The purpose of this Wiki chapter is to describe the ways that educational websites are used, as well as to discuss criteria for websites so that all audiences can use them. Information in this chapter helps teachers to meet:

•  Kentucky Teacher Standard 6.5 Demonstrates ethical and legal use of technology. and  
• ISTE/NETS-T 4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility: Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices(ISTE, 2011). Teachers:

a). advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

b). address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.

c). promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.

d). develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools (ISTE, 2011).

• ISTE/NETS-T 5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership: Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources (ISTE, 2011).

 

In-School use of Technology

 

The use of technology in schools must be closely monitored and well planned.  The State of Kentucky has written Best Practices and Guidelines for Creating an Acceptable Use Policy for Employees and Students which is very well detailed and addresses all of the needs of the schools, the background of the technology in the classroom, the best practices for appropriate use of technology, and acceptable use policies.  This website also goes into detail on Internet safety, digital citizenship, email guidelines, Internet activity, and overall use of technology.   

 

Internet Safety

 

Most schools offer some forms of Internet safety through filters and blocking sites however, this is not enough.  Filters are sometimes not enough because student email accounts can contain emails that link students to sites that are not appropriate, contain viruses, and spam robots that can attack the students email and steal information.  Constant monitoring of student use of technology is a must to keep students safe.       

 

There are numerous sites and programs offered online to teach students about Internet safety.  One site that can help teachers develop a solid safety program is Educational Technology Clearinghouse.  This site contains useful information about viruses and network issues that affect schools.  It also contains information for parents and students as well. Another site that helps teachers become more aware of safety issues online is ATechnology Society.  This site contains collections of articles that give tips, pointers, and information concerning the latest Internet concerns to date.  

 

Keeping on top of the latest trends and watching your students closely is key to keeping students safe while online.  Students need to be reminded frequently about the dangers online and feel comfortable knowing that their safety is important to you so that they may come to you whenever they feel the need. Following are some online safety tips to share with your children;

1.  Set up rules: Post clear, simple, easy-to-read rules on or near the monitor. Create your own computer rules or print out the Internet Safety Pledge from NetSmartz.  You and your children should sign - and should be periodically review - the pledge.

2.  Use filters: Consider using filtering or monitoring software for your computer. Look into safeguarding programs or options your online service provider might offer. These can include monitoring or filtering capabilities. Have your children use child-friendly search engines when completing homework. As the parent, the Internet accounts should be in your name, and you should have the primary screen name and control passwords. Don't allow your children to complete a profile for a service provider, and make sure their screen names are nondescript enough that a stranger won't know the user is a child.

3.  Check out privacy policies: Always read a Web site's privacy policy before you or your children provide any personal information. Also make sure that a Web site offers a secure connection before giving credit-card information. Web sites for children are not permitted to request personal information without a parent's permission. Talk to your children about what personal information is and why you should never give it to people online.

4.  Talk about the dangers of e-mail and chat: If your children use chat or e-mail, talk to them about never meeting an online "friend" face-to-face. Talk to your children about not responding to offensive or dangerous e-mail, chat or other communications. Report any such communication to local law enforcement. Do not delete the offensive or dangerous e-mail; instead turn off the monitor, and contact local law enforcement. Know whom your children are exchanging e-mail with, and only let them use chat areas that you have visited.

5.  Know what's going on: Keep the computer in the family room or another open area of your home. Let your children show you what they can do online, and visit their favorite sites or chat rooms with them. If you suspect online "stalking" or sexual exploitation of a child, report it to your local law enforcement agency. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) has a system, the CyberTipline, for identifying online predators and child pornographers and contributing to law-enforcement investigations. Leads forwarded to the site are acknowledged and shared with the appropriate law enforcement agency for investigation.

 

By following these tips, parents can help keep the Internet a safe place for their children to learn, grow and play. Safekids.com had a list of easy to follow tips for pre-teens to follow to help keep them safe while online. (http://www.safekids.com/kids-rules-for-online-safety/)/ Also, information for parents, kids, and teens in a user -friendly format: http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/net_safety.html. A beneficial website for students and parents about Cyberbullying:  http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/what_is_cyberbullying_exactly.html.

