January+2009

=January 2009= = Activity Four: Digital Etiquette =

**Part I: In Advisory--Introduction**

 * Digital Etiquette** can be defined as the standards of conduct expected by other digital technology users. Although proper etiquette can/should be applied to all forms of technology, it is especially important when using email and cell phones. To better understand this concept, watch the following clip:

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 * Advisory Discussion Questions:**
 * 1) What rules of etiquette do you follow in "real world" interactions (e.g. face-to-face communication)?
 * 2) Consider your digital interactions (e.g cell phone, IM, email). Do you interact/behave differently online?
 * 3) What rules of etiquette/standards of conduct should we follow when using digital communication tools?

**Part II: At Home--Interaction**
__**Email Etiquette**__ Email is an incredibly popular communication tool for students and adults. According to [|Ask.com], "Statistics, extrapolations and counting by Radicati Group from August 2008 estimate the number of emails sent per day (in 2008) to be around 210 billion" This equates to more than 2 million emails being sent **every second.**

Many of the emails we receive each day are spam, others are simply unnecessary, and many do not follow[| the basic rules of email etiquette]. Mass distribution, informal writing (e.g. LOL, KEWL, BFF), missing subject lines, and replying to sender vs. replying to all can leave us overwhelmed and frustrated. Do you use email properly? Watch the following clip:

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The [|first commercial cell phone call] was placed October 13, 1983. In the ensuing 25 years, cell phones have become something of a "necessity" for many of us, including teenagers. Consider these recent statistics from [|CITA]:
 * __Cell Phone Etiquette__**
 * Teens are a huge consumer market segment and spend more than $100 billion annually
 * Today, approximately 79% of all teens (17 million) have a mobile device – a 36% increase since 2005
 * Most teens have a conventional cell phone while about 15% own a smart phone

Like email, cell phones have the potential to be used improperly. The Part 1 starter video, while humorous to most, is not far removed from reality. It seems we use our phones nearly everywhere and at almost any time. Has your ringer ever caused an interruption? Do you carry on conversations at inappropriate times? Watch the following video clip:

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 * Home Discussion Questions:**
 * 1) Do you feel that you practice good etiquette when using email? Your cell phone? Why or why not?
 * 2) Do you feel that your child practices good etiquette when using email? Their cell phone? Why or why not?
 * 3) What are some guidelines for your family regarding proper digital etiquette?

As you saw in the videos, digital etiquette is an important but often-overlooked component of modern life. Unfortunately, we often learn etiquette the hard way; by making mistakes that otherwise could be avoided with a little common sense and some reasonable guidelines.

**Resources**
[|InfoWorld - The 10 Commandments of Cell Phone Etiquette] [|NSF - Ethics and Computing] [|Phoneybusiness.com - Mobile Etiquette]



Looking at the November reports for all Middle Schools, you will notice that there are not many teachers using Discovery Streaming. Please encourage your teachers to use this service to in their lessons. There are many wonderful videos and lesssons that can be infused with current lessons to enhance instruction.
 * **Building** || **All Streams** || **Unitedstreaming Downloads** || **TotalViews** || ** Logins ** ||
 * BAYSIDE MIDDLE SCHOOL || 58 || 1 || 123 || 75 ||
 * BRANDON MIDDLE SCHOOL || 19 || 3 || 54 || 23 ||
 * CENTER FOR EFFECTIVE LEARNING || 23 || 2 || 77 || 37 ||
 * CORPORATE LANDING MIDDLE SCH || 41 || 25 || 111 || 37 ||
 * GREAT NECK MIDDLE SCHOOL || 9 || 0 || 33 || 29 ||
 * INDEPENDENCE MIDDLE SCHOOL || 18 || 3 || 113 || 72 ||
 * KEMPS LANDING MAGNET SCHOOL || 34 || 3 || 98 || 48 ||
 * KEMPSVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL || 62 || 15 || 184 || 63 ||
 * LANDSTOWN MIDDLE SCHOOL || 70 || 3 || 178 || 105 ||
 * LARKSPUR MIDDLE SCHOOL || 57 || 25 || 301 || 127 ||
 * LYNNHAVEN MIDDLE SCHOOL || 23 || 4 || 141 || 75 ||
 * PLAZA MIDDLE SCHOOL || 47 || 3 || 198 || 55 ||
 * PRINCESS ANNE MIDDLE SCHOOL || 66 || 6 || 224 || 148 ||
 * SALEM MIDDLE SCHOOL || 0 || 0 || 12 || 12 ||
 * VIRGINIA BEACH MIDDLE SCHOOL || 12 || 0 || 18 || 5 ||

=AFLAP= All Secondary Schools. April 27 - May 4th. (6 days). Audacity must be installed on the computers used for this test, preferably a lab. Headphones and Microphones, or Headsets are required. Students will be uploading their file to their Sharepoint portal and then uploading it to their teachers portal from there.

Internet Safety Poster Contest
Principals will receive their Memo on Thursday, December 4th. You can start reviewing the rules and regulations now, however please do not hand out any information until you have talked to your principals yet. The official start date of the contest is Thursday, December 4th.

[| 2008 - 2009 Internet Safety Contest Guidelines and Procedures.doc]

[| 2008 - 2009 Internet Safety Contest Rules and Entry Form.doc]





[|www.vste.org]

Annual conference is February 22 - 24, 2009 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.

Cost is $305.00 per person for 3 days. You can apply for partial reimbursement after the conference has ended. (Total amount refunded depends on the number of CRSs that attend the conference.)

=New Laptops= 15.4" Display 2048 MB Memory 120 GB Hardrive DVD +/- RW Optical Drive Arriving soon. = = = = =Copyright & Creative Commons= Karen Richardson - Crossing the Copyright Boundary in the Digital Age



=AFLAP= All Secondary Schools. April 27 - May 4th. (6 days). Audacity must be installed on the computers used for this test, preferably a lab. Headphones and Microphones, or Headsets are required. Studens will be uploading their file to their Sharepoint portal and then uploading it to their teachers portal from there.

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