Cayme Sharp: Student Contract

Student Contract: "Your safety is our #1 concern. The Student Contract is created to give you the tools and knowledge to use the Internet in a safe and professional manner. It is important to remember that the use of technology is not a right, but a privilege. Once signed this contract is active, and allows you to utilize technology to the full extent in our classroom. At any time this contract can be revoked if you break any of the guidelines."

METs:
SOCIAL, ETHICAL, AND HUMAN ISSUES
By the end of Grade 5 each student will:

5. discuss scenarios describing acceptable and unacceptable uses of technology (e.g., computers, digital cameras, cell-
phones, PDAs, wireless connectivity) and describe consequences of inappropriate use
6. discuss basic issues regarding appropriate and inappropriate uses of technology (e.g., copyright, privacy, fi le sharing, spam,
viruses, plagiarism) and related laws
8. identify appropriate kinds of information that should be shared in public chat rooms
9. identify safety precautions that should be taken while on-line
10. explore various technology resources that could assist in pursuing personal goals
11. identify technology resources and describe how those resources improve the ability to communicate, increase
productivity, or help achieve personal goals

TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS
By the end of Grade 5 each student will:
1. know how to use menu options in applications to print, format, add multimedia features; open, save, manage fi les; and
use various grammar tools (e.g., dictionary, thesaurus, spell-checker)

Technology Used:
Microsoft Word- document formatting pre-assessment
pbWiki- Class Collaboration- acts as outline of lesson storing related files and instructions
Google Doc- Classroom Gallery- Great place to organize lessons, while exposing students to another technology that is similar in formatting to Microsoft Word, but has the advantage of being able to access online

(3) The Lesson Plan: Using Frontpage of Wiki as visual aid:

Share the mission, discuss safety and professionalism expected.
THE PAST: Watch "The History of Technology" Video.
Discuss age of technology, what it means for this era of students. (5 min)
THE PRESENT: Walk through the Classroom Gallery, discussing different projects, what a Google doc is, and how they will use the Gallery to link to their projects. (5 min.)
Discuss the first task: the Student Contract
Walk through the guidline, sharing experiences, and soliciting student involvement in the discussion. (10 min)
Get started on the project- student work time 20-25 minutes.
*Remainder of work will be completed during alloted center times later in the week.

(4) A brief summary of your plan

I think this is a great way to set the expectations of proper use and safety early in the semester. This activity will offer a means of pre-assessing the students, as I keep a running record of their skills, how they work with their peers, and how they utilize the time.
As the teacher, I would write a cover letter to send home with this Student Contract. I think it is very important to keep communication open with parents about what is going on with their students. A classroom blog, and website, will be a tool to share what the students are learning, and also the steps that can be taken in terms of privacy online.

(5) References