There are no student email accounts at the elementary school that I teach at. Upon research of the topic, I found that the schools that do have student email accounts are for the sole purpose of efficient communication between teachers, students and staff vial email, conferencing, private/public chats regarding school district business only. Any abuse of such would terminate privileges. I have also found that student email accounts are part of the fulfillment of "electronic communication" objectives within technology curriculum standards. I do not necessarily agree with student email accounts at the elementary level. I believe reading and math should be the focus, however, student email accounts at the high school level within a technology course AND on a safe network seem acceptable.
There are no student email accounts currently in any of our schools. Altough I feel this would be a problem to monitor, due to spam, I feel it is a great way to enhance the communication between the students in the upper level grades and the teachers. Much of our society rely on email as a means of communication through the work place and through business. Creating a network within the school system is a great way to teach children to be proficient, with the necessary technology skills to survive in a working environment.
Great comments, in my former life as a school superintendent we created student e-mail accounts and "provided" licenses to use them after completing a necessary internet safety course. This included elementary and secondary students. Surprisingly, in my capacity as a Superintendent, I dealt with more "staff" abuse than student abuse.
I have worked in various schools in my county and the students have not been provided with school email accounts. I have mixed emotions about this but think it would be very beneficial for students and staff. I believe it is criticial for all students to have access to technology and be proficient with email since we rely on it for a majority of our communication. I agree that if student email accounts are provided, the students must complete an internet safety course and any abuse of the priviledge would result in termination. I feel that monitoring the accounts would be crucial to ensure appropriate use of the account.
Our schools don't have student accounts. This is primarily b/c of safety and also economic reasons. I agree with Darrin at how it would be hard to monitor this. Although I can see where this would be very beneficial especially for preparing students for college and communication skills. There is a great need for more communication for teachers and students alike. The way Dr. Mc said how they did it with safety classes and such would be the way to go. I guess you could say they are both pros and cons to having student email accounts. Israel Easter
Currently, there are no student email accounts in my district. I believe that this would be a great thing to have if proper management and protcols were well planned. This is just another great way to incorporate technology and provide another means of communication. I do see the adverse side to having student email accounts, but I feel that if strict policy and proper monitoring were in place it would work. I do know of schools and systems that have this in place for students and it works fine and safely...
There are also no e-mail accounts at the elementary school that I work at. I am not really sure how I feel about students having e-mail accounts. I could argue for it and I could also argue against it. I agree with Zack and believe that with strict policy and proper monitoring in place it could work. As Mary has already stated, we rely on it for the majority of our communication. Therefore, I believe it is really important that students know how to use it. After all our students are the future and they are going to be exposed to it sooner or later. If sooner, than an internet safety course would have to be in place and just like with anything else we do with students consequences would happen if the priviledge was abused.
Currently there are not any email services for our students in the county. I think that students should have the privilege of having email accounts. I know there would be a need to monitor this system. I believe there are much more positives than negatives. Keep in mind I said it was a privilege, one that can easily be taken away. The majority of students are already advanced in technology where emails are almost obsolete to them. With the use of cell phones and social networking they are ahead of most of us educators. Most high school students in today’s schools even know ways around firewalls to check email and to get on other websites. I think we are keeping things from students they already know about and are well versed in. If anything else, being able to communicate with our students electronically would be more of our benefit to make us better teachers than them to be better students. Having the ability to have a system (blackboard) of teaching similar to this class would be idea in many aspects, especially since most colleges are going to be using this type of system in the future.
Our school does not have student email accounts. I work in a school with a very large technology divide among the students and while some students have computers at home and are dependent on their own technology (as much as I am, if not more), some other immigrant students are just learning how to double-click in our high school (that is not an exaggeration). I think school email would be helpful to teach students about email etiquette and also to have another means to communicate with students about their progress, or missed days, at school. Students have figured out how to do IM over Blackboard, so while teachers are spending time policing student internet use and demanding that students be on school-related sites while they are at the computer, their use of Blackboard is not even school-focused much of the time. I think a better lesson would be how to show students that their internet use is ALWALYS traceable, and that clicking “delete” does not really do the trick.
I work at an elementary school, so our students do not have school email accounts. However, at the high school level, I would say email accounts are appropriate. It would be an easy way for teachers and students to stay in contact, especially on block scheduling, where you don't see the students everyday. Also, our school system has an abundance of computers available to students at all times of the day, so even students without home computers could utilize their student accounts. Also, our school system has every teacher and student sign acceptable use agreements for technology, so if anything was sent inappropriately it could be tracked and either teacher or student could receive appropriate action.
