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Ø Internet and Network Policies Vientiane International School (VIS) supports access to electronic information resources along with the development by staff and students of appropriate skills to analyse and evaluate such resources. The main objective of network access is to support a learning environment. Ø Availability of computer networks to students and staff All users have the same right to use the equipment for educational purposes. Therefore, users shall not play games or use the computer resources for other non-academic activities when other users require the system for completing work. Specific computers in the lab will be reserved for teacher use only during breaks and lunch. Ø Educational uses and advantages of the Internet in school. Internet access enables students to explore thousands of libraries, courses, encyclopaedias, databases, museums and other institutes of information and to exchange information with other users around the world. The opportunity to explore many information resources and to collaborate with other schools and students is a great advantage. Internet use will be monitored by homeroom and subject area teachers for classwork. Ø Responsibilities of educators, parents, and students when using Internet Educators: · To ensure that users are following the Acceptable Use Policy for the School. · To instruct students in the acceptable uses of computers and Internet. · To instruct students in the concepts of privacy, responsibility, and freedom of speech as these are foundational in computer and Internet use. · To help students to discern the value of sites and to recognize and avoid those that are illegal, hateful, inaccurate, sexual, violent or offensive. As much as possible, Internet resources should be evaluated prior to use. Parents: · To discuss and ensure the safety of children while using the Internet. · To monitor use of the Internet at home. · To help children to discern the value of sites and to recognize and avoid those that are illegal, hateful, inaccurate, sexual, violent or offensive. Students: · Be aware of the Acceptable Use Policy and follow the Code of Conduct (rules) for computer and Internet use. · Accept that computer use is a privilege, not a right, and that the privilege may be revoked if abused. · Understand that the consequences of violating the AUP will result in loss of computer and Internet privileges, on a short term or long term basis, depending on the severity of the infraction. Ø Consequences of violating AUP Anyone not following the Acceptable Use Policy will have computer privileges cancelled. Ø Acceptable forms and purposes of use (Code of Conduct Rules in brackets) Computers and Internet are to be used to support learning, consistent with the educational objectives of VIS. e-mail The use of e-mail will be limited to class projects in which students are required to contact others for information that support their class work. Personal e-mail does not support the VIS curriculum and should be limited to home use only. Although our system is protected with an Anti-virus program, infected e-mail attachments can still be opened and damage the VIS network. Games (6, 7) Many Internet games and Internet game sites do not support the VIS curriculum. Such recreational use of the Internet will not be allowed at school. Downloading or installing games to the hard drive or network is not allowed. Games that are installed on school computers are of an educational nature and acceptable for students to play during breaks. Ø Unacceptable forms and purposes of use (Code of Conduct Rules in brackets) Inappropriate language (1) No profane, abusive or impolite language should be used to communicate. No material should be accessed which is not in line with the rules of school behaviour. A good rule to follow is never view, send, or access materials which you would not want your teachers and parents to see. If students encounter such material by accident, they should report it to their teacher immediately. Do not share the inappropriate material with others. Chat rooms (1, 2) The use of chat rooms will not be allowed. Participants often use inappropriate language, and this does not comply with the AUP. Additionally, chat room sites can be unsafe for children if they give out personal information. Illegal activities (3) Although more likely to be a problem with adults, it is possible that users may become involved in illegal or harmful activities through the Internet. Internet, network and computer use needs to be of a positive, legal and beneficial nature. Illegal copying (5, 7) Students must never download or install any software, shareware, or freeware onto network drives or disks, unless they have permission from network administration. Students must not copy other people’s work or intrude into other people’s files. Vandalism (9, 10) Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm, modify and destroy data of another user, Internet, VIS network, or other networks. This includes the creation or uploading of computer viruses. Harassment (10) Harassment is defined as the persistent annoyance of another user, or the interference of another user’s work. Harassment includes the sending of unwanted mail. Ø Ethics Privacy (2, 4, 5) User files are private, and other users should not intrude into others’ files or folders.
Administrative treatment of files (8) Student network storage areas are treated like lockers. Network administrators may review files from time to time to ensure students are using system responsibly. VIS reserves the right to review any material on user accounts/files and to monitor fileserver space. Ø Disclaimer absolving school under specific circumstances from responsibility VIS is not responsible for the accuracy, nature or quality of information stored on diskettes, hard drives, or servers. VIS is not responsible for the accuracy, nature or quality of information retrieved from the Internet. VIS is not responsible for damages that may include loss of data due to service delays or interruptions. Ø Remember: Internet access and use of computer networks is a privilege not a right.
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