This week, I have been introduced to a couple of new concepts. I have learned about Acceptable Use Policy, Copyright & Fair Use Guidelines for Teachers, and Toondoo. It has been a wonderful week of learning, and this information will greatly benefit me in the future. I am so glad I had the opportunity to learn so much this week!
I have learned much about Acceptable Use Policy, or AUP, lately. An AUP is a legal document that is signed by teachers, students, and parents of students. This document contains the terms and conditions of school internet use. It has the rules that students must follow while using school technology. It also contains the consequences for failing to comply by the rules. While there are different purposes for an AUP, one of the main purposes is for the protection of the students.
Classroom teachers must make an AUP and carefully explain it to their students. It is important that teachers continue to revise and update their AUP. This is because technology is constantly changing. AUPs are important because they inform students and parents of the rules of school internet use. They also contain unacceptable uses of the school's network. For example, students may not bully online or share their password with other students for any reason. They also cannot alter the hardware or software of any school machine. Because teachers develop their own AUPs, each one is different. However, there are some guidelines that teachers should follow when developing an AUP. It is a good idea to have a form that students and parents read and sign. This shows the teacher that the rules and consequences are understood and agreed upon.
I will admit that I did not know all of these things until recently. However, I understand the importance of developing an AUP for the students in my class.
When it comes to Copyright & Fair Use Guidelines for teachers, there are many rules that I did not know about. These guidelines deal with what teachers are allowed to do under the law. They were designed to inform teachers of what they may and may not do legally while preparing for class. There are guidelines for printed material, illustrations and photographs, videos, music, and others. For example, any copies of printed material must contain copyright information. Yikes! How many times have we made copies of something for students and failed to include copyright information?
I now have a better understanding of how careful teachers must be when it comes to media literacy education. We must be very cautious of the materials we use in the classroom and the way that we use them. The guidelines are written in a concise, clear manner. They are very straightforward and easy to understand. These guidelines must be followed! We also have the responsibility to teach our students how to legally use media. They will model what we do in the classroom, and we need to be modeling the correct use of technology and media.
Finally, I have learned about Toondoo! Until this past week, I had never heard of Toondoo. It was so easy to make my free account and start making comics. This website is very user-friendly, and it took me no time at all to "learn the ropes." I think that this website will be beneficial in the future. It is a very fast and simple way to make cartoons. One feature that I like is how one has the option of choosing from the characters provided or making his/her own character. This is a nice feature because it is very easy to create the perfect character for the comic! I also like how one can view others' comics. There is much that can be learned from reading cartoons! Toondoo is great for educators as well as children. As I said before, it is free to make an account, but one also has the option of upgrading to a more advanced account.
What about you? Do you have a Toondoo account? If not, I would recommend making one! The website is very user-friendly! You might just become a Toondoo addict! Go here to set up your free account!
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