We do not have student email accounts at our school, we do, however, have student name and passwords to log onto different computers in different classrooms. This being said, our IT department is able to monitor when they sign off and on and where they go when on the internet. The students know that there are serious consequences for visitng unapproved sites, and they do not hand out thier name or password to anyone. From my knowledge there has never been a problem with this system of technology for our students.
In our division, students do not have accounts at the moment. However in January we are switching servers and will have Gmail. This is going to allow the division to make student accoutns available. We haven't gotten the details yet but it will be an interesting journey. From what I understand it will be all students in the county. I think this is a good move, it will take some teaching and some hard lessons will be learned along the way but that is usually the case when anything new is implemented. Shane Reed
There are none in my system. I don't see too many advantages to the email accounts. They have plenty of access to technology. I would think it could open the door to other problems like cyber-bullying. Jake Leonard
There are no student email accounts in our division, however starting in January they will become available. I do not know the details yet as to how accounts will be given out or how they will be managed, but I think it will be a useful tool for students to communicate with teachers and become knowledgable of email usage while still being monitored. Sam
Our division does! It's brand new this year, and I think its a great idea...in theory. In practice, it's a bit of a headache because the passwords are always screwy and kids can't remember anything. I don't know much about any policies governing the email accounts. I shall look into it.
While I can see some potential benefits to having student emails provided to students, I do not see it as a major disadvantage not having them. If students were provided email address then the benefits would include uniform email addresses and the ability to monitor their use. I still regular receive emails from students without them being provided by the school. Students who do not have internet access at home can still set up an email account on one of numerous websites at school using the school computers. The policy banning the use of the school library computers for email has a very clear and known exception for emailing teachers.
In my school division students do not have their own e-mail accounts. They do, however, have their own login names for the computers so that they can log onto any computer in the school and their websites can be monitored and logged. Although I see great potential in student held e-mails I unfortunately see issues arising. I'm thinking more with the older kids but the potential to have such instantaneous access to each other could cause many behavioral issues to arise. At many schools phones are completely banned because of such distractions. E-mail could be more of a distraction than a positive benefit. I agree that it gives students and teachers a great way to communicate but questions like; will it remain strictly for academic use, who will be repsonsible for monitoring division wide e-mail accounts, and how will the students really use this new privelege? As easy as it is to create a Gmail, Yahoo, or other e-mail services students should have little trouble in creating accounts and e-mailing teachers without implementing a district wide email account for students.
We do not currently have student email accounts in our county. I know it is only a matter of time until all of our students will have school email accounts. I feel this may present problems at first, but will be beneficial for our students. Many of our students do not have access to technology in their homes. I feel the students who only have technology opportunities while at school will benefit the most. I feel more student education will be neccessary prior to implementation. I also see the need for consequences if the accounts are used for inappropriate purposes. Misty Zyvoloski
We do not have student email accounts in our county. I see many pro's and con's with this issue. Many students in our county come from low income families with no computers or internet access. With student email accounts at school, these students would be able to enjoy what the majority of their peers enjoy. Also, I think that teacher to parent/student communication would only improve. On the other hand, I feel that it would be difficult to monitor appropriate internet use. Strict guidelines would have to be enforced. Cyber-bullying is a major concern as well. I heard a comment the other day that went like this, "Before technology/cellphones, a bully had to knock you down before he could spit in your face." Kids today can be bullied at home, school, any time day or night. Maybe student email accounts would only compound the cyber-bullying issue. TOUGH TOPIC!!
The school/county where I teach does not have email accounts for students. I believe that the students(high school) have access to cell phones and texting they are going to use those for most of their needs. I do work with some students who have email accounts from sources such as gmail and it is nice for them to correspond via email if need be. Most schools now have what is called parent portal where parents can obtain a code from the school and check grades, touch base with teachers concerning classroom issues, grades, attendance, etc. I think that email for students is a tough topic since it would require more computerization and monitoring on a school/division part. If we are limited on bandwidth,space, computer availibility it may be even harder to provide email for students without the proper requirements. I think it is a brilliant way to get students ready for college, employment, more responsibility for their actions, and the workforce since that is a major communication tool used in a school environment.
The school I currently work in does not allow student email accounts nor has the school board mentioned any such idea. Already in my school division, staff email correspondence is not encouraged with students or families alike. The reason behind this is that confidentiality of student information and liability are at stake. I personally think this line of reasoning is actually turning back the clocks for teachers rather than being progressive with twenty-first century skills. I can understand the benefits of student email accounts given the correct set of controls, training, and regulation.
