Technology at Goldenview

All staff at Goldenview have a reasonably current desktop computer, email, and voice mail.  Specific contact information is provided on each Team or Department Contact page.

Students all have a unique network username and are provided with a school-issued email account.  With their network account, students have access to storage for files on a server so that their work is protected from any other student.  The email account provides a secure way to store files and communicate with other students and staff, as well as move work from school to home.  All message traffic on Gaggle can be reviewed by staff (just as any business account could be) and training students in proper and appropriate use of electronic tools is one of our goals.

While use of these resources is not restricted to just schoolwork, appropriate school behavior is expected when using them at any time of the day or year.  Specific rules are laid out in detail at this link, but the important thing for parents to realize is, what we are doing here mirrors what the expectations are between an employer and employee in the real world.  Employees expect the tools they need, and employers expect a certain standard of behavior when they are being used.  We strongly encourage students to never share their password to either email or the network with anyone other than parents. 

If you have specific questions about how this is administered, please contact Mr. Holleman (Building Technology Coordinator) at holleman_andy@asdk12.org or at 742-8230.

Working at Home

Students are encouraged to use computers and electronic tools at home for homework, but they must pay attention to compatibility

Details

Goldenview runs a Windows Server 2003 network and has somewhere over 300 student computers in 3 labs, the library, and numerous computers around the school.  Each student has a protected home folder and access to a general area where they can collaboratively share work when working in groups. 

Student workstations are Windows XP Professional or Macintosh OS X.  The standard programs in use are the Microsoft Office Suite with various specialized programs as needed.  If students want to work at home there are three major options.  One is the full Microsoft (MS) Office Suite (around $400).  Students and educators can buy a nearly-complete version of Office for about $100 - this would fill all needs of a student at Goldenview.  Look for the "Academic" version at local stores or through mail order.  Third is to make use of OpenOffice, which is a free download at OpenOffice.org .   It is very similar to and compatible with MS Office, and will  meet all the needs of a Goldenview student.  If downloading the fairly large file isn't practical, contact me for a CD.  If a student ever has compatibility problems with files that a teacher cannot solve, I will be glad to help.

If you are using MS Works, or Appleworks, please realize these programs are NOT always compatible with Office.  When saving your work you MUST choose a format compatible with Word 2000 or choose "RTF" (Rich Text Format) in order for the work to be easily used at school.

Student Email is closely monitored at Goldenview.  Students are issued accounts on the Gaggle.net system.  These accounts are leased by Goldenview School, which retains complete control over them.  We want students to think of these accounts just like employees would think of "work" accounts for adults with the following rules:

Gaggle.net accounts are the ONLY email accounts students are to use while in the school building, unless they have received temporary permission from a staff member to use a different one.  Permission is always temporary - one time only.

When engaged in "student business".....communication with other students about assignments or with teachers, students should use their Gaggle accounts.

Students are welcome to use the accounts for other activities such as casual messages between friends and parents, provided they understand that all school rules relating to language and behavior apply.  If it was language or conversation that would be an issue if a staff member overheard it in the hall, it should not be used on Gaggle.

Students and parents need to also be aware that student accounts are MONITORED, FILTERED, and SUBJECT TO REVIEW.  The Gaggle server automatically screens messages for a wide range of words or patterns that suggest content that is inappropriate for school.  Those messages that are flagged are delayed for review by a staff member.  ANY MESSAGE that a student has sent or received might be viewed by building administrators, just like a work account.

The result is that Gaggle provides a safe, polite environment for students to make use of electronic communication within the Goldenview community, and gives students practice in more formal, professional forms of email.  Students who wish to use electronic communication in ways that are not appropriate for school need to do so with their own accounts, away from the school building.

Email messages on Gaggle can be sent or received from almost all other email addresses, but message board, blog, and chat areas can only be viewed by member of the Goldenview community.

Gaggle is fully explained to students when accounts are issued, but if you have further questions, feel free to contact me.

This page is still being constructed.