 

As a kindergarten teacher (Courtney Hughes), I find it difficult to educate my students on the proper use of the Internet when several of them have yet to be exposed to a computer. After reading this chapter on legal and ethical technology usage, I found the following K-2 curriculum on the Common Sense Media website. The website gives a scope & sequence for grades K-2 regarding internet safety, privacy & security, relationship & communications, cyberbullying, digital footprints & reputation, self-image & identity, information literacy, & creative credit & copyright. I plan on looking further into this site at the mini-lessons that are provided to help educate my kindergartners on technology usage (http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/curriculum/grades-k-2).

 

Sites that help younger children see the importance of being aware of the dangers that can exist online: http://www.netsmartzkids.org/  /  http://www.ikeepsafe.org/educators/.

 

Ronnie Burt, a former secondary math teacher, has created an interesting blog that goes through the benefits of using Facebook with your students. The discussion covers reasons why you should use Facebook, how to set up a group page with the appropriate settings, and how to monitor how the page is run. If done responsibly, it can be a great tool for educators, students, and parents. (http://theedublogger.com/2011/05/11/the-why-and-how-of-using-facebook-for-educators-no-need-to-be-friends-at-all/, Burt, R.)

 

Confidentiality

Cyber-safety is important to help students stay safe when using the Internet. There are many people using the Internet that can hack into information that should be kept confidential; it is very dangerous so it is important not to put any information on the web that you wouldn’t want to be taken. When dealing with students, teachers need to be very cautious about using any student information on their webpage. They also need to be mindful of the applications that children use on the Internet. It is important to know what the computers in your classroom are capable of doing and to be sure the filters are running and working on a daily basis. When giving young students the opportunity to research, you should give them safe sites to research to find the information they are looking for. It is not safe for them to search the web on their own. Here is a good place to pitch bookmarks, web pages with suggested resources, etc. Teachers can use the Internet for educational use to allow the students to go to chat rooms, blogs and email, but it is also important to teach them the right way to use these sites and the wrong way.

 

Rob Nickel has some excellent information on his website about cyber-safety, including safety tips for parents, teachers, pre-teens and teens.  It would be great place to start to help emphasize to students the importance of staying safe while using the Internet (Cyber-Safety.com, 2011). I would go farther for our older children and discuss cyber-bullying and cyber-stalking here too.

 

What about email netiquette? What is in your district AUPs about this sort of thing? What things can parents do to help?

 

Cyber-bullying is a growing problem our students are faced with.  It is important that parents and teachers alike are aware of what their children and students are doing and faced with online.  The following links provide some great tips and information about cyber-bullying:

 

http://www.safekids.com/tips-to-stop-cyberbullying/

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/cyberbullying

http://www.ncpc.org/cyberbullying

http://www.cyberbullying.us/

http://helpguide.org/mental/bullying.htm

http://www.netsmartz.org/Cyberbullying

http://www.girl.com.au/cyber-bullying-prevention-tips-for-teenagers.htm

http://www.knowthenet.org.uk/knowledge-centre/personal/cyberbullying#tabs-67

 

Copyright

 

1. What is copyright?

Copyright is a legal term describing rights given to creators for their literary and artistic works; the right of the owner of a website to allow someone else to reproduce the work. The kinds of works covered by copyright include: literary works such as novels, poems, plays, reference works, newspapers and computer programs; databases; films, musical compositions, and choreography; artistic works such as paintings, drawings, photographs and sculpture; architecture; and advertisements, maps and technical drawings.

 

2. What rights does copyright provide?

The original creators of works protected by copyright, and their heirs, have certain basic rights. They hold the exclusive right to use or authorize others to use the work on agreed terms. The creator of a work can prohibit or authorize:

          its reproduction in various forms, such as printed publication or sound recording;

          its public performance, as in a play or musical work;

          recordings of it, for example, in the form of compact discs, cassettes or videotapes;

          its broadcasting, by radio, cable or satellite;

          its translation into other languages, or its adaptation, such as a novel into a screenplay.

Many creative works protected by copyright require mass distribution, communication and financial investment for their dissemination (for example, publications, sound recordings and films); hence, creators often sell the rights to their works to individuals or companies best able to market the works in return for payment. These payments are often made dependent on the actual use of the work, and are then referred to as royalties.

