Educational CyberPlayGround ®

Acceptable Use Policy

  • PERMISSION
  • K- 12 INTERNET USE POLICY
  • ELECTRONIC RESERVES

PERMISSION FORMS

HOW TO CITE THE EDUCATIONAL CYBERPLAYGROUND, Inc. AS YOUR RESOURCE.
DO YOU WANT PERMISSION TO USE SOMETHING FROM THIS SITE?

Permission to Use

Publishing Students Pictures on the Web Release Form

ECP Permission Rules and Form

Who owns the IP K-12 IP Online Content?

Photographs - Photo Release Forms Letter and Permission Slip

Who owns Higher Ed Classroom content?

  1. Class notes are copasetic in that these are original expressions and that extends to the graphics as well [although some might argue this would be a derivative work]
  2. Permission will be required from whomever owns the copyright of the deceased for the audio unless it can be proved that there was tacit and/or verbal permission for taping the lectures

K-12 Internet Use policy

Sample Acceptable Use Policies:

Issues:

EXAMPLE of a Responsible Use Policy

Technology and Network Access

The [ - ] School District provides students with access to computer equipment, software, and network services. These tools support learning, collaboration, and educational research related to the district curriculum. All technology and network usage must be consistent with these purposes, the Responsible Use Policy, and all provisions of law governing the actions of the user.

The Internet, however, is not designed exclusively for the use of children. While its use in district schools will be subject to supervision, it is possible that students may occasionally access inappropriate material either deliberately or by accident. District guidelines for Internet use prohibit access to material that is inappropriate in the school environment. We encourage parents to have a discussion with their children about values and responsible behavior while using the Internet. Parents wishing their child to not access online resources must contact their respective building principal.

Responsible Use

Students are expected to use district technology equipment, software, and network services for projects assigned by their classroom teachers. The following are some guidelines concerning the use of district technology and network services.

Students may (with teacher supervision):

  1. Use student software to create projects to fulfill classroom assignments.
  2. Use the Internet to access or search for information to fulfill classroom assignments.
  3. Practice netiquette and online safety measures.
  4. Save class assignments on a disk or on a computer or server.
  5. Delete their own files.
  6. Use an email account provided by [ - ] Schools for special projects. Parent permission will be sought in advance of any such projects.

Students MAY NOT:

  1. Use district technology equipment, software, and network services without teacher supervision.
  2. Access inappropriate material or share information about inappropriate material with other students.
  3. Access personal email accounts (hotmail, yahoo, wcnet, etc.), chat rooms or forums over the district network.
  4. Send or receive material that may be hurtful to another person or detrimental to the operation of a computer, software, or network.
  5. Send or post personal information about themselves or others.
  6. Tamper with, assemble, disassemble, connect or disconnect technology or network equipment.
  7. Install, download, copy, or delete software.
  8. Create or change configurations.
  9. Attempt to access, modify, copy or delete files created by another user.
  10. Attempt to access or use others' accounts or passwords.
  11. Share a network account or password with another person or leave an open file unattended or unsupervised.
  12. Plagiarize or break copyright laws (example: unauthorized copying of software).
  13. Use district technology or network services for personal, entertainment, political, or commercial purposes.
  14. Deliberately waste computer resources.
  15. Install, copy, or knowingly infect a computer with a virus.

Note:

Other examples of inappropriate technology and network behavior will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Students acting under the direction of the District Technology Coordinator or Building Technology Representatives may be exempt from some of the items listed.

Consequences of Irresponsible Use

Consequences for individuals violating the Responsible Use Policy vary depending on the nature and seriousness of the violation. Consequences might include disciplinary action, loss of technology access, and/or involvement of law enforcement agencies.

Warranties / Indemnification

  • The [ - ] School District makes no warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied, in connection with its provision of access to and use of its computer networks and the Internet provided under this Policy.
  • The [ - ] School District will not be responsible for any claims, losses, damages or costs (including attorney's fees) of any kind suffered, directly or indirectly, by any user or his/her parent(s) or guardian(s) arising out of the use of the electronic network.
  • The user takes full responsibility for his/her use.
  • The parent(s) or guardian(s) agree to indemnify and hold the [ - ] School District, its employees, harmless from any and all loss, costs or damages resulting from the use authorized under this agreement, including but not limited to any fees or charges incurred through purchases of goods or services by the user over the electronic network.
  • The user and the user's parent(s) or guardian(s) agree to cooperate with the District in the event of the District's initiating an investigation of a user's misuse of his/her access to the computer network and the Internet, whether that use is on a District computer or on another computer outside the School District's network.

Authorization for Use of Computer Resources within the [ - ] School District

As a user of the [ - ] Schools computer network, I hereby agree to comply with the above stated rules, communicating over the network in a reliable fashion while honoring all relevant laws and restrictions.

Student Name (Print):______________________________________

Password (Print):_________________________

Student Signature:___________________________ Grade:_______ Birthdate:_______

As the parent or legal guardian of the minor student signing above:

  • I grant permission for my son or daughter to access networked computer services such as electronic mail and the Internet.
  • I understand that individuals and families may be held liable for violations.
  • I understand that some materials on the internet may be objectionable, but I accept responsibility for guidance of Internet use, setting and conveying standards for my son or daughter to follow when selecting, sharing or exploring information and media.

