Rules and Policies for Virtual Blake
March 2007
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The rules for Virtual Blake are the same as the rules for The Blake School. The Lower School's Safety, Respect, and Welcome rules apply. The Middle School's Citizenship Code, which fosters honesty, acceptance of others, respect, responsibility, and trust applies. The Upper School's behaviour objectives, which concern academic honesty, respect, harassment, vandalism, and theft applies.
Members of the Blake community who work on our computer network should show respect for themselves and for others, and they should respect the property of others, whether or not that property is in "real" or digital form. They should welcome others onto the network in the same way as they welcome them into all Blake activities. Members of the Blake community should respect the feelings and opinions of others on the network, just as they should respect those feelings and opinions in all other areas of the school. They should realize that stealing or plagiarizing material in electronic form is no different from stealing or plagiarizing material that is in a more tangible form.
Although the rules for Virtual Blake are the same as those for The Blake School, it is important to restate them for several reasons:
- While members of the Blake community may understand and agree with the school rules in a general way, they may not understand the specific ways in which they apply to computers and computer networks.
- It is easy to break rules electronically. Material in electronic form often seems less real. Breaking the rules on computer networks may seem less serious. People who would never consider stealing property that they can see or touch mistakenly think that it is acceptable to take property in electronic form.
- A computer network seems to offer anonymity. An offensive message can be sent without having to confront the recipient face-to-face.
- Breaking the rules on a network often affects many other people. Even a little "unintentional" carelessness on just one computer can cause considerable misery for the entire school.
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Specific Rules and Policies
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When using School Computers:
Systems components such as control panels, extensions and desk accessories should not be modified or deleted. If something is incorrectly set, please contact the computer person in your division.
Software is not to be copied from or to any school computer. Most software is copyrighted and unauthorized duplication is illegal. If a certain application is needed to accomplish a task, please discuss the problem with the computer person in your division who will try to find a legal solution.
Be considerate of the needs of other students and teachers who are waiting to use the equipment. If not using the computer for school work, please give it up to someone who does have work to do.
Never bring food or drink into any of the computer rooms.
Only games provided by the school may be used on our systems (before school, during school, or after school). If unsure of which software is available for use, check with the computer person in your division. Do not use "ignorance" as an excuse for the misuse of hardware or software. Please ask for help when needed.
Remember computer use at Blake is growing and changing rapidly. As rules and policies are updated, computer users will be notified and expected to comply. The Information Service (IS) staff will have the final say on any issues concerning use of resources.
When using Personal Laptops:
Keeping the network secure from viruses, spyware, and malware, means that certain requirements must be met before personal laptops can be connected to the network. Personal laptops will need to be authorized by IS staff to connect to the full access wireless academic network. Authorization will be granted only after IS has verified there is a valid updated antivirus application installed and the wireless cards have been registered. Window laptops must also have the latest Microsoft security updates installed. All personal laptops are able connect to the new limited access network called BlakeGuest but will only have access to the Internet. Use of Blake's proxy server are required on both the full and limited access network. Note: Although this is a personal laptop, the connection is on the school network and all resources are being shared. Do not intentionally waste limited resources such as bandwidth and file storage space..
When using E-mail:
Use appropriate language in personal email and conference areas. Profanity, put-downs, and harassment are unacceptable. Remember, the school has email for learning purposes, and is to be used as a privilege. Do not send letters that may clog the system, such as chain letters or pictures/web page links loaded from Internet. The entire school uses the e-mail system. Use only language that would be appropriate for all ages. Use only your own account and do not share passwords with others. If someone has left his/her account "logged-in," please log that person out.
When using the Internet:
Show the same respect and consideration that is expected on the Blake network. Remember that the Internet provides access to a vast amount of information and material. Some of it is appropriate for school use, and some is not. Inappropriate material should not be viewed or downloaded. Recognize that the Internet is a shared resource and do not intentionally waste bandwidth.
Respect copyright laws. Do not use the Internet to download or exchange pirated software. If the distinction between freeware, shareware, public domain, and copyrighted commercial software is unclear; check with the IS department in your division. Properly credit information obtained on-line by following the same footnoting rules and procedures used with printed material.
As the school's use evolves, rules concerning proper use may require ongoing clarification. If unsure of any rules or policies, check with the computer person in your division.
Violation of the rules and policies will result in disciplinary actions.
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