These economic rights have a time limit, according to the relevant WIPO treaties, of 50 years after the creator's death. National law may establish longer time-limits. This limit enables both creators and their heirs to benefit financially for a reasonable period of time. Copyright protection also includes moral rights, which involve the right to claim authorship of a work, and the right to oppose changes to it that could harm the creator's reputation.

The creator - or the owner of the copyright in a work - can enforce rights administratively and in the courts, by inspection of premises for evidence of production or possession of illegally made - "pirated" - goods related to protected works. The owner may obtain court orders to stop such activities, as well as seek damages for loss of financial rewards and recognition.

 

Anytime that you write a poem or a short story, it is important that you copyright your work. This means that you own your own work.  If you copyright your work, you are the only person who can do any of the following, unless you give permission otherwise: 

•  make copies of your work
•  distribute copies of your work
•  perform your work publicly (such as for plays, film, dances or music)
•  display your work publicly (such as for artwork, or stills from audiovisual works, or any material used on the Internet or television)
•  make “derivative works” (including making modifications, adaptations or other new uses of a work, or translating the work to another media)

 

Students can learn more about copyright information at http://www.copyrightkids.org/ (2007). In order for copyright to exist, you need to register your work.  

 

Advantages of registering your work:  

1. You must register before you can commence a lawsuit against someone who is infringing your copyright (that is, doing something with the work that requires your okay that you haven't given).
2. If you are involved in a lawsuit involving your work, the registration, by itself, is enough to prove the validity of your copyright and the facts that are included in the registration. Therefore, unless the other side in the lawsuit can prove otherwise your registration is deemed good evidence by the court.
3. If you are successful in a lawsuit against an infringer of your copyright, certain remedies are available to you only if you registered the work before the infringement occurred.
4. By registering your copyright, you are making a public record of the fact you own the copyright and are putting people on notice that you are claiming copyright in the particular work.

 

How To Register Your Copyright

To apply for registration of your copyright, you will need to complete a short form that you can get from the Copyright Office. You can even get the form online, with instructions on how to complete it, from Copyright Office site. Click here for links to Copyright Office Registration Forms and Copyright Office Registration Procedures pages. There are a number of different forms, so it is important that you use the correct form.

 

Use the PA form for multimedia work, video discs, motion pictures, and other performing arts. 

Use the VA for artwork, photographs, and other visual arts.

Use the TX for nondramatic literacy words, including computer programs. 

Use SE for periodicals.

 

3. Fair Use Policy

 Section 107 of the copyright law allows for limitations of the copyright law.  A reproduction of the original work may be "fair" if used for teaching, scholarship, research, criticism, or comment. Four important factors should be considered when determining if copyrighted material is considered "fair use"

• Purpose of use- Is it for commercial nature or for nonprofit educational use
• Nature of the copyrighted material
• Amount of the portion used in relation to the whole piece
• Effect of the use on the market or worth of the copyrighted material           

This section of the copyright law is unclear. It is always best to obtain writtenpermission from the holder of the copyright when using material. If permission is not granted, it is best to avoid material unless it is clearly protected by the doctrine of "fair use".

U.S. Copyright Office. (2009). Fair Use. Retrieved June 18, 2012 from http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html

 

A chart on the Kentucky Department of Education website that illustrates Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines for teachers when using different mediums (printed material, illustrations and photographs, and videos (http://education.ky.gov/districts/tech/ciits/Documents/TeacherCopyright_chart.pdf).

 

4. Copyright infringement

Copyright infringement is very common on the web with images being used on sites other than the owner's. Before you copy a graphic, text, sound, or something similar, you must get permission from the owner or point to it on the web, by following the directions for fair use that may be listed on the website. If you have not gotten permission, you have violated the owner's copyright. Many corporations have spiders that will search for images or text on the web. If the spider catches your copyright infringement, it will be flagged for review. There are many companies such as CopyScape and FairShare that can help users search for copyright infringements. Google Alerts will even send you an email if a word or phrase you use often is found on the web. Before stealing using anyone's content, you should get permission rather than potentially be sued for copyright infringement. If you are caught, you are stealing and the person can take legal action against you (Copyright on the Web, 2011). Teachers are allowed to use snips of music and video with permission. The best policy is to write for permission to use the music or video. Plagiarism is "an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone's work and lying about it afterward" (iParadigms, 2011). Examples of plagiarism include "turning in someone else's work as your own; copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit; failing to put a quotation in quotation marks; giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation; and changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit" (iParadigms, 2011). Plagiarism can usually be prevented by citing sources and providing the audience with the information needed to find the source. Students should be taught about digital plagiarism at a young age as they begin to access the Internet for research. There are many sites on the web that teach kids about plagiarism in a kid-friendly manner. There is a WebQuest that can be used for grades 8-12 to teach about plagiarism. I also found a wonderful question and answer site for younger kids about plagiarism (Cyberbee, 2011) and (Kids Health, 2008).

