Technology+Report


 * TECHNOLOGY REPORT**

Seguin ISD has adopted a District Technology Policy regarding copyright infringement. Copyright has become a front and center agenda because of new technologies becoming increasingly common and integrated into all areas of school instruction (Davidson, 2005).

Copyright, when understood, can become a useful tool in the hands of principals, administrators, and teachers who deeply believe that school time is for instruction and who see a need for the district to have a set of guidelines for every challenge concerning copyright laws.

These guidelines are essential as students have become technologically savvy and have devised new ways of copying materials to improve their grade. The Superintendent of our district has invested in new policies from the principals, administrators and the community, and has bonded them together to ensure that our students learn about technology while remaining safe and secure. (Adelman, 2004)

The district wants to implement technology into the core curriculum, but also discourage students from copyright infringement because the consequences can be severe.Our goals are not to punish students, but to ensure that they have a clear understanding of the steps to avoiding copyright problems in the future. Therefore, the following policy guidelines have been established: By complying with these measures, students of this district will remain safe while using technology effectively in the classroom. (Davidson ,2006)
 * Create and implement a technology policy that is inclusive of ethics and a set of procedures;
 * Review the entire policy with the educational community, students, teachers and parents;
 * Appoint a technology manager to conduct audits and maintain a log of licenses and registration materials;
 * Teach ethical and legal behavior for technology use;
 * Thank employees and students for supporting these steps (Davidson, 2005).

Our District will also remain safe by educating and having internet safe sites that have tools, such as Safe Surf, to ensure our policy is enforced. Safe Surf is a rating standard that gives providers the ability to rate websites and their pages (C.Joseph, 2007).

Cyber Smart and Get Wise are additional tools that provide teachers with the ability to complete internet searches in their classrooms during the instruction period for specific websites and have Standard Safety Guides for parents and local law authorities (C.Joseph, 2007) . In conclusion, it is the goal of Seguin ISD to establish and enforce a District Technology Policy, with the support of principals, teachers, and parents, which will allow students to safely and effectively learn and use technology in the classroom without the risk of copyright infringement

Work Cited Hall Davidson: Copyright Primer for Administrators. Technology & Learning, June 2005, 11 Research Library pg 82 Linda C. Joseph: Keeping Safe in Cyberspace, Multimedia &Internet @Schools Jan/Feb 2007 14, 1 Research Library pg.17 Hallee Anderson, Teaching Online Safety, Voices from the Middle, Mar 2004 11, 3 Research Library pg.17 .