The title says it all. Maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but an accurate analogy nonetheless. We, being only human, need guidelines...rules and regulations. A basic need in life is order and expectations. On this smaller scale online usage is no exception. In a society where there is no order or hierarchy, one will evolve, as exampled in Golding's Lord of the Flies. People need structure. Didn't I say that before. We have to realize that everyone does not follow the standard rules of society and the standard rules of social decorum. That being said the small communities that evolve in an online environment are no exception. Because you have people that do not follow the standard "rules" there needs to be what we have deemed "acceptable use policies." These AUP's in a way police the virtual communities to help ensure that rules of decorum are followed. We would like to assume that everyone in such communities especially those communities set up for a learning environment where made up of people that are all professionals and use professional judgement. But, we know what happens when we assume. The acceptable use polices make it possible for the entire community to continue along the same paths, working for the same goals.
Common Sense Media purports that successful AUPs should include the following:
- Use of Network
- Internet Safety (privacy, inappropriate content, unwanted contact)
- Filtering and Monitoring
- Copyright and Ownership of Work
- Network Security and Privacy (student data)
- Disciplinary Action
- Digital Citizenship
- Social Media Usage
I think that those areas cover all the bases. In a digital learning community you are creating and protecting an environment where people should feel comfortable and safe to learn, communicate, and grow as a group. That is where the learning takes place. If a level of comfort is taken away then the entire system of a digital learning community of gone.
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