"Your School" Computer Resources Handbook

Note: CSRnet gives permission to use and modify this "Handbook" to meet the needs of your Christian school. Like much of the material that is on the Internet, the information below is from several sources. Permission was granted from "Taconic High School" to use and modify the "Handbook."

If you wish to have this resource in html format, go to "View" on the toolbar (Explorer) and then down to "Source." What you will see is html text that you can copy and insert into a WebPages editor, such as FrontPage. You can then use the "Replace" command under "View" in the toolbar to replace "Your School." You can also copy the WebPages and paste the copy into your word processor. "Select All" ... "Copy" ... and then open a new document from your word processor, WordPerfect or MS Word. Then, "Paste" the text. You will need to apply formatting and use "Replace" commands to make the document fit the needs of your school.

Table of Content Links:

• Overview
• Expected Behavior
• Cyber-Safety
• The Internet: Moral and Ethical Issues
• Plagiarism
• Using the Resources
• Network Etiquette and Privacy
• Electronic Mail: User Responsibility
• Network Security
• Consequences of Violations
• Consent form and Waiver

Overview

Recent advances in information technologies will radically change the way that "Your School" relates to the world. From our classrooms, labs, and media center you will be able to travel all over the world to gather information. As we learn to make use of "Your School's" new computer network and travel this electronic highway, maps to find information and rules to keep traveling safe become vital to successfully completing the journey. This document is intended to be a guidebook in helping you make informed and appropriate decisions about the best use of "Your School's" computer resources.

Just as you learn and are expected to abide by social, moral, and ethical codes and behaviors which are acceptable in our school, you need to learn the correct procedures and rules for using our network of information services. We demand that all students obey the guidelines. If you break any of these rules, you will not be allowed to continue to use the system.

Before you begin to use these exciting research tools, it is important to your teachers, your parents and your school administrators that you understand the many consequences of the new computer connections that you will make on our network and on the Internet. It is important that you understand that your use of this powerful educational tool is a privilege. It can provide you with countless hours of exploration and use. Like your driver's license though, its use can be taken from you for breaking the rules.

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Expected Behavior

You are expected to use the network to pursue intellectual activities, seek resources, access libraries and pursue international ministries. We want you to explore this new "cyberspace", and discover what is available there. This resource is new to all of us. So, we want you to learn new things and share that new found knowledge with your friends, your parents and your teachers.

Each network or system has its own set of policies and procedures. Actions which are routinely allowed on one network/system may be controlled, or even forbidden, on other networks. It is the users responsibility to abide by the policies and procedures of these other networks/systems. Remember, the fact that a user can perform a particular action does not imply that they should take that action. You continue to be a testimony for Jesus Christ in person and on the Internet. As a condition for use of "Your School's" computing facilities, all users are expected to:

• respect the privacy of others. If a user on the network asks that you no longer send them mail or in any other way contact them, you are obliged to stop all contact immediately. You may feel you have the right of freedom of expression, but others have the right to be free from harassment.
• respect the integrity of "Your School's" computing systems. Users shall not intentionally use programs that damage or alter the software on "Your School's" network. If you are responsible for a computer becoming infected with viruses or worms, you will be held liable. In addition, "hacking" and computer piracy, or any tampering with hardware or software, or any vandalism of computer equipment are serious offenses which will result in immediate suspension of all network privileges.
• respect the legal protection provided by copyright and licenses. For example users shall not make unauthorized copies of proprietary software for their own use, even when that software is not physically protected against copying.
• respect the finite capacity of the system, and limit your own use and size of your files so as not to interfere unreasonably with the activity of other users.
• respect the procedures established to manage the use of the system
• report any violation of these guidelines by any other individual. You are also expected to report any flaw in, or bypass of, computer facilities security.

All users should be aware that the inappropriate use of electronic information resources can be a violation of local, state, and federal laws. Violations can lead to prosecution.

Users may not:

• install software onto "Your School's" computer network
• send or receive messages that indicate or suggest pornography, unethical or illegal solicitation, racism, sexism, or inappropriate language. All of the rules in "Your School" 's code of conduct found in the Student Handbook apply when you are on the network.
• use the network or its computers for commercial or for-profit purposes.

