Mrs.

Ms 8th grade Acceptable Use Policy Rules for Computer Usage

Students will NOT be allowed to use the computer for personal uses during instructional time Students will be allowed 10 minutes at a time on the computer Students are to use ONLY his/her name and password to login Students are expected to take proper care of the computer and equipment Students are NOT allowed to make unauthorized copies of computer software

Rules for Internet Usage

DO NOT use abusive or profane language in private messages on the Internet DO NOT use the Internet to harass, insult, or verbally attack others DO NOT use the Internet for any illegal activity, including computer hacking and copyright law violation DO NOT use the Internet for any activities that are obscene, vulgar, or pornographic DO NOT use the Internet to gain access to student records or grades

Consequences for breaking the rule(s)

Verbal reprimand for first offense and note sent home to parent(s) In school suspension (ISS) for second offense and contact parent(s) Out of school suspension for third offense and contact parent(s) (Length of suspension is based on which rule is broken)

Copyright Law
Federal Copyright law protects the financial interests of the creators, producers, and distributors of original works of information and art. These exclusive rights are subject to a time limit, and generally expire 70 years after the author's death. In utilizing any of the exclusive rights provided to the copyright holder without his permission, you may be violating on his rights under the Copyright Act. Possible fines for copyright infringement are from $750 to $30,000 per infringement. If it can be proven that the law was broken by willful intent, the fine may be raised to $150,000. Willful infringement for private or commercial gain carries a possible fine of $250,000 and up to 5 years in prison. Copyright violation is a serious crime.

Acceptable Copyright Information

There are a few copyright conditions that allow for use of material. One condition is that public domain belongs to the people either by expressed permission, expired copyright, or any material at least 75 years old. So, if it is over 75 years old. You can use it as much as you want. Another condition is expressed permission granted by the author or creator before being used. So if the author says you can use it, you can use it all. Another condition is that fair use is an exception that allows for specific amounts of copyrighted material to be used under certain circumstances.

Fair Use
Fair use is one of the most important exceptions for teachers and students. Small portions of copyrighted works may be used if properly cited and noted that they are copyrighted and by whom. The law sets forth four basic criteria for determining the principle of fair use: (1) Using a copyrighted work for an educational objective is more likely to be considered fair use than is using it for commercial gain or entertainment. (2) Nature of the copyrighted work. (3) Using a smaller amount of the total work is more likely to be fair use than using a larger amount. (4) If the use negatively impacts potential sales of the original work, this weighs against fair use.

Plagiarism
This occurs when a piece of writing has been copied from someone else and is presented as being your own work. Students who are caught plagiarizing will not receive credit for that assignment. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The student and parent/guardian signing below agree that if the student uses the schools Internet, then the student waives any right to privacy the student may have for such use. The student and the parent/guardian agree that the school may monitor the students use of the schools Internet access and may also examine all system activities the student participates in, including but not limited to email, voice, and video exchanges, to ensure proper use of the system. The school may share such exchanges with the students parent/guardian. The school will make good faith efforts to protect students from improper or harmful matter which may be on the Internet, but there is no guarantees about preventing improper access to such material on the part of the student. We, the persons who have signed below, have read this agreement and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of this agreement

Students Signature:__________________________________________ Date:_________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature:____________________________________ Date: _________________________

Mrs. Ms 8th grade Acceptable Use Policy Rules for Computer Usage

Rules for Internet Usage

Consequences for breaking the rule(s)

Students Signature:__________________________________________ Date:_________________________ Parent/Guardian Signature:____________________________________ Date: _________________________