Activity: Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) An acceptable use policy (AUP) is a set of guidelines governing use of the Internet for school activities. AUPs are often district initiatives and may require students and their parents or guardians to sign letters of agreement. Internet AUPs vary greatly, but most districts agree their primary purpose is to support research and instruction. Most policies stem from existing policies for behavior and use of traditional resources, such as books, magazines, television, and radio. The "Acceptable Use Policy" folder on the Principal Connections CD-ROM provides great detail to support the creation of an Internet AUP, including information and examples that answer the following four questions: Who should develop the Internet acceptable use policy? Who will use the Internet acceptable use policy? What information should an Internet acceptable use policy contain? What does an Internet acceptable use policy look like? Getting There Insert and begin Principal Connections. From the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen, select the fifth icon on the left labeled "WWW." This will take you to the section titled "Log On." Select the manila folder in the middle of the desk. Review this information on the CD and the example AUPs from the Principal Connections Web site. Compare these to your own school or district Internet AUP. Post your AUP to the discussion area to share with the class. If your school or district does not have an Internet AUP, it may have one for technology use in general or a broad AUP for use of school facilities and resources. ( You can copy and paste your AUP into the discussion box) Class Discussion: How Does Your AUP Measure Up? As you will notice, schools and districts interpret acceptable use in different ways and create drastically different documents. Some policies are non-specific and open to interpretation, while others are detailed and read almost like legal briefs. Is your AUP comprehensive enough? Is your AUP easy to understand and interpret? Would you revise your existing Internet AUP? If so, what would you change? Click the "Discussion" button on the top menu bar to view your response and the responses from other participants to this activity.