netTrekker d.i. has developed a sophisticated system to weed out these dead websites
from its database. This process involves both automation and human review. Although it is
impossible to guarantee perfection, netTrekker d.i. places a very high priority on delivering
quality results, every time.
Occasionally, a user finds a site that has gone dead so recently
that our process hasn't caught it. If that happens, users can
report the site using the "Report a Problem" link found
on each evaluation.
Please read this policy on privacy and security in its entirety to understand how we will
collect, use, and disseminate information on our users.
If you have questions about this policy, we invite you to email
us at privacy@nettrekker.com
or call Customer Service at 1-877-517-1125.
- Special notice to parents.
Children of any age are welcome to create an account in
netTrekker if their school is an active subscriber. We are
especially sensitive to privacy concerns because of the young
age of many of our users. Therefore, we do not collect any
personally identifiable information on any of our users.
As a result, parents can be assured that netTrekker is in
full compliance with federal regulations regarding online
privacy, most notably the Children's Online Privacy Protection
Act or COPPA (for more information, see www.ftc.gov/ogc/coppa1.htm).
Parents who are interested in more information about their
child's account may email us at privacy@nettrekker.com
or call Customer Service at 1-877-517-1125.
- What information this site gathers about you.
User Account
Information When you create an account in netTrekker
you must create your own unique username and password to
access netTrekker in future visits.
When creating your account you also provide a password hint,
identify the state in which your school is located, identify
your school, and designate if you are a student, teacher,
or parent. As stated above, we do not collect any personally
identifiable information on our users. When creating your
username, we recommend not using your name or any portion
of it. We also recommend that you carefully protect your
password. If unauthorized individuals gain access to your
password, they may get access to information you have saved,
and they could potentially misuse it or change it without
your knowledge. netTrekker is not responsible for any change
or loss of information that occurs under these circumstances.
If at any time you think your password has become known to
others, we suggest you change it immediately by logging into
netTrekker, clicking on your username at the top of the page,
and creating a new password.
Usage Information
netTrekker's database
tracks information about activity on our site, such as pages
viewed and searches made. This activity is collected at both
an individual user and aggregate level. However, since we
do not collect any personally identifiable information on
our users, the individual usage is anonymous.
- How netTrekker uses this information.
Usage Information netTrekker uses individual and aggregate usage
information to enhance our site and services to best meet the
needs of our user community. We will analyze this information
and consider it when we are designing new or improved features
for netTrekker.
Cookies
In simple terms, a cookie is a
small piece of information that websites use to remember
information about users. There are two types of cookies:
session cookies and persistent cookies. netTrekker uses session
cookies during your netTrekker session to track its duration
and to allow the site to function more effectively. Because
of the session cookies, we can automatically close your session
if no activity has taken place within a certain period of
time. This is a security mechanism for you if your personal
computer is in a location that is accessible to other people,
such as a school classroom or computer lab.
netTrekker may use persistent cookies in certain instances, depending
on the access method used by institutional subscribers. In these instances
the cookies assist our subscribers and us with more accurately tracking
usage data by school building. These cookies do not gather information about
our individual users, nor can we access, collect, or change any information
on those computers through the use of our cookies.
- With whom do we share the information we gather?
Usage Information
We do not provide any
individual usage information to any unaffiliated outside
parties. From time to time we may share our aggregated
information with our user community, our subscriber schools,
our contracted business partners, and unaffiliated outside
parties. This information is valuable for planning and
assessing services that are of benefit to our users.
Subscriber Schools' Access to Information
netTrekker's features are only available to users at subscribing
schools or similar institutions. Authorized personnel at
these institutions may have access to individual usernames
and their netTrekker usage. Access to this information is
necessary for the sake of understanding how and the extent
to which netTrekker has been used within the institution.
- The security procedures in place to protect your
information.
netTrekker uses state-of-the-art security
technology to protect against access, loss, misuse, or alteration
of user information. We have deployed the latest in server,
database, backup, and firewall technologies to protect all
netTrekker information. All data resides in a tightly controlled
and secure data center. This means that information about our
users and their use of netTrekker is not accessible to unauthorized
parties.
- Special conditions related to registration for free
trials.
The netTrekker Free Trial is a temporary service
provided to educators for the purpose of evaluating netTrekker
for a possible purchase. In exchange for this service, we may
ask you to provide information that identifies who you are,
the institution you are employed by, and how to contact you.