 

Great website for teaching kids about copyright: http://www.copyrightkids.org/

A list of "cans" and "cannots" for internet use: http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/copyright-internet.htm, Virginia Montecino

 

5. Copyright concerns when creating a web site

Copyright infringement comes into play if a person violates one of the owner’s five exclusive rights under the Copyright Act.   The right to prevent others from reproducing (or copying) a work, publicly displaying a work, or distributing a work are built-in in those rights. This even applies to web page authors, who should take reproduce or copy other’s work. An Internet Service Provider (ISP) can also be found liable for violation even when they are not directly engaged in the copying of protected materials.  This is thoroughly explained in the BitLaw section on ISP liability.

• Obtaining images for a web page. These "rules of thumb" should guide designers of web pages when choosing images to a web page creator when selecting images to include on a web page.
• The best way to create images is to start from scratch, using a drawing or other image creation program, rather than copying from someone else's creation. Even if an original image is altered, the new image may infringe upon the copyright in the first image by being a "derivative work."
• Be cautious when capturing images from third-parties. The easy rule is, "Don't steal someone else's images." The moment an original image is fixed on a hard drive for the first time, it is protected by copyright. Any unauthorized copying of a protected image is an infringement, unless the use falls within one of the very limited exceptions to the copyright law, such as "fair use."
• A party should also be careful using licensed images from the Internet. Some, such as Microsoft's "Internet Explorer" logo, may be copied, but only if the user accepts the license terms that outline the allowable uses of the image. An example of a logo license agreement can be found on MSNBC's web-site.
• Incorporating clip-art from software libraries (i.e., Claris Home Page, Microsoft Front Page, and Adobe PageMill) into a page does not violate copyright law, as these images are licensed to the purchaser of the software for this purpose. It is best, however, that the web page creator is  careful to obey the terms of applicable license agreements to avoid liability.
• Some websites offer images that are free to use by others. These images may be used in a web page, as long as the terms proposed by the image creator are followed. Typically, this includes giving credit to the author, and including a link back to the author's site. However, it may be possible that the images were misappropriated at some point and were not original creations of the alleged author. In such a case, use of the images may infringe the copyright rights of the original author.
• When developing text for a web page, the creator must follow the guidelines for text development similar to those for obtaining images. Truly original text, developed by the creator of the website, may be used without copyright concerns. As with images, using text from third-parties without permission is an infringement, unless there is a "fair use" reason for the taking. Additionally, the web page creator should follow the terms of the license agreement.
• Akin to text and pictures, it is normally a violation of copyright law to obtain scripting (e.g., Java Applets, JavaScripts, and ActiveX scripts) or programming from someone else without permission. When parties have made their scripts and applets available for use by the public, the web page creator must follow any requirements set forth by the programmer. 

 

The Copyright Act grants five rights to a copyright owner.  The rights are limited by "fair use" and additional detailed restrictions set forth in the Copyright Act.  They are:

1.  the right to reproduce the copyrighted work;
2.  the right to prepare derivative works based upon the work;
3.  the right to distribute copies of the work to the public;
4.  the right to perform the copyrighted work publicly; and 
5. the right to display the copyrighted work publicly

 

Accessibility (haves & have-nots) 

The concept of accessibility is widely referred to has the Digital Divide; the term is representative of the fact that the gap between Americans with access to computer technology and those without is widening.  Reasons for the gap included race, social class, lack of interest, and lack of funding to provide the service.  According to a recent survey in California, 39% of Hispanics were likely to have access to computer technology whereas 65% of whites had access.  Access to technology is also an issue for Native Americans, who have zero access to Internet on their reservations.  Rural areas of the country are not being provided services due to the cost of providing the technology, as a result, urban families are 50 times more likely to have Internet when compared to their urban counterparts.  

