Student Waterworks Email
Today's 'Idea a Day': Student Waterworks Accounts
Website: http://waterworks.wrdsb.on.ca >>> Students must use this URL to access Waterworks, from school or home
Grades: 3 - 8
Why use Waterworks with students?? Positive practices with social media are not necessarily intuitive for our students; they need our instruction, modelling and guidance. Waterworks email offers us a safe, secure, monitored network in which to practice the Digital Citizenship skills we teach.
The following information is provided in this message:
1) What do I need to know about student email?
2) Where do I find information about student accounts?
3) How do I introduce Waterworks email to students?
4) How would I use student email?
1) What do I need to know about student email?
2) Where do I find information about student accounts?
Before introducing Waterworks email, it is important to begin with Digital Citizenship conversations which reinforce the following points:
When Waterworks for students was first introduced last year, a group of teachers brainstormed some of the ways that they might use Waterworks email in their classes. Here are some of the ideas that were shared:
Website: http://waterworks.wrdsb.on.ca >>> Students must use this URL to access Waterworks, from school or home
Grades: 3 - 8
Why use Waterworks with students?? Positive practices with social media are not necessarily intuitive for our students; they need our instruction, modelling and guidance. Waterworks email offers us a safe, secure, monitored network in which to practice the Digital Citizenship skills we teach.
The following information is provided in this message:
1) What do I need to know about student email?
2) Where do I find information about student accounts?
3) How do I introduce Waterworks email to students?
4) How would I use student email?
1) What do I need to know about student email?
- ALL WRDSB students, JK-12, have email accounts. These have been active since the fall of 2010.
- Students must use the above URL to access their Waterworks email.
- Students may send and receive external email. The format of their email address is: [email protected]
- Dual Platform Schools - A student’s School Connect user name and password are one-and-the-same with their WaterWorks User ID and password. When the password is changed in one account, it is automatically changed in the other.
- All student passwords are reset to their Student ID number at the beginning of each school year.
- There are two options for changing student passwords:
- Students can log in to SchoolConnect to change their password. (Passwords must be a minimum of 4 characters.)
- Students can change their password using the Student Password Manager utility. (http://spm.wrdsb.on.ca)
2) Where do I find information about student accounts?
- A list containing student WaterWorks User ID and Student ID passwords was posted to each school’s WaterWorks conference on September 6, 2011. Please check with your administrator or office manager for this information.
Before introducing Waterworks email, it is important to begin with Digital Citizenship conversations which reinforce the following points:
- We must always demonstrate the 8 character attributes in our online communication, as we would in our f2f communication. e.g. respect, kindness, co-operation, etc.
- Waterworks email is to be used for school purposes, not personal use. (students may be interested to know that this is the same for teachers)
- ** All email is monitored and archived; Instant Messaging text is recorded. ** (also for teachers)
- Passwords should remain private and recorded in a safe place. (teachers too!)
When Waterworks for students was first introduced last year, a group of teachers brainstormed some of the ways that they might use Waterworks email in their classes. Here are some of the ideas that were shared:
- Students could send unfinished work back and forth from school to home to school.
- Teacher could create a mail list and send notices or assignments out to all students in one email.
- Students could email teacher with questions, to ask for clarification, to hand in assignments, etc.
- Waterworks email addresses could be used to sign students up for accounts in other Web 2.0 Apps, such as blogs, wikis, Voicethread, Glogster, etc.
- Students could create a mail list to enable group collaboration for a project or other class initiative.
- Students and/or teachers could use the Instant Messaging (IM) feature to send quick messages. (Remembering that these messages are all recorded, this is a good opportunity to practice Digital Citizenship.)
- Write a letter to an author, scientist, musician, politician or other. What a great way to provide an authentic audience for student writing!
- Brainstorm some ideas with your students!