When I taught in NC, the students were given email accounts and were taught how to compose, send, & receive emails as well as send emails to multiple recipients. I believe this was a valuable learning experience for these (elementary) students. They were not using the email accounts for personal use, only to learn how to email. It was very regulated and never a security issue.
Montgomery County does have student email accounts. Before using them, the parents must sign a permission form and student's receive training from the TRTs on internet safety. Since email is the primary source of communication for our students today I think it is appropriate for them to use this. It is important to highly monitor student use of email as with any other form of technology. I would only let students email their classmates, me or a parent.
Our school does not allow email accounts. However, students are allowed to check their personal (ex. google, yahoo) accounts as long as the action is monitored by a supervising teacher. I eel students should have a student email account. This would provide a way for students to turn in assignment and parents to communicate with teachers.
This year in Franklin County we introduced student email accounts through Google apps as a way to prepare students especially at the high school for 21st century learning. If students are being asked to submit college applications online we had better be supporting this learning! Also more teachers are asking students to submit assignments online and we are offering more online classes at the high school level than ever before.
I am in favor of students using email. We have the technology to monitor this in ways we could not before. Expectations must be in place that email is not private and will be monitored.
Our county does not allow students to check email on school computers. The exception to this is when they are enrolled in an online class. During those circumstances, they are permitted to check email during school, on the school computers. They may only use the email accounts that are given to them by their instructor (not hotmail, gmail, etc). I don't know if I agree or not with this policy. So many students in our area do not have computers or internet access and to prevent them from communicating by email I think is sad. At the same time, it is not the county's responsibility to provide internet service for students except for school related work.
I am also in favor of using student email accounts. Students need education on Internet Safety and must realize that they have no "inherent" right to privacy within the school division. As a school social worker, I realize that many students would never have access to email any other way unless the school provided it. We can't leave any children behind - even in regards to technology.
There are no student email accounts at the elementary school that I teach at. Upon research of the topic, I found that the schools that do have student email accounts are for the sole purpose of efficient communication between teachers, students and staff vial email, conferencing, private/public chats regarding school district business only. Any abuse of such would terminate privileges. I have also found that student email accounts are part of the fulfillment of "electronic communication" objectives within technology curriculum standards. I do not necessarily agree with student email accounts at the elementary level. I believe reading and math should be the focus, however, student email accounts at the high school level within a technology course AND on a safe network seem acceptable.
ReplyDeleteThere are no student email accounts currently in any of our schools. Altough I feel this would be a problem to monitor, due to spam, I feel it is a great way to enhance the communication between the students in the upper level grades and the teachers. Much of our society rely on email as a means of communication through the work place and through business. Creating a network within the school system is a great way to teach children to be proficient, with the necessary technology skills to survive in a working environment.
ReplyDeleteGreat comments, in my former life as a school superintendent we created student e-mail accounts and "provided" licenses to use them after completing a necessary internet safety course. This included elementary and secondary students. Surprisingly, in my capacity as a Superintendent, I dealt with more "staff" abuse than student abuse.
ReplyDeleteI have worked in various schools in my county and the students have not been provided with school email accounts. I have mixed emotions about this but think it would be very beneficial for students and staff. I believe it is criticial for all students to have access to technology and be proficient with email since we rely on it for a majority of our communication. I agree that if student email accounts are provided, the students must complete an internet safety course and any abuse of the priviledge would result in termination. I feel that monitoring the accounts would be crucial to ensure appropriate use of the account.
ReplyDeleteOur schools don't have student accounts. This is primarily b/c of safety and also economic reasons. I agree with Darrin at how it would be hard to monitor this. Although I can see where this would be very beneficial especially for preparing students for college and communication skills. There is a great need for more communication for teachers and students alike. The way Dr. Mc said how they did it with safety classes and such would be the way to go. I guess you could say they are both pros and cons to having student email accounts.
ReplyDeleteIsrael Easter
Currently, there are no student email accounts in my district. I believe that this would be a great thing to have if proper management and protcols were well planned. This is just another great way to incorporate technology and provide another means of communication. I do see the adverse side to having student email accounts, but I feel that if strict policy and proper monitoring were in place it would work. I do know of schools and systems that have this in place for students and it works fine and safely...
