What is a Google Apps for Education Student Account?

A Google Apps for Education (GAFE) student account allows access to learning tools within a secure online collaboration platform provided and managed by the School District. GAFE offers unlimited online file storage and is to be used for educational purposes along with other Google Apps tools such as Google Classroom, Docs, Sheets and more. These tools are accessible from any device that has access to the internet.

As a public school district we are subject to the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. In accordance with the Act, we must at all times protect the privacy of students. Therefore teachers and students must abide by the acceptable use guidelines outlines below. Student and parent consent is required for a SD22 GAFE account if you are under the age of 13. Although a parent signature is not mandatory for students aged 13 and over, we request a parent signature to confirm that you are aware of your child using GAFE.

Acceptable Use Guidelines

The use of SD22 Google Apps for Education student accounts are bound by the Expectations for Students using School or District Electronic Communications Systems:

Policy No 9.14.0 and No 3.16.0.

As an overview, these documents state that users will conduct themselves in a courteous, ethical and responsible manner while using all district technology resources, which will be extended to include the SD22 Pilot GAFE platform.

Personal account information and any created or uploaded content is hosted by Google beyond Canada therefore there are important limitations to the types of information that can be shared within the SD22 GAFE system.

Students must remember that the purpose of the GAFE tools are for “educational use” and to better meet the needs of learning in a digital age. Therefore any and all steps must be taken to minimize sensitive and personally identifiable information in the SD22 GAFE system.

Staff and students who are using the SD22 GAFE platform need to familiarize themselves with the uses and types of information that are both acceptable and unacceptable.

Acceptable Uses/Types of Information

· Classroom assignments, research notes, presentations, school-based projects

· Multimedia objects created by students (videos, pictures, audio files, animations, etc)

· Quizzes, tests, surveys

· Professional development materials and documents

· Summative assessments (e.g., teacher comments, peer feedback)

· Calendars for assignment dates, project deadlines, events

· Communication with teachers and other students related to educational purposes

Unacceptable Uses/Types of Information

· Avoid unnecessary personally identifiable information

· Any personally identifiable information about others who have not provided consent

· Health information and history (e.g., specialist assessments, psychology reports, IEPs)

Inappropriate or prohibited use of SD22 GAFE will be subject to the terms defined by district policy and regulations.

The use of the Google Apps for Education service is not an educational requirement for students. Students will not be obligated to use these digital tools, and all school activities that rely on the use of these digital tools will have some equivalent means of student participation. At no time will a students be denied participation in a school-sponsored event or activity because they have not been issued a Google Apps for Education account.