The use of "Your School's" computing facilities is a privilege, not a right. Inappropriate use will result in cancellation of those privileges. Each person who receives an account will participate in an orientation or training course as to the proper behavior and use of the network.

Those who cannot accept these outlined standards of behavior may be subject to any or all of the following:

• Suspension of Internet access;
• Revocation of Internet access;
• Suspension of Network privileges;
• Revocation of Network privileges;
• Suspension of computer access;
• Revocation of computer access;
• School suspension;
• School expulsion;
• Legal action and prosecution by the authorities.

Any questions about this policy or the applicability of this policy to a particular situation should be referred to the "School" Technology Team.

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Cyber-Safety

When you are using the computer network and communicating with others in remote or even close locations, keep the following in mind:

• You cannot see them.
• You cannot tell how old they are or even what sex they are.
• They can tell you anything, and you cannot always be sure what they are telling you is true.
• Absolute privacy cannot be guaranteed in a network environment. So, you need to think carefully about what you say and how you say it.
• For your own safety and for the safety of others, remember to exercise caution when you are communicating with people in the outside world. Do not give out your home phone number or your address to anyone. They do not need to have that information.
• If you feel there is a problem or if you feel uncomfortable with the information someone is giving you, tell your teacher or system administrator immediately.

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The Internet: Moral and Ethical Issues

Inappropriate Material

The moral and ethical issues involving the use of world-wide information systems deal with the appropriate access to information, the type of information, and the behavior of the user. "Your School" wants to provide you with a stimulating educational environment, but at the same time, we want to protect you from information that is not appropriate for students to use. We want you to use this valuable educational tool, but at the same time we cannot condone the use of inappropriate information on the Internet. We simply acknowledge the fact that these materials exist and then do everything we can to actively avoid them. We cannot weed out all of the materials that are unacceptable for the high school student, but it should be clearly understood by all students that access to such material in any form is strictly forbidden. The network is designed to achieve and support instructional goals, and any information that does not support classroom learning is to be avoided.

Although the actual percentage of unacceptable materials is small, it can cause concern for students and parents if a student stumbles onto the information while doing legitimate research. If you have a question or concern regarding any information you find, contact your teacher or system administrator.

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Plagiarism

The dictionary defines plagiarism as "taking ideas or writings from another person and offering them as your own." The student who leads readers to believe that what they are reading is the student's original work when it is not is guilty of plagiarism. Credit should always be given to the person who created the article or the idea. Be careful when you are using the Internet. Cutting and pasting ideas into your own document is very easy to do. So, be sure that you give credit to the author. That way your teacher will know which ideas are yours, and you won't be guilty of plagiarism.

Though the penalty for plagiarism is at the discretion of the teacher, it is likely that you will lose credit for any assignment containing plagiarized material.

Copyright

Copyright is another issue altogether. According to the Copyright Act of 1976, "Fair Use" means that you may freely use any information that you legally find on the Internet as long as you do so only for scholarly purposes. You may not plagiarize or sell what you find. Suppose, for example, that you find a copy of Microsoft Works on the Internet. Could you legally copy it? The answer is NO. This is copyrighted software. You have to purchase software packages before you use them legally. Suppose you find an article about the use of Microsoft Works on the Internet. Can you legally copy it? The answer is yes, as long as you give credit to the author and do not sell the article for profit.

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Using the Resources

It may seem that there is no limit to the resources on the Internet, but "Your School's" network has a limited capacity to handle traffic. This means the more users there are on the network, the more congested the network becomes. If there are too many users at any given time, the traffic on the network grinds to a crawl, just like a traffic jam on a freeway. Some users may be cut off altogether. Although the network may slow down, it will continue to function. The following list will help avoid "gridlock."

• Do not tie up the network with idle activities.
• Do not play games with others on the network or on the Internet. Networks are not designed for computer games. It is not Nintendo. Play games on your own time and on your own equipment.
• Do not download huge files from places half a globe away. Only take the information you want and need. The best thing to do is get into the Internet, get what you need, and get out. Remember, there are many students who need to use this system.

