Your participation in the activities on this Weebly requires you to be SMART. In addition to the district’s Acceptable Use guidelines set out in the student handbook, I ask students to use technology inside and outside of school in a safe, mature, appropriate, responsible, and thoughtful manner.
Be Safe – The Internet is not very different from the real world. It is filled with strangers. Just like you wouldn’t give away personal information to a stranger walking down the street, you wouldn’t post it for anyone to see. Keep personal information personal. Do not share any personal information (birthdate, address, full name, etc.) online. (The same goes for texting).
Be Mature – Your writing/texting should be mature and not petty. When blogging and/or responding to a post, attack issue not a classmate. You are allowed to disagree with your classmates’ points of views, but do not be oppositional for the sake of being oppositional. Keep your responses constructive rather than just critical. As you respond to your classmates’ responses, understand that they are allowed to have their own opinions. There is no need to take your classmates’ responses personally. They should not be attacking you, nor should you be attacking them.
Be Appropriate - Keep in mind your setting/audience. Be sure that the language and images that you are using are school appropriate, the topics on which you are blogging/posting are school appropriate, and your responses have an appropriate tone. As the wise saying goes, “It isn’t what you say; it’s how you say it.” Be aware of your wording. Would you want your parents/guardians to see what you have posted/sent? If the answer is no … DON’T POST/SEND!!!!!
Be Responsible – Anything you post is permanent. (It is a tattoo that cannot be removed by lasers). You must take ownership and responsibility for anything that you post/send. Just as you should always think before you speak, you should always think before you post/send. Is what you are about to say true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, or kind? If not, don’t post/send! Beyond being responsible for your own posting/sending, you also need to be responsible and speak up when you find, read, and/or see something that is inappropriate or hurtful. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Be Thoughtful - The wonderful thing about opinions is that you can have your own (and so can your classmates). Be considerate of how you state your opinions either on your original posts or your responses. And remember, you do not want to offend your audience. You can have a strong point of view without being offensive.
* I recognize that the use of the computers and Internet is a PRIVILEGE, a privilege that can and will be taken away if the computers and/or Internet are misused in any way, shape or form.
* I understand that failure to follow the above procedures will result in not only the loss of privileges, but in other disciplinary actions not limited to a suspension.
* I promise to be S.M.A.R.T. in my computer/internet/cell phone usage both inside and outside of school.
Be Safe – The Internet is not very different from the real world. It is filled with strangers. Just like you wouldn’t give away personal information to a stranger walking down the street, you wouldn’t post it for anyone to see. Keep personal information personal. Do not share any personal information (birthdate, address, full name, etc.) online. (The same goes for texting).
Be Mature – Your writing/texting should be mature and not petty. When blogging and/or responding to a post, attack issue not a classmate. You are allowed to disagree with your classmates’ points of views, but do not be oppositional for the sake of being oppositional. Keep your responses constructive rather than just critical. As you respond to your classmates’ responses, understand that they are allowed to have their own opinions. There is no need to take your classmates’ responses personally. They should not be attacking you, nor should you be attacking them.
Be Appropriate - Keep in mind your setting/audience. Be sure that the language and images that you are using are school appropriate, the topics on which you are blogging/posting are school appropriate, and your responses have an appropriate tone. As the wise saying goes, “It isn’t what you say; it’s how you say it.” Be aware of your wording. Would you want your parents/guardians to see what you have posted/sent? If the answer is no … DON’T POST/SEND!!!!!
Be Responsible – Anything you post is permanent. (It is a tattoo that cannot be removed by lasers). You must take ownership and responsibility for anything that you post/send. Just as you should always think before you speak, you should always think before you post/send. Is what you are about to say true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, or kind? If not, don’t post/send! Beyond being responsible for your own posting/sending, you also need to be responsible and speak up when you find, read, and/or see something that is inappropriate or hurtful. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Be Thoughtful - The wonderful thing about opinions is that you can have your own (and so can your classmates). Be considerate of how you state your opinions either on your original posts or your responses. And remember, you do not want to offend your audience. You can have a strong point of view without being offensive.
* I recognize that the use of the computers and Internet is a PRIVILEGE, a privilege that can and will be taken away if the computers and/or Internet are misused in any way, shape or form.
* I understand that failure to follow the above procedures will result in not only the loss of privileges, but in other disciplinary actions not limited to a suspension.
* I promise to be S.M.A.R.T. in my computer/internet/cell phone usage both inside and outside of school.