Technology & Learning - May 2008 - (Page 36)

School CIO SUMMERTIME ‘To Do’ List continued from page 34 that describe what school district CIOs (and parents) should know about online safety, social networking, and Internet gaming. The PTA site contains links to a number of resources that can help CIOs learn about the ways in which teens interact online. For CIOs interested in taking a hands-on approach to understanding the world of social networking, Facebook is a great place to start. Within minutes, CIOs can create their own Facebook pages and easily explore Facebook’s robust online community. Other online social networking venues that are popular among students include MySpace, Bebo, and hi5. By joining these communities, CIOs can quickly get a flavor for the technology and features without encroaching on students’ personal space or data. number of template policies that can be adapted. Both of these organizations provide useful insights to help CIOs think about what is important for inclusion in an AUP for their districts. When creating an AUP, Adam Petrovsky, a Phoenix-based network integrator, suggests CIOs abide by the Schools and Libraries Division of the FCC. According to Petrovsky, SLD publishes information regarding acceptableuse policies that many schools have implemented. To create his district’s AUP, Jeff Field, IT Manager at the Clayton Board of Education, created a committee of staff members and parents. The formation of an AUP committee is a step CIOs can take during the summer months that can pay huge dividends in the fall. “We came up with an AUP that was relatively easy to understand and broad enough to cover the technologies we use everyday, without being so specific that it wouldn’t cover future innovations,” says Field. www.schoolcio.com “The Code of Practice for Information Security Management.” According to Amol Mathur, managing consultant/lead instructor at Foundstone Professional Services, a division of McAfee, CIOs should evaluate and consider taking defensive measures in the following areas: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Intrusion prevention Vulnerability management Host level security Hard drive encryption (for specific systems) E-mail encryption Helpful Resources Natl Pa rent Teacher Association www.pta.org F acebook www.facebook.com Helpful Resources SANS Institute www.sans.org/resources/policies/ Acceptable_Use_Policy.pdf Myspace www.myspace.com When it comes to data security, many CIOs might not be familiar with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a federal law for protecting the privacy of student records. Since noncompliance could potentially lead to a loss of federal funding, a review of the act might be the best defensive measure a CIO can take this summer. During the summer, CIOs might also consider creating an internal data security team. Hal Logan, information security analyst at Sarasota County Government suggests that CIOs either form an internal security team or outsource security to a security specialist. ■ Marty Weil is a freelance journalist based in Asheville, North Carolina. He can be reached at martyweil@charter.net. Bebo www.bebo.com FCC www.fcc.gov/learnnet ACCEPTABLE-USE POLICIES When it comes to developing or evaluating acceptable-use policies, the NSBA’s Technology Leadership Network is an excellent resource for school district CIOs. Another resource is the SANS Institute, which offers computer security training for system administrators, computer security professionals, and network administrators. SANS has a DATA SECURITY Excellent resources are available to provide CIOs with new insights into data security. As a starting point, CIOs should consider reviewing “The Standard of Good Practice for Information Security” from the Information Security Forum, and from the International Organization for Standardization, Helpful Resources www.isfsecuritystandard.com/ SOGP07/index.htm www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/ catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm? csnumber=50297 www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ ferpa/index.html 36 | A Technology & Learning Publication School CIO May 2008 http://www.schoolcio.com.schoolcio.com http://www.pta.org http://www.facebook.com http://www.sans.org/resources/policies/Acceptable_Use_Policy.pdf http://www.myspace.com http://www.bebo.com http://www.fcc.gov/learnnet http://www.isfsecuritystandard.com/SOGP07/index.htm http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=50297 http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html

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Technology & Learning - May 2008

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