The Etowah County School District’s electronic network is available to all students and employees. Our goal is to foster learning environments which provide students with the knowledge and skills to become successful and productive global citizens of the 21st Century. The use of technology by students and employees must be legal and ethical, and it should be consistent with the educational vision, mission, and goals of the Etowah County Board of Education.
To remain compliant with CIPA (Child Internet Protection Act), the Etowah County School District holds public hearings to address ECBOE's Internet Safety Policies and Procedures. Click here for slideshow of an ECBOE Internet Safety public hearing.
Network and Internet functionality and protection is mission critical. Because of the emphasis and daily need of technology, it is paramount that all precautions are being taken and that systems are working and secure.
At this time, we have two methods to help ensure Internet safety and filter inappropriate material. Lightspeed Systems provides network security and an in-house filtering system. Secondary filtering is provided though an 8E6 system maintained by the Alabama Supercomputer Authority.
Unfortunately, technology-savvy students are tempted to circumnavigate such precautions. This is one reason all students (and their parents) sign an AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) in which they agree to use the technology responsibly. In the event a student violates the AUP, technology access can be revoked. Other disciplinary action may follow, depending on the nature of the violation.
The 2008 Alabama Technology Course of Study has been posted on the district website for all teachers and administrators to use for full implementation within the curriculum. A focus area of this course of study is “Digital Citizenship.”
All employees sign an AUP as well.
It is agreed that the best preventive measure is adequate supervision. It is the responsibility of all employees to supervise and monitor students’ use of technology.
Many Alabama K-12 educators use the instructional resources found via shared educational tools, such as school and division-wide computer networks and the Internet. The increased use of such resources requires that administrators, teachers, library media specialists, students, and parents take steps to ensure that they are used responsibly for K-12 instruction.
In response to these concerns, schools or school divisions are required to establish guidelines for the appropriate use of computer networks. Such guidelines are generally called an Acceptable Internet Use Policy or AUP. By definition, an AUP is a written agreement in the form of guidelines, signed by students, their parents and their teachers, outlining the terms and conditions of Internet-use. It includes definitions of acceptable online behavior and access privileges.
ECBOE District Website
Provides teachers, students, and parents a venue for communication, school events, podcasts, photo galleries, blogs, and emergency alerts.
Alex (Alabama Learning Exchange)
Offers lesson plans, courses of study instructional links, distance learning assistance, etc.
Alabama Virtual Library
Provides students, teachers, and citizens of the state with online access to library informational resources.
STAR Renaissance
Accesses reading performance in less than 10 minutes.
Accelerated Reading
Monitors and evaluates the practice of reading.
Think.com
Connects schools, teachers, and students from around the world to collaborate on projects, share experiences, and build knowledge together. Teachers and students build their own webpages to share learning experiences. Simple publishing tools allow members to easily create content and engage one another in thoughtful online discussions.
Other examples of online/electronic references: iNOW (Chalkable), Encyclopedia Britannica, PowerSchool, Skills Bank, Thinkfinity.