ReplyDeleteThere are also no e-mail accounts at the elementary school that I work at. I am not really sure how I feel about students having e-mail accounts. I could argue for it and I could also argue against it. I agree with Zack and believe that with strict policy and proper monitoring in place it could work. As Mary has already stated, we rely on it for the majority of our communication. Therefore, I believe it is really important that students know how to use it. After all our students are the future and they are going to be exposed to it sooner or later. If sooner, than an internet safety course would have to be in place and just like with anything else we do with students consequences would happen if the priviledge was abused.
ReplyDeleteAmy Woodard
Currently there are not any email services for our students in the county. I think that students should have the privilege of having email accounts. I know there would be a need to monitor this system. I believe there are much more positives than negatives. Keep in mind I said it was a privilege, one that can easily be taken away. The majority of students are already advanced in technology where emails are almost obsolete to them. With the use of cell phones and social networking they are ahead of most of us educators. Most high school students in today’s schools even know ways around firewalls to check email and to get on other websites. I think we are keeping things from students they already know about and are well versed in. If anything else, being able to communicate with our students electronically would be more of our benefit to make us better teachers than them to be better students. Having the ability to have a system (blackboard) of teaching similar to this class would be idea in many aspects, especially since most colleges are going to be using this type of system in the future.
ReplyDeleteOur school does not have student email accounts. I work in a school with a very large technology divide among the students and while some students have computers at home and are dependent on their own technology (as much as I am, if not more), some other immigrant students are just learning how to double-click in our high school (that is not an exaggeration). I think school email would be helpful to teach students about email etiquette and also to have another means to communicate with students about their progress, or missed days, at school. Students have figured out how to do IM over Blackboard, so while teachers are spending time policing student internet use and demanding that students be on school-related sites while they are at the computer, their use of Blackboard is not even school-focused much of the time. I think a better lesson would be how to show students that their internet use is ALWALYS traceable, and that clicking “delete” does not really do the trick.
ReplyDeleteI work at an elementary school, so our students do not have school email accounts. However, at the high school level, I would say email accounts are appropriate. It would be an easy way for teachers and students to stay in contact, especially on block scheduling, where you don't see the students everyday. Also, our school system has an abundance of computers available to students at all times of the day, so even students without home computers could utilize their student accounts. Also, our school system has every teacher and student sign acceptable use agreements for technology, so if anything was sent inappropriately it could be tracked and either teacher or student could receive appropriate action.
ReplyDeleteWe do not have student email accounts at our school, we do, however, have student name and passwords to log onto different computers in different classrooms. This being said, our IT department is able to monitor when they sign off and on and where they go when on the internet. The students know that there are serious consequences for visitng unapproved sites, and they do not hand out thier name or password to anyone. From my knowledge there has never been a problem with this system of technology for our students.
ReplyDeleteIn our division, students do not have accounts at the moment. However in January we are switching servers and will have Gmail. This is going to allow the division to make student accoutns available. We haven't gotten the details yet but it will be an interesting journey. From what I understand it will be all students in the county. I think this is a good move, it will take some teaching and some hard lessons will be learned along the way but that is usually the case when anything new is implemented. Shane Reed
ReplyDeleteThere are none in my system. I don't see too many advantages to the email accounts. They have plenty of access to technology. I would think it could open the door to other problems like cyber-bullying.
ReplyDeleteJake Leonard
There are no student email accounts in our division, however starting in January they will become available. I do not know the details yet as to how accounts will be given out or how they will be managed, but I think it will be a useful tool for students to communicate with teachers and become knowledgable of email usage while still being monitored.
ReplyDeleteSam
Our division does! It's brand new this year, and I think its a great idea...in theory. In practice, it's a bit of a headache because the passwords are always screwy and kids can't remember anything. I don't know much about any policies governing the email accounts. I shall look into it.
ReplyDeleteWhile I can see some potential benefits to having student emails provided to students, I do not see it as a major disadvantage not having them. If students were provided email address then the benefits would include uniform email addresses and the ability to monitor their use. I still regular receive emails from students without them being provided by the school. Students who do not have internet access at home can still set up an email account on one of numerous websites at school using the school computers. The policy banning the use of the school library computers for email has a very clear and known exception for emailing teachers.
ReplyDeleteIn my school division students do not have their own e-mail accounts. They do, however, have their own login names for the computers so that they can log onto any computer in the school and their websites can be monitored and logged. Although I see great potential in student held e-mails I unfortunately see issues arising. I'm thinking more with the older kids but the potential to have such instantaneous access to each other could cause many behavioral issues to arise. At many schools phones are completely banned because of such distractions. E-mail could be more of a distraction than a positive benefit. I agree that it gives students and teachers a great way to communicate but questions like; will it remain strictly for academic use, who will be repsonsible for monitoring division wide e-mail accounts, and how will the students really use this new privelege? As easy as it is to create a Gmail, Yahoo, or other e-mail services students should have little trouble in creating accounts and e-mailing teachers without implementing a district wide email account for students.
