Course 2: Week 5 - Becoming Contributors

Wow. I am in love!

One small blog post in the reading this week just clicked and I cannot stop thinking about it. Telling people about it. Loving it with every fibre of my teacher-being!!!

---

Instead of an AUP , how about an EUP (Empowered Use Policy)? by Scott Mcleod

Yes!

How about THAT?!

The post suggests the following:

​[SCHOOL / DISTRICT NAME]
When it comes to digital technologies in our [school / district], please…

1. Be empowered. Do awesome things. Share with us your ideas and what you can do. Amaze us.
2. Be nice. Help foster a school community that is respectful and kind.
3. Be smart and be safe. If you are uncertain, talk with us.
4. Be careful and gentle. Our resources are limited. Help us take care of our devices and networks.

Thank you and let us know if you have any questions.

Again. YES!!

​I cannot get over how much I connect to this idea. Usually when I lead my class through the process of making essential agreements I have a few rules. First we brainstorm the things we want. Then we look at the IB Learner Profile and try to group these "rules" into it. Then we create broad sentences that we all agree to. At MOST I always only allow about 4. These sentences are vague... but on purpose! They encompass SO much in them AND because theyre simple and not numerous, we actually remember them. We actually remind eachother about them. We actually live by them, 

Too often agreements at school tend to be very negative. I particularly belive this to be true when it comes to iPad Agreements, or Acceptable Use Policies. Even if teachers are using positive language in their classrooms, somehow these still become negative.

I am actually wondering if individual teachers could even walk through these "negative" agreements with their students and pull out some POSITIVE common themes. Could you take your school's agreement and change it into words like this? If my school's agreement stays the same next year (negative, like most), I am definitely going to go through this process with them. 

This has been one of those lightbulb moments I feel like I should have seen before but just didn't.

I. LOVE. IT!