Safe and Ethical Use of Technology By Eric Brents

Online Computer Safety Passwords: Keep your online id and password private. Do not share with friends! Personal Information: Never give out your phone number, address, or school information. Careful what you post: Nothing online is completely private. Online only: Never agree to meet somebody from the Internet. Don’t share photos: Never exchange photos with somebody you don’t know. Bullying: Tell your parents if somebody is being mean or making you uncomfortable online Protect your Computer: Always have an updated virus protection program. Web Surfing: Browse areas of the Internet appropriate for children. Exiting: Remember, you can log off the computer at anytime!

Offline Computer Safety Disconnect your computer from Internet when not in use. Check the capability of your Firewall on your router and computer. Anti-virus software is a must, make sure yours is up to date. Continually update your computer and the software. Keep passwords hard to guess, use a combination of letters and numbers. Use a decent browser like Google Chrome, proven to be one of the most secured. Don’t trust Public Wifi! Never enter personal information over Wifi. Never leave your computer unattended.

Social Networking Don’ts Don’t be fake, be yourself! Don’t share sadness… Don’t be that know-it- all! Don’t go on social media just to avoid other tasks.

Social Networking Dos Be positive and model good behavior. Be selective, you don’t have to respond to every post. Don’t forget to meet with actual people from time to time. Do check your privacy settings. Promote yourself and your accomplishments

Ethical Use of Internet Material - Videos When using online videos, only use enough of the video so it does not replace the real thing. Always cite the source you obtained the video from. State why you are using the video and encourage comment from the viewer. Do not alter or change the clip for personal reasons. Students can use up to 3 minutes, but cannot exceed 10% of the movie.

Ethical Use of Internet Material - Music Students can use up to 30 seconds of a song, but cannot exceed 10%. Music can not be changed in any way. Look to use music from royalty free sources. Obtain permission from the creator before using the song. Consider public domain sources.

Ethical Use of Internet Material – Printed Materials Internet materials are allowed to be used when the creator is using the source to comment of critique a subject. Printed materials can be used in news reporting. Certain materials can be used for educational purposes. When creating a parody of a subject, printed materials can be used. Always cite the source; author, article title, date it was published.

Copyright Guidelines Copyright law gives the owner of the work the rights that prevents other people from copying your work and altering it in a way you may not approve. When using another’s work, be sure to give credit to the author/creator. In some cases, a request to use the work must be submitted in writing. Copyright protects the following: Literary Works Music – including lyrics Dance routines Graphic arts – including sculptures, graphics, and pictorials Motion Pictures Sound recordings

Methods for Checking Plagiarism Plagiarism is the copying of another’s work and claim it as your own. Checking for plagiarism has been made easier through the Internet. There are many websites available for plagiarism checking, here are a few of them. Copyleaks.com Duplichecker.com Paperrater.com Plagiarisma.net Plagiarsimchecker.com

Proper Citation Methods There are a few widely accepted methods of citing sources; APA – American Psychological Association style is preferred for science and social science documents. Contains double-spacing, one inch margins on all four sides, and uses 12 point font (Times New Roman). MLA – Modern Language Association style is used for literature documents. The citation is placed directly after the quoted phrase using parenthesis. AMA – American Medical Association style is used for medical documents. This citation requires numerical citation of each quote being used. A numerical list must be provided.