attend one of these sessions as your feedback will help us further customize the program to meet the needs of our school community. At that time we will also have local computer vendors on campus who can talk to you about their laptops and other digital assistant devices.
For more information about our 1-to-1 laptop program feel free to visit our Going Digital blog (currently being developed) and Tech Talk blog (which archives all our technology-related newsletter articles).
Keep Computing!
The WBAIS Tech Team
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