DODDS-Europe

Teacher ePortal Publishing Requirements All content published by teachers on the DODDS-E Teacher ePortal platform must follow DODEA PII publishing regulations and guidelines. Each teacher must successfully complete DODEA PII Annual Training as well as local training with their school ET on the teacher ePortal publishing requirements. Before teachers are given a Teacher ePortal account they will sign an agreement indicating they have read and will adhere to the teacher ePortal publishing requirements. All sites will be referred to as ePortal sites Background On June 9th 2011 a group of DODDS-Europe stakeholders including the area ET, two district ETs, multiple school ETs and an information specialists assembled to create draft requirements for the implementation of teacher developed websites that would be purchased and centrally managed by the DODDS-Europe Area and District ET Cadre. The workgroup established that any teacher website created as part of the implementation will conform to guidelines established by the task group, ensuring that PII regulations are adhered to. Because a single web-publishing service will be utilized, training and support for teacher webpages will be provide by the school ET. The Web hosting service platform will be funded by DoDDS-Europe. This system will be called the ePortal and will give parents an easy way to access and use a consolidated interface to access all teacher websites across Europe. The system purchased on September 22, 2011 is supported by DODDS-Europe and allows for centralized management, maintenance and compliance with the DODDS-E teacher ePortal publishing requirements. This centralized management feature provides immediate control of each teacher ePortal account. Introduction A classroom website is intended to communicate class and school-related information to parents, students and teachers. While the website should be attractive and interesting, its main purpose is to enhance student learning. Teacher ePortal sites must be easy to navigate and contain up-to-date information.

These requirements are the guidelines for developers of web-based content for sites hosted within the DODDS-E teacher ePortal publishing platform. Guidelines are required in the construction of school web pages to ensure that information on the pages is appropriate. DODDS-E Educators have the opportunity on a voluntary basis to create web sites within the teacher ePortal publishing platform. These web sites must reflect the professional image of DODDS-Europe, its employees and students. The purpose of the classroom ePortal website is to: Educate: Content provided in the web site should be usable by students, teachers and parents to support the curriculum. It will introduce visitors to your class and programs. Inform: Content may inform stakeholders about the school, teachers, students, or departments, including information about curriculum, events, class projects and student activities. The site will link to valuable academic resources. Communicate: Content will provide an avenue to communicate and share successes with parents and students.

Responsibilities Teachers posting to the DODDS-Europe Teacher ePortal publishing platform are responsible for meeting the requirements in this document. These guidelines cover management of content and technical standards of teacher web pages. Teachers must ensure that all links are functional, up-to-date and linked correctly to their school/site pages. The teacher is responsible for the content of their web site. Do not share your username and password with students or parents. It is the responsibility of the school staff member to obtain the training necessary for creating, troubleshooting and maintaining web pages. Training is available from the school educational technologist. School ETs will provide general oversight and guidance of the teacher ePortal publishing platform. If a school ET has a question they will refer to their district ET. The service-desk should not be utilized for ePortal issues.

Purpose A well-designed teacher ePortal site can serve a variety of purposes to benefit parents, students and teachers. These purposes include:

Providing a general description of the classroom or course. Providing a general outline and timeline of the units covered. Providing specific information about individual units or projects.

Providing links to online academic resources. Displaying exemplars of student work. Sharing of classroom events and activities.

Questions for ePortal development What factors should be taken into consideration before beginning: o How will your ePortal website enhance student learning? o What information (and benefits) will your ePortal provide to students and parents? o Is there a clear understanding of the goals of your ePortal? o Does your ePortal convey positive aspects about the class. o Does your ePortal contain a contact form for parent and student feedback? o How will you link back to your schools ePortal page?

What will your ePortal convey? How often will you update the ePortal? If updates will be infrequent, do not include time-sensitive items like assignments and calendars. Is there a plan for simple navigation? Can users find what they need? How will you link each page of the ePortal back to the index (home) page or make it easy to navigate to your home page?