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Network Etiquette and Privacy

You are expected to abide by the generally accepted rules of network etiquette. These rules include (but are not limited to ) the following:

1. Be Polite. Never send, or encourage others to send, abusive messages
2. Use appropriate language. Remember that you are a representative of our Christian school and community. You may be alone with your computer, but what you say and do can be viewed globally. Never swear, use vulgarities, or any other inappropriate language. Illegal activities of any kind are strictly forbidden.
3. Privacy. Do not reveal your home address or personal phone number or the addresses and phone numbers of students or colleagues.
4. Electronic Mail. Electronic mail (e-mail) is not guaranteed to be private. Messages relating to or in support of illegal activities must be reported to the authorities.
5. Disruptions. Do not use the network in any way that would disrupt use of the network by others.
6. Other considerations
7. Do be brief. Fewer people will bother to read a long message.
8. Do minimize spelling errors and make sure your message is easy to understand and read.
9. Do use accurate and descriptive titles for your articles. Tell people what it is about before they read it.
10. Do remember that humor, satire, and sarcasm is very often misinterpreted. Without face to face communications your joke may be viewed as criticism
11. Do cite references for any facts or direct quotes you present.
12. Do remember that all network users are human beings. Don't attack correspondents; persuade them with the facts.
13. Capitalize words only to highlight an important point or to distinguish a title or heading. *Asterisks* surrounding a word also can be used to make a stronger point.
14. It is considered extremely rude to forward personal e-mail to mailing lists or Usenet without the original author's permission.

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Electronic Mail: User Responsibility

The content and maintenance of a user's electronic mailbox is the users responsibility:

• Check e-mail daily and remain within your limited disk quota.
• Delete unwanted messages immediately since they take up disk storage.
• Keep messages remaining in your electronic mailbox to a minimum.
• Mail messages can be downloaded or extracted to files then to disks for future reference.
• Never assume that your E-mail can be read by no one except yourself; others may be able to read or access your mail. Never send or keep anything that you would not mind seeing in the daily newspaper.

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Network Security

The most secure computers are the ones that can't be used. This is not a reasonable solution. Our security measures are to keep you from accidentally changing settings. Consistency and reliability are paramount for "Your School's" computer network to serve you optimally. Therefore the following guidelines are set out to help you understand our security concerns. Masquerading: pretending to be some one else if forbidden. This includes sending out e-mail in someone else's name as a joke. No Hacking: attempting to break into or go around any of our security measures is considered a major violation of school rules. This include servers, workstations, networks and other people's resources. Passwords: don't give them out and keep good passwords. Poor passwords are the most common way computer systems are compromised. To help us maintain a properly secure system, please follow these password guidelines.

• Use passwords that aren't in the dictionary.
• Use at least 8 characters in your passwords. Do not use your phone number or home street number.
• Use special characters if possible (i.e., @#$%^*...)
• When you change your password, try not to follow a predictable pattern.
• Change your password often-especially once you think someone knows it.
• Your password should be easy for you to remember. A good way to create this kind of password is to use a sentence that relates to yourself, i.e. Bill Taylor has 2 cats Ziji and Tiger! So the password for the above sentence would be: BTh2cZaT!

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"Your School" Computer Resources Acceptable Use Policy

Please read this document carefully. When signed by you and your guardian/parent, it becomes a legally binding contract. We must have your signature and that of your guardian/parent before we can provide you with an access account. "Your School" declares unethical and unacceptable behavior just cause for taking disciplinary action, revoking networking privileges, and/or initiating legal action for any activity through which an individual:

• Uses the network for illegal, inappropriate, or obscene purposes, or in support of such activities. Illegal activities shall be defined as a violation of local, state, and/or federal laws. Inappropriate use shall be defined as a violation of the intended use of the network, and/or purpose and goal. Obscene activities shall be defined as a violation of generally accepted social standards for use of a publicly-owned and operated communication vehicle;
• Uses the network for any illegal activity, including violation of copyrights or other contracts violating such matters as institutional or third party copyright, license agreements and other contracts;
• Intentionally disrupts network traffic or crashes the network and connected systems;
• Degrades or disrupts equipment or system performance;
• Uses the "Your School" computing resources for commercial or financial gain or fraud;
• Steals data, equipment, or intellectual property;
• Gains unauthorized access of others' files, or vandalizes the data of another user;
• Gains or seeks to gain unauthorized access to resources or entities;
• Forges electronic mail messages, or uses an account owned by another user;
• Wastefully uses finite resources;
• Invades the privacy of individuals;
• Posts anonymous messages;
• Possesses any data which might be considered a violation of these rules in paper, magnetic (disk), or any other form.