Parent Name (Print):______________________________________

Parent Signature:______________________________________ Date:_____________

Mailing Address:______________________________________

City:____________________________________

Home Telephone: _________________________

CORNELL CREATES ELECTRONIC RESERVES GUIDELINES

Electronic Reserves Higher Ed Internet Use Policy

Like the RIAA's dead business model that refuses to monitize the P2P model, you will see the print publisher model in the the very same position.

At the request of professors, college libraries used to hold certain hard copies of a book in reserve to provide access to students in a particular course. Now, electronic reserves let the library scan and post parts of works on an internal Web site for students using pass codes that expire at the course's end.
At colleges and universities throughout the country, professors have the general sense that when dealing with classroom reserve materials in an electronic medium, securing copyright clearances need not be treated the same way as if they were in hard copy.
Well, not so. In order to address the threat of legal action by publishers, Cornell University recently issued a set of guidelines for professors who are looking to place course materials on electronic reserve.
Some time back the Association of American Publishers (AAP) sent a letter to Cornell University officials regarding suspected copyright violations relating to classroom e-reserves. According to an article that appeared on 19 September 2006 in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Allan Adler, the vice president for legal and governmental affairs for the publishing association, stated that publishers were concerned as there seemed to be a very general sense that when you were dealing with materials in an electronic medium, you didnt really need to treat them the same way you did if there were in hard copy. But according to Adler, as a general principle, any professor posting articles online must use the same basic guidelines that apply to printed course packets.
In an effort to address the concerns, Cornell University and officials from the AAP have developed a set of guidelines that was distributed to professors at the beginning of the September term.
It should be noted that the agreement relates only to e-reserves for classroom use and not e-reserves in general. The guidelines seek to provide guidance for professors in making decisions whether to place materials online. Cornell also developed and distributed a checklist for fair use analysis in general. Cornell has posted a policy and guidelines
While the Cornell agreement does not conflict with copyright and fair-use guidelines generated by other academic organizations, critics of the Cornell policy note that there are some ambiguities and contradictions in the university's new guidelines that could cause some confusion -- a distinction being drawn between classroom and non-classroom e-reserves being one example.

Cornell University Copyright Policy (June 28, 1990)

Guidelines for the Inclusion of Copyrighted Material on Course Web Pages, Patricia A. McClary: Associate University Counsel (August 1999) (PDF)

Olin/Uris/Kroch Library Course Reserve Policies

Reserves Policy at Mann Library

Web Page Guidelines: Content Ownership and Responsibility
Office of Information Technologies

 

Professors Get an `F' in Copyright Protection From Publishers[1]
Book publishers say professors who post long excerpts of protected texts on the Internet without permission cost the industry at least $20 million a year. Professors are making material available free rather than requiring students to buy $100 textbooks. While faculty members from Harvard University to the University of Pennsylvania complain of a restricted flow of ideas, publishers say they must protect $3.35 billion in annual U.S. college textbook sales. ``We can't compete with free,'' says Allan Adler, vice president for legal and governmental affairs with the Washington- based publishers group, whose members include McGraw-Hill Cos. and Pearson Plc.

 

The state board of education selected the history and social studies texts it would buy for its 4.2 million public-school pupils. Because Texas accounts for a hefty 8 percent of America's $4.5 billion textbook market, whatever flies in the Lone Star State usually lands on desks nationwide.

Textbook Sales Rise - The higher-education segment of the U.S. book publishing industry had 2005 sales of $3.35 billion, 5.3 percent higher than 2004, the publishers association says. Sales for the entire book publishing industry were $25 billion in 2005, an increase of 9.9 percent. The debate over the definition of ``fair use'' of copyright material for educational purposes is at least as old as the modern photocopying machine. Congress responded to the proliferation of photocopiers in 1976 by allowing for limited educational use of copyright materials without setting precise limits or resolving the dispute, says Crews, the Indiana University professor.

`This Cornell agreement is a major event,'' says Tracey Armstrong, chief operating officer at the Copyright Clearance Center, a nonprofit licensing (which makes a lot of profit) agent in Danvers, Massachusetts, that collects royalties from more than 1,000 universities on behalf of publishers. The deal is significant because it contains guidelines that may be used in future college agreements, she says. The conflict stems from the interpretation of ``fair use'' as allowed under laws passed by Congress. If people aren't aware of their FAIR USE RIGHTS you'll lose them. Cornell, like other large universities, offers hundreds of courses each semester, with professors using the Internet for making articles or excerpts from books available to students at no charge, Adler says. Each item would typically generate royalties of $10 to $30.
Reserved Electronic Postings - Follow the Money: Illegal use of posted material is widespread, hurting publishers of novels, biographies, historical nonfiction and other works, as well as textbooks, says Patricia Schroeder, the president of the publishers association and a former Colorado congresswoman.
Sandra Kerbel, director of public services at the University of Pennsylvania's campus library, says the publishers' campaign reduces the free flow of ideas. Publishers should focus more on producing textbooks that better match teaching needs to reduce use of the Web for customizing course materials, she says.
At Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Chris Dede, a professor of learning technologies at the Graduate School of Education, says the Internet may let faculty members publish their own material and cut the book industry out of the picture. ``If publishers push too hard, faculty may just decide they no longer need a middleman who collects all the profits in each direction,'' Dede says.

Steal This Book

Google's Monetization of Libraries
Google
and the libraries involved have at their core a mission and philosophy of open access to information, even if their economic and organizational missions are very different. This conflict can be seen as a conscious attempt to push the boundaries of copyright law outward, by organizations that are well-informed about the legal issues but determined to build a more open information model. They are saying “sue us.”