Suggestions for what an ePortal site could contain Classroom information News and events Syllabus Upcoming classroom events Schedules Newsletters Calendars Parent notification Academic expectations Classroom forms Conduct code Class assignments Homework Assignments Project/Activity Guides Attachments (Handouts) Grading policy Archive of documents, files, etc. Student work Links Student projects Online resources for students Student art work Resources for parents Digital media including photographs, Resources for students (Student

video, audio recordings, etc

email, school and/or district adopted websites, etc) Lesson ideas for other teachers Academic resources Curriculum links Your schools ePortal site

ePortal Content Guidelines

These requirements will apply to all web pages on the DODDS-Europe ePortal publishing platform, whether created by schools, departments, district staff, students or other persons. First Page of the Site The first page of the teacher ePortal site must: Include the teacher or class name. Provide a contact form to contact the person responsible for the site (this form should be linked to your @eu.dodea.edu staff email only). Contain a link to the schools ePortal site. Every page beyond the front page of your ePortal must be password protected with the schools password contact your ET for your school password. Include the following disclaimer: o Thank you for visiting my DODDS-E Teacher ePortal. Please note that any information contained on this site is solely my opinion and does not reflect an official stance of the US Government. DODDS-Europe maintains ePortal publishing guidelines but bears no responsibility for the content beyond this point. Entering the ePortal constitutes acknowledgement that you have read and understand this statement.

Keep Your Web Site Current Pages should be checked regularly to ensure that links are working and meet ePortal publishing requirements. Check to make sure all internal and external links work properly. Remove expired date-related items. Maintain your files, remove unneeded files Test all pages thoroughly.

Grammar and Spelling

All pages should be grammatically correct.

All words should be spelled correctly. When acronyms are used, the meaning must be spelled out the first time it is used. o Do not assume the reader knows any acronyms (AR, ESE, etc.).

Copyrights All web site authors must follow all applicable and existing copyright laws and intellectual property rights laws pertaining to the use of text, images, and sounds. Websites must include a statement of copyright when appropriate and indicate that permission has been secured when including copyrighted materials. Never use text or graphics from another author's Internet pages unless the author explicitly states it may be freely copied or if appropriate arrangements are made with the author. When copying or paraphrasing information from an Internet page, always make an attribution to the page and author. If it is critical that a reader sees precise information available on a specific page, consider making a link to the page.

Use of Student Names, Pictures, Original Work, and Email Addresses Great care should be exercised in the use of photographs and displaying original work of students on ePortal sites. Each teacher ePortal will use the following guidelines for publications that require personal consent and/or permissions: o The DoDEA Form 700 publicity release form is signed during the registration process. Teachers should ensure that all students in their class have a signed publicity release on file before posting any student work. o Photo captions shall not identify students full name or any other personally identifiable information. o Individual students may create a portfolio on school ePortal sites, but only with a supervising teachers approval and direct supervision. o Student submissions on teacher websites or project pages (videos, blogs, rss, podcasts, and/or discussion boards online, etc.) must be moderated. o The teacher is responsible for maintaining the content: no foul language, offensive content, or derogatory comments concerning race, creed, political affiliation or ethnicity. o Personally identifiable or confidential information shall not be published on an ePortal website. o No student attendance, grades or discipline may be posted on an ePortal site.

Linking to other sites All pages and links, including non-DODEA links, shall be curriculum related, instructional or school-oriented and appropriate to educational purposes. Inappropriate link examples may include, but are not limited to references and/or links to commercial, political, social, religious or philosophical sites. No links to student or staff social networking sites is permissible. No links to personal web sites outside of the ePortal is allowed. Pages should be checked regularly to ensure that all tabs and links connect to active content. Websites cannot be used for any commercial purposes. A website cannot be used to promote financial gain, including advertisement of any services or materials for sale.

Participation in the DODDS-E Teacher ePortal site project is strictly voluntary. However, no individual is permitted to the DODDS-E ePortal Publishing Platform until they have signed this statement indicating agreement to abide by the DODDS-E ePortal Publishing Requirements. Name: _____________________________________

Date: __________________________