 

According to the article (http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech041.shtml), our current educational system does not address the lack of interest in computer technology and therefore persists in widening the gap.  Many schools are turning down free technology or just not using their available resources.  The problem is more of an issue for girls than boys.  Girls are less interested in computer technology and less likely to work in a career involving the use of technology.

Nationally money is being spent to help with the issue of the digital divide.  Several foundations are providing technology resources to schools and helping to educate teachers and students on using it.  However, the article points out that those who have the greatest access to technology will have a better education and those who do not will struggle in a technological job market.

World statistics on Internet Usage:  http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm  

 

Censorship

 

 While some books have always been a topic of censorship in schools, the censorship issue is switching more toward technology in recent years.  Most schools use filtering software to prevent pornographic or violent images away from students. However, many debate that sites with educational value are being filtered out as well. Many districts ban Google images, National Geographic, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.  This has prompted the American Association of School Librarians to designate a "Banned Websites Awareness Day" in September.  There is a push to encourage school districts to keep up with the times and embrace social media.  Social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, can be beneficial for schools to communicate with students and parents.  School districts often established a plan on filtering before the benefits of this media became evident.  All school districts should reevaluate their filtering system and make certain they are not censoring tools that could improve teaching and learning.

 

Tracking

 

Many businesses and firms are tracking where you visit online.  Of those, Google and Facebook use Evidon Global Tracker Report. Evidon uses the Ghostery browser plug in to keep track of various cookies for over 1.6 million users.  Google Analytics was the most prominent tracker, which was present on over 70% of all sites.  The next largest tracker was Google Adsense, followed by Facebook.

 

Google Analytics is a free tracker used to determine the number of people visiting the site, how long their visit was, what was seen during their visit, where they were previously, and where they proceeded to next. Many advertising networks are able to obtain tracking data using cookies.  Cookies are put on your computer as you visit pages that have an ad on them.  The cookies then look at your Internet history to send out more ads.  

 

The report also gathered some more interesting information:

 

• * Facebook, Twitter, and G+ are also in the lead for tracking websites with social widgets.  The study found that surfers come across these social widgets an average of 15 times per day. 
• *On average, the majority of websites have 4.7 trackers.  However, entertainment websites have almost 24 trackers, while news websites have around 20 trackers. 
• *The more trackers a website has, the longer it takes for the website page to load.  This time delay can range from a half second to over three seconds per tracker.

 

The study did not account for the average number of people used.  It is also somewhat biased in that Evidon, the study conductor, is over Digital Advertising Alliances’ Ad Choices program, which is a tracking tool.

 

Many people are unaware of what these tracking tools can discover about you.  They can determine age, gender, and interests, to name a few.  However, the data being collected  can be important.

 

References

Tynan, D. (2012, June 14). Facebook, Google top list of firms tracking you online, report. Retrieved from http://www.pcworld.com/article/257603/facebook_google_top_list_of_firms_tracking_you_online_report.html

Retrieved from: http://www.bitlaw.com/internet/webpage.html 

Smith, David. (2012, April 06). Kentucky department of education. Retrieved from http://education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative Resources/Technology/Additional Technology Resources/Acceptable Use Policy Guidelines and State Requirements for Student and Staff Access to Electronic I.htm

Internet Safety Information retrieved from http://suite101.com/article/implementing-effective-classroom-internet-saftey-a113817 on June 19, 2012    

http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Appropriate_Use/ 

Copyright information from retrived June 19 from http://www.wipo.int/copyright/en/general/about_copyright.html

The Copyright Society of the USA, (2007).  http://www.copyrightkids.org/  

 

Steel-Carlin, S. (2000). Education World: Caught in the Digital Divide. Retrieved June 22, 2012 from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech041.shtml

 

Smollin, M. (2011). The 21st-century school censors showdown: How much Internet filtering is too much? Retrieved June 20, 2012 from http://www.takepart.com/article/2011/09/02/school-censorship-21st-century-how-much-filtering-too-much

 

http://www.ted.com/talks/gary_kovacs_tracking_the_trackers.html