ReplyDeleteWe do not currently have student email accounts in our county. I know it is only a matter of time until all of our students will have school email accounts. I feel this may present problems at first, but will be beneficial for our students. Many of our students do not have access to technology in their homes. I feel the students who only have technology opportunities while at school will benefit the most. I feel more student education will be neccessary prior to implementation. I also see the need for consequences if the accounts are used for inappropriate purposes. Misty Zyvoloski
ReplyDeleteWe do not have student email accounts in our county. I see many pro's and con's with this issue. Many students in our county come from low income families with no computers or internet access. With student email accounts at school, these students would be able to enjoy what the majority of their peers enjoy. Also, I think that teacher to parent/student communication would only improve. On the other hand, I feel that it would be difficult to monitor appropriate internet use. Strict guidelines would have to be enforced. Cyber-bullying is a major concern as well. I heard a comment the other day that went like this, "Before technology/cellphones, a bully had to knock you down before he could spit in your face." Kids today can be bullied at home, school, any time day or night. Maybe student email accounts would only compound the cyber-bullying issue. TOUGH TOPIC!!
ReplyDeleteThe school/county where I teach does not have email accounts for students. I believe that the students(high school) have access to cell phones and texting they are going to use those for most of their needs. I do work with some students who have email accounts from sources such as gmail and it is nice for them to correspond via email if need be. Most schools now have what is called parent portal where parents can obtain a code from the school and check grades, touch base with teachers concerning classroom issues, grades, attendance, etc. I think that email for students is a tough topic since it would require more computerization and monitoring on a school/division part. If we are limited on bandwidth,space, computer availibility it may be even harder to provide email for students without the proper requirements. I think it is a brilliant way to get students ready for college, employment, more responsibility for their actions, and the workforce since that is a major communication tool used in a school environment.
ReplyDeleteThe school I currently work in does not allow student email accounts nor has the school board mentioned any such idea. Already in my school division, staff email correspondence is not encouraged with students or families alike. The reason behind this is that confidentiality of student information and liability are at stake. I personally think this line of reasoning is actually turning back the clocks for teachers rather than being progressive with twenty-first century skills. I can understand the benefits of student email accounts given the correct set of controls, training, and regulation.
ReplyDeleteWhen I taught in NC, the students were given email accounts and were taught how to compose, send, & receive emails as well as send emails to multiple recipients. I believe this was a valuable learning experience for these (elementary) students. They were not using the email accounts for personal use, only to learn how to email. It was very regulated and never a security issue.
ReplyDeleteMontgomery County does have student email accounts. Before using them, the parents must sign a permission form and student's receive training from the TRTs on internet safety. Since email is the primary source of communication for our students today I think it is appropriate for them to use this. It is important to highly monitor student use of email as with any other form of technology. I would only let students email their classmates, me or a parent.
ReplyDeleteOur school does not allow email accounts. However, students are allowed to check their personal (ex. google, yahoo) accounts as long as the action is monitored by a supervising teacher. I eel students should have a student email account. This would provide a way for students to turn in assignment and parents to communicate with teachers.
ReplyDeleteThis year in Franklin County we introduced student email accounts through Google apps as a way to prepare students especially at the high school for 21st century learning. If students are being asked to submit college applications online we had better be supporting this learning! Also more teachers are asking students to submit assignments online and we are offering more online classes at the high school level than ever before.
ReplyDeleteI am in favor of students using email. We have the technology to monitor this in ways we could not before. Expectations must be in place that email is not private and will be monitored.
Our county does not allow students to check email on school computers. The exception to this is when they are enrolled in an online class. During those circumstances, they are permitted to check email during school, on the school computers. They may only use the email accounts that are given to them by their instructor (not hotmail, gmail, etc). I don't know if I agree or not with this policy. So many students in our area do not have computers or internet access and to prevent them from communicating by email I think is sad. At the same time, it is not the county's responsibility to provide internet service for students except for school related work.
ReplyDeleteI am also in favor of using student email accounts. Students need education on Internet Safety and must realize that they have no "inherent" right to privacy within the school division. As a school social worker, I realize that many students would never have access to email any other way unless the school provided it. We can't leave any children behind - even in regards to technology.
ReplyDelete