Overview

Om Al-Qura School recognizes the rights of students, staff, and employees who want to participate in online social networking. Our guidelines are designed to create an atmosphere of good will, honesty, and individual accountability. Om Al-Qura Social network is a private network for the school community and approval is required upon registration. Om Al-Qura students, parents, and staff should always keep in mind that information produced, shared, and retrieved by them is a reflection on the school community and is subject to the School’s code, http://omalquraschool.ca/school-code/. When accessing, creating, or contributing to any blogs or other social media for classroom, we expect you to keep these guidelines in mind. Failure to meet or follow these guidelines may result in disciplinary action.

Staff: Social Network Guidelines

Personal Responsibility

Om Al-Qura School employees are personally responsible for the content they publish online. Be mindful that what you publish will be read and used by students. Validation of the source of information is required before posting it.
Your online behavior should reflect the same standards of honesty, respect, and consideration that you use face-to-face.
Remember that blogs are an extension of your classroom. What is inappropriate in your classroom should be deemed inappropriate online.
When contributing online do not post confidential student information.

Disclaimers

Om Al-Qura School employees must include disclaimers within their personal blogs that the views they post are their own and do not reflect on their employer. For example, “The postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent Om Al-Qura School positions, strategies, opinions, or policies.”
This standard disclaimer does not by itself exempt employees from a special responsibility when blogging.
Classroom blogs do not require a disclaimer, but teachers are encouraged to moderate content contributed by students.

Copyright

Respect copyright. A hyperlink to outside sources is recommended. Be sure not to plagiarize and give credit where it is due. When using a hyperlink, be sure that the content is appropriate and adheres to the School guidelines.

Profiles and Identity

Remember your association and responsibility with the School code in online social environments. How you represent yourself online should be comparable to how you represent yourself in person.
When uploading digital pictures or avatars that represent yourself make sure you select a school appropriate image

Students: Social Network Guidelines

In accordance with The School Code, we expect Om Al-Qura students to set and maintain high ethical standards in their use of social networking. If a student, parent or staff sees anything of concern on a fellow student’s social networking page or account, they should immediately contact the school administration or the class teacher.

In the online environment, students must follow Om Al-Qura School Code of Conduct and conduct themselves online as in School. It is acceptable to disagree with someone else’s opinions, however, do it in a respectful way. Make sure that criticism is constructive and not hurtful. What is inappropriate in the classroom is inappropriate online.
Think before you post. The school asks students to use discretion when posting to the network. What you present on social networking forums represents you forever.
Users should keep their passwords secure and never share passwords with others except your parents and teacher. If someone tampers with your blog, email, or social networking account without you knowing about it, you could be held accountable.
Linking to other websites to support your thoughts and ideas is recommended. However, be sure to read the entire article prior to linking to ensure that all information is appropriate for a school setting.
Do your own work! Do not use other people’s intellectual property without their permission. It is a violation of copyright law to copy and paste other’s thoughts. When paraphrasing another’s idea(s) be sure to cite your source with the URL. It is good practice to hyperlink to your sources.
Be aware that pictures may also be protected under copyright laws. Verify you have permission to use the image
Blog posts should be well written. Follow writing conventions including proper grammar. If you edit someone else’s work be sure it is in the spirit of improving the writing.
If you run across inappropriate material that makes you feel uncomfortable, or is not respectful, tell your teacher right away.
Students who do not abide by these terms and conditions may lose their opportunity to take part in the project and/or access to future use of online tools.

Parents: Social Network Guidelines

Classroom blogs and other social media are powerful tools that open up communication between students, parents, and teachers. This kind of communication and collaboration can have a huge impact on learning. Om Al-Qura School encourages parents to view and participate by adding comments to classroom projects when appropriate.

Parents are required to adhere to the following guidelines:

Parents should expect communication from teachers prior to their child’s involvement in any project using Om Al-Qura social network.
Parents will need to sign a release form for students when teachers set up social media activities for classroom use.
Parents are highly encouraged to read and/or participate in social media projects.
Parents should not distribute any information that might be deemed personal about other students participating in Om AL-Qura school social network.
Parents should not upload or include any information that does not meet the student guidelines and school social network guidelines.
The information parents post is representative of your views and opinions and not necessarily the views and opinions of Om Al-Qura School.

Resources: socialmediaguidelines.pbworks.com