ICT Information and Guidelines for Staff and Learners

The following guidelines are expected to be followed by staff and learners of Whangaparaoa College to ensure that learners and staff gain maximum benefit from the ICT resources available within the College and through the Internet within a safe environment.

ICT includes all Information and Communication Technologies within the school. Some examples are computers, digital cameras (still and video), GPS devices, scanners, printers/copiers, graphic calculators and telephones.

• These guidelines are to be adhered to by all staff and learners while at school and while using school equipment or resources either at school or outside of school and while representing the school.

• The only people who can use school computer equipment are staff, current learners of the school and other people whom the Principal or Board of Trustees agree can use the equipment.

• Whangaparaoa College employs the use of appropriate software and personnel to monitor ICT use by staff and learners, including email and Internet use to ensure a safe ICT environment. However, staff and learners will need to monitor their own Internet use carefully to ensure appropriate use as the school software will not block all inappropriate material. Staff and learners are to ensure that files introduced to the school network are scanned for possible viruses. Any suspicious emails or files are to be reported to the school’s ICT technician.

• In a case where a staff member or learner mistakenly accesses inappropriate material, they should immediately email the school’s ICT technician at ICT@wgpcollege.school.nz or Helpdesk, reporting the site that was mistakenly accessed, along with the date and time. Similarly, learners and staff discovering inappropriate material that is not blocked, should also advise the ICT technician at the above email address.

• Staff or learners who deliberately use resources inappropriately or access inappropriate material will face consequences through the school’s behaviour management system. Depending on the nature and seriousness of inappropriate use or access, consequences may range from a warning to removal of privileges for ICT use for a period of time, through to possible dismissal, stand-down or exclusion. It must also be noted that some inappropriate use or access may also be illegal and will be dealt with as such. Any inappropriate access by a learner, whether mistaken or deliberate will be reported to parents via a letter from the learner’s Dean.

• Computers will be available for learner use during breaks and after school hours for the purpose of research or completion of class work or home learning for those learners without a computer at home.

• An online ICT resource booking facility will be provided for staff. Learners can book resources via staff for use on site. Learners are not permitted to take equipment off-site without supervision of a staff member. All equipment must be booked by a staff member who is then responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the equipment and its use. Exceptions may be made for Year 12 and 13 learners with permission from the Head of Learning – ICT. Equipment (other than staff laptops) is not to be taken off-site without permission of the ICT technician. Staff must sign for equipment taken off-site, with the ICT technician.

• School ICT equipment during school hours is to be used for teaching and learning activities. Private use by staff outside of school hours is to be appropriate and kept limited as outlined in the Staff Laptop Agreement.

• All staff and learners are to sign an ICT User Agreement upon commencement of employment or enrolment at the College. A copy of each signed agreement is to be kept on each learner or staff member’s file.

• ICT Professional Development needs will be assessed regularly and appropriate professional development will be offered to staff on a regular basis.

• ICT learning for learners will be integrated into the learning of their other subjects in Years 7 to 10. Foundation ICT skills in a variety of software will be taught, along with computer keyboarding skills and skills for the use of a variety of ICT hardware. Specialist ICT subjects will be offered to senior learners.

• Staff are to ensure that the ICT skills and knowledge that has been integrated into the curriculum at each level is taught to learners in the specified term. Staff who require support should email the Head of Learning – ICT requesting specific support. Staff are also expected to take advantage of the regular ICT professional development provided throughout the year.

• Ergonomic posture and the importance of micro-breaks will be explained to all staff and learners.

• All learners and staff are expected to abide by copyright laws in regard to both hard and soft copies of resources. Quoted text or copied images are expected to be appropriately referenced by staff and learners.

• No items that could be considered damaging to the reputation of the school, its staff, its learners, the Education Ministry or any other person or organisation should be published on any school website, website linked to the school website, or on any website created using a school ICT resource.

• Any guidelines issued by the Education Ministry relating to web pages should be followed, monitored and consistently applied to school web pages. The Ministry guidelines can be found at:    http://www.tki.org.nz/r/governance/curriculum/copyguide_e.php.           Attention is drawn specifically to those items relating to the easy identification of learners, either by picture or name, and the need to get parental or guardian approval to publish such on a website. In addition, pictures and names of learners should be removed after a suitable period.

• Software must always be legal purchased copies, no person should place software on school PC’s without express permission of the principal, the board, or a person designated (by the principal or board) to give such permission. Copies of licences for software are to be kept by the ICT technician.

• Trial versions of commercial software, or shareware, or freeware, are acceptable provided they are for educational benefit and are first tested by the lead learner and school computer technician to ensure no unexpected effects occur. Shareware should be registered where possible.

• Where learners write their own software as part of a class curriculum, ownership of the software should be clearly identifiable by storing work in learner specific directories.

• It is not permitted to install unsuitable software on any school computer. If in any doubt whether software is suitable, discuss this with the principal. Unsuitable in this context refers to software having themes that are not desirable in the school community.

•  Passwords are to be confidential to each user. Passwords should not be written down, should be a combination of letters and numbers and should be changed regularly. No lead learner or learner should divulge their password to another person. If lead learners allow learners to use lead learner laptops, the lead learner must log off first and allow the learner to log on with the learner’s own password.

• Any website, or webpages, created as part of, or a link from the school website should be regularly revised and updated. Out-of-date material should be regularly removed. Any website, or webpages that are to be viewed by the public are to be approved by the Head of Learning – ICT prior to online publication.

• Any damage to ICT hardware or software should be immediately reported to the ICT technician (email address above) to enable the problem to be fixed.

• Staff and learners have a responsibility to manage their files efficiently. This means that graphic files should be downsized as appropriate and older files, including email files, deleted or archived to ensure optimal use of disk space and to ensure minimal network traffic.

• Although the school operates a back-up system for all files on the network, staff and learners are advised to additionally back-up any particularly important files and to keep a copy off-site. This could be done by emailing a copy of a file to home or by burning a file to CD.

• Remote access to the school’s network is available for staff and learners. Additional guidelines to cover the use of this remote access will be added to this list.

• The use of games or simulation software is at the discretion of teachers, but should have some educational value if played during class time

• Learners are to use only their school-provided email address whilst at school, when using school equipment, or when representing the school. Hotmail and other web-based email are not permitted to be used by learners within the school environment. MSN Messenger and similar software are also not permitted to be used by learners within the school environment.

• Chatrooms and Internet Newsgroups are only to be used with a teacher present and supervising, for a purpose directly related to a class topic. Teachers and learners need to be aware that the content of these sites is not monitored and extreme opinions can be aired. Teachers and learners are expected to use their discretion in these situations and to report any inappropriate material as outlined above.

• One staff member per subject area will be invited to join the Staff ICT Team. This team will meet regularly to participate in ICT training and to collaborate regarding ICT learning. The team’s members will be required to monitor ICT use by teachers in their subject area and assist with ICT professional development for other lead learners.

• Staff wishing to be considered for the Staff ICT Team should email the Head of Learning – ICT  in the first instance.