New Student Email Accounts and Chromebooks

Today, students were excited (to put it mildly) to receive their own Avon Public Schools email addresses.  We set them up as a class, and students sent test emails to me and to their classmates.  These email addresses also enable Google Drive, which will allow for students to collaborate in and out of school on assignments, in addition to making some of our online homework assignments more secure. Students definitely haven’t learned everything, however.  Over the next few weeks (months, really), we will learn more about how to use email, Google Drive, Chromebooks, and much more!

Students have their log in information written on post-it notes in their planners.  (Plus, if your child has difficulty logging in, I have copies of their usernames and passwords and can help out over the weekend.

We spent a significant amount of time discussing proper email behavior.  While we talked a lot about the SERIOUS, MAJOR topics, such as cyber bullying, internet safety, and the permanency of online communications, we also discussed email etiquette.  We spoke about how to appropriately use the subject line, choosing how to include recipients, and more.  As kids continue to use their new accounts, I will certainly continue to take advantage of teachable moments to extend these skills.  Remember, using email isn’t just a technical know-how skill.  It also includes new social norms, pragmatics, and problem-solving skills.

Here are a few things you might want to know about the email accounts and how I am managing them:

• As discussed in the Responsible Usage Agreement that students and parents signed in the fall, email accounts are being distributed to students in Avon Schools starting in gr. 4.
• Students can only send email to and receive email from other avon.k12.ct.us email accounts.  (So you cannot email your fourth grader, nor can they email you.  This is for privacy and safety reasons.)
• All emails (and other electronic communications within the Google system) are archived pursuant to federal law.
• I do have usernames and passwords for all student email accounts.  (I told students this in advance of them choosing their passwords since I know some students may have preferred passwords that they use for many things but might not want to share with me.)
• I told students that they MUST share their username and password with their parents.  (If they don’t, email me and I’ll share it.)  No secrets here!
• When composing new messages within a web browser, it’s easy to send an email to another APS individual with the same first or last name that the user has started to type.  It’s important to carefully select the RIGHT recipients.
• I take any sort of online teasing (up to and including cyber-bullying) very seriously.  Kids, don’t test me on this.
• Kids may not set up their APS email accounts on any home device (such as an iPad) without parental permission.  (Although some kids have their own devices, some parents may prefer that online communication stays on a family computer so they can supervise.  That’s why I made this rule.)  If parents are ok with this, then be my guest!
• Some teachers have prohibited non-school-related emails between students.  I haven’t, because I think that social emailing is a good way to learn the “ins and outs” of email use and etiquette.  We discussed how quickly social emails can become “spam” and an irritation to others.  Students have been told that it’s up to their PARENTS to decide whether they can socially email classmates outside of school.  Friendly emails are fine with me, but excessive social emailing can become an issue.  Again, this is not something that kids have an innate understanding of, so we will need to teach these skills on an ongoing basis.  (That’s why I don’t ban social emailing – so we can TEACH it, not just prohibit it.)
• Students are welcome to email me when they have questions or concerns.  In the past, I’ve always CC’ed parents when I reply to students.  But since you will have their usernames and passwords, I may not continue to do so.  I explained to kids that there is one of me and 22 of them, so if I get inundated with emails, I will reply to urgent emails more quickly than to social emails.

Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss