Participate 4.1.1 Digital Rights and Responsibilities

A few years ago, my school initiated a BYOT program.  With this "Bring Your Own Technology" initiative, students are encouraged to use their own devices at school for instructional purposes.  In order to uphold the Rights & Responsibilities of all users, our school also designed a personal laptop Acceptable Use Policy (AUP).  This student laptop contract outlines appropriate use of our school network, as well as the consequences when the contract is not adhered to.  Students and parents are both required to sign the contract and copies of the original version are made available in the student handbook, as well as on our school website.

While I believe this was a good step towards fostering an open access learning environment, I do not believe it has been maintained.  Yes, the AUP was communicated effectively the first year of implementation, but it has since become another piece of paper lost in the shuffle of First Day of School forms.  Also, students are not motivated to bring their personal devices to school because they are inconsistently used in classrooms.

To address the latter issue of implementation, there are two major obstacles to our maintaining and promoting our DLC.  In my own experience, students are more likely to bring their personal devices when they are given the task of creating.  However, making time for collaborative and creative projects is sometimes a difficult task within the demands of current educational policies.  Thus, students experience inconsistent use of technology from classroom to classroom and are less likely to BYOT.

Another reason for the inconsistency of implementation is the frivolous blocking of websites.  I can attest to this frustration personally.  I recall numerous missed opportunities where I went to a conference or found an awesome website at home only to go to school to find it blocked.  This sentiment and frustration has been expressed by teachers and students alike.  Rather than trusting its digital citizens with an authentic AUP, our school system has unknowingly deterred teachers and students from using technology at school.

So, where do we go from here?  How do we ensure that our digital citizens have access to and respect the rights & responsibilities of a DLC?  I believe the answer lies in three steps:

1. Teach exemplary digital citizenship to our teachers, students, and parents alike.
2. Encourage creativity in our classrooms with an emphasis on Creative Commons.
3. Entrust our DLC members with more unobstructed access to online resources and tools.

Although these three steps are easier said than done, they do provide a more appropriate vision than our current system's BYOT initiative.  Students want the opportunity to use their digital rights & responsibilities.  However, our students cannot prove themselves as responsible digital citizens when the AUP is too restrictive.  I believe it is time to unlock the door.

PS- Don't miss my follow up post on Digital Safety & Security.