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Consequences of Violations

Consequences of violations include but are not limited to:

• Suspension of Internet access;
• Revocation of Internet access;
• Suspension of Network privileges;
• Revocation of Network privileges;
• Suspension of computer access;
• Revocation of computer access;
• School suspension;
• School expulsion;
• Legal action and prosecution by the authorities.

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Remedies and Recourses

If you are accused of any of the violations, you have all of the rights and privileges that you would have if you were accused of school vandalism, fighting and so forth.

The system administrator has the right to restrict or terminate network and Internet access at any time for any reason. The system administrator further has the right to monitor network activity in any form that it sees fit to maintain the integrity of the network.

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Consent form and Waiver

The following form must be read and signed by you and your parent or legal guardian.

By signing the Consent and Waiver form attached, I _________________ (print name here) and my parent(s) or guardian(s) agree to abide by the following restrictions. I have discussed these rights and responsibilities with my parent(s) or guardian(s).

Further, my parent(s) or guardian(s) and I have been advised that "Your School" does not have control of the information on the Internet, although it attempts to provide prudent and available barriers. Other sites accessible via the Internet may contain material that is illegal, defamatory, inaccurate or potentially offensive to some people. While "Your School" 's intent is to make Internet access available to further its educational goals and objectives, account holders will have the ability to access other materials as well. "Your School" believes that the benefits to educators and students from access to the Internet, in the form of information resources and opportunities for collaboration, far exceed any disadvantages of access. But ultimately, the parent(s) and guardian(s) of minors are responsible for setting and conveying the standards that their student should follow. To that end, "Your School" supports and respects each family's right to decide whether or not to apply for "Your School" network access.

Any questions should be directed to ___________________, Principal, or members of "Your School's" Technology Team, ___________________________ at ( area code) _ _ _ - _ _ _ _. ext. _ _ _ _.

The student and his/her parent(s) or guardian(s) must understand that student access to the "Your School" network is being developed to support the school's educational responsibilities and mission. The specific conditions and services being offered will change from time to time. In addition, "Your School" assumes no responsibilities for:

1. The content of any advice or information received by a student from a source outside "School", or any costs or charges incurred as a result of seeing or accepting such advice;
2. Any costs, liability or damages caused by the way the student chooses to use his/her "School" Network access;
3. Any consequences of service interruptions or changes, even if these disruptions arise from circumstances under the control of "Your School";
4. While "Your School" supports the privacy of electronic mail, students must assume that this cannot be guaranteed.

By signing this form I agree to the following terms:

1. My use of the "Your School" computer network must be consistent with the school's primary goals.
2. I will not use the "Your School" computer network for illegal purposes of any kind.
3. I will not use the "Your School" network to transmit threatening, obscene, or harassing materials. "School" will not be held responsible if you participate in such activities.
4. I will not use the "Your School" network to interfere with or disrupt network users, services or equipment. Disruptions include, but are not limited to, distribution of unsolicited advertising, propagation of computer worms and viruses, and using the network to make unauthorized entry to any other machine accessible via the network. I will print only to my local printer.
5. It is assumed that information and resources accessible via the "Your School" network are private to the individuals and organizations which own or hold rights to those resources and information unless specifically stated otherwise by the owners or holders of rights. Therefore, I will not use the "Your School" network to access information or resources unless permission to do so has been granted by the owners or holders of rights to those resources or information.

Copyright © 2002 Dennis W. Mills, Ph.D.
This publication may be reprinted in any format without expressed written permission, but notification is appreciated. mailto:millsd@citlink.net

This page was last updated on: December 30, 2001