Please note that these rules apply to:

• 1 Using the Internet at School. Internet access on school computers of any kind is allowed only with permission of and supervision by a staff member. These rules also apply to all other Internet use while at school or on school related activities, for example, access by mobile phone while at school.

Internet access is for school use only. Access to social sites such as Bebo or MySapce is banned. Students may not use any form of concealment software or website to bypass the school’s internet security.

 

• 2 Borrowing School ICT. Howick College normally does not permit school ICT equipment to be used away from school. However, if you do receive such permission, it must not be used by anyone else and it must only be used for the purpose that it was lent to you.

• 3 Mobile Phones. These rules apply to all forms of cell or mobile phones. You are not allowed to have a phone on in class time (even on silent mode or for “txting”) unless the teacher permits this. Cell phones must not be used for inappropriate activities such as:
  • upsetting or harassing students, staff or anyone else, even as a joke;
  • having it in your possession, or near you, during any assessment.

• 4 Care and Use of ICT. Appropriate use of the school’s ICT equipment means:
  • You must not damage or steal any equipment or try to damage the ICT network, including attempting to gain access to restricted portions of the network.
  • Students may not load any software, from any source including the internet, onto any school equipment. Students may not copy software from the school onto any personal equipment unless specifically directed to do so.
  • You and your family may be responsible for the cost of repair or replacement of deliberately damaged equipment.

• 5 Passwords . Students must keep their passwords confidential. They must not be shared with anyone else.

• 6 Permissions. Students need permission from staff before they:
  • connect any storage device (to back up work etc.) to any school ICT;
  • print material on school printers. (Only appropriate material will be permitted);
  • contribute material to HowickNet, the Howick College website or websites used for school related activities (such as Nicenet or Wikispaces). Students must not have any involvement with any unofficial website that falsely claims to represent the school;

• 7 Consideration of Others . Students must be considerate of others by, for example;
  • Sharing equipment with others and not monopolising it;
  • Not wasting resources including paper and bandwidth through unnecessary printing and internet access, uploads or downloads;
  • Not intentionally disrupting the smooth running of any school computer or network;
  • Not getting involved in any use of ICT that may be offensive to others including any form of “messaging”, or the creation or display of inappropriate graphics, audio or video files;
  • Getting permission from anyone you want to photograph, video or record.

• 8 Respect. Privacy, safety and security must be respected when using the Internet and other ICT. You must not get involved in any activity that might put yourself at risk and you must not use ICT to upset harass or harm anyone else or the school itself.
  • You put yourself at risk if you use ICT to: harass; bully; be a nuisance; invade privacy; play games; impersonate or steal an identity; spoof; gamble; be fraudulent; infringe copyright; cheat, or change settings on any ICT equipment without permission. Also, websites must not be used in a manner that could be a risk to the school environment.
  • Students may not load any materials containing references to the school (including images taken at or of the school or images of students in Howick College uniform) to any public website (such as YouTube or Flickr), without permission from their teacher or a senior manager.
  • If you accidentally access inappropriate, dangerous or illegal material you should:
  • (A) not show others
  • (B) close or minimise the window
  • (C) report the incident to a teacher immediately
  • You should use data storage devices such as disks, USB and flash memory devices only as permitted;
  • You must avoid doing anything that may put at risk the security of the school computer network. For example, do not get involved with any malware such as viruses or with any form of electronic theft or vandalism including hacking or unauthorised access.