Only adults are allowed to register for the Free Trial. Registrants
for this service agree that they are providing their personally
identifiable information so that netTrekker can contact them
about a possible purchase; and that a cookie will be placed
on their computer to assist with identifying them. A separate
privacy policy is provided in the Free Trial registration process
that describes the conditions that are unique to the Free Trial
service.
- Special conditions related to registration for individual
netTrekker subscriptions.
netTrekker subscriptions
are available for sale to individual purchasers. The sale of
these individual subscriptions may be managed by an authorized
netTrekker business partner. It is necessary for each purchaser
to provide personally identifiable information to complete
a sales transaction. The collection and use of information
captured in the online registration and payment process is
described in a separate privacy policy that is available at
the point of purchase.
If you have questions about our privacy policy, please contact
us at privacy@netTrekker.com
or call Customer Service at 1-877-517-1125.
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
COPPA stands for the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
of 1998. The Federal Trade Commission composed the final rule
for enforcing COPPA which became effective on April 21, 2000.
The purpose of the rule is to require all websites that collect,
use, and/or disclose personal information from children under
the age of 13 to obtain "verifiable parental consent" prior to
collecting that information. "This final step achieves one of
the Commission's top goals - protecting children's privacy online,"
said FTC Chairman Robert Pitofsky. "The rule meets the mandates
of the statute. It puts parents in control over the information
collected from their children online, and is flexible enough
to accommodate the many business practices and technological
changes occurring on the Internet."
For a complete copy of COPPA, see
http://www.ftc.gov/ogc/coppa1.htm.
Internet Safety
netTrekker has made every effort to ensure that it does not contain
viruses. However, there is still the possibility that a downloadable
file could become infected with a virus without our knowing it.
For this reason, we recommend that you set up security instructions
within your browser,
always use an anti-virus program, and check your school or educational
entity's specific Internet policies.
netTrekker has also made every effort to ensure that the websites within our search
engine are appropriate for students K-12. We indicate grade appropriateness for
sites to make it easier for users to select the best sites for their age, skill
levels, and needs.
Contacting netTrekker d.i.
Send netTrekker d.i. your comments, opinions, and overall suggestions
for improving netTrekker d.i. To email us, click on the contact
us link at the bottom of the screen.
Please leave your information so netTrekker d.i. can follow up on any questions and
suggestions.
Example of the Contact Form:
If you would like to speak to a netTrekker d.i. representative, please call Customer Support
toll-free at 1-877-517-1125.
Why netTrekker Asks For Your Username and Password
netTrekker is a subscription product available through Pennsylvania Department of Education
(PDE). It is not available free to the general public. Accessing netTrekker through a
username and password allows users access to personalized tools such as preferences, saved
searches, and search history.
IP Access:
Many schools provide IP access for all users on computers in the school. However, users who
have IP access cannot use all features of netTrekker without a username and password. They
also cannot access netTrekker from their home computers or computers anywhere other than at
school.
If you normally access netTrekker through IP access and you would like to use the
personalized tools such as preferences, saved searches, and search history, or if you
would like to access netTrekker from a computer that is not at your school, you may register
and create a username and password.
How do I get my PDE login information?
You can login to the netTrekker website with a username and
password associated to your Pennsylvania Department of Education
(PDE) Intermediate Unit (IU). This is a full featured but
shared login. Refer to Register
a login with netTrekker d.i. on PDE Training Resource
Page. For further information contact your IU.
What is the maximum character length
for a username or password?
The maximum length of a username and password is 20 characters. Username
and password are case sensitive and may not contain special characters.
What if I don't remember my password?
You can request your password to be reset by clicking on Forgot your
Password located in the upper right corner of netTrekker login screen.
http://school.nettrekker.com/userinfo/forgot.epl.
You may then change your reset password in your personal profile. To access
your profile, and make changes to it, click on Profile in the My Tools
box at the right of any page. Create a new password in the Password field.
Repeat your new password in the Confirm Password field for verification.
Instructions on how to Edit Your Profile can be found in netTrekker Help:
http://school.nettrekker.com/help/all/NT_basics/profile.epl
How do I change my password?
You can change your password in your personal profile. To access your
profile, and make changes to it, click on Profile in the My Tools
box at the right of any page. Create a new password in the Password field.
Repeat your new password in the Confirm Password field for verification.
Instructions on how to Edit Your Profile can be found in netTrekker Help:
http://school.nettrekker.com/help/all/NT_basics/profile.epl.
Why does netTrekker include Wikipedia
sites?
Wikipedia is an encyclopedia written by its users in over 200 languages
worldwide. Contributors collaboratively add and edit Wikipedia content
for free and open use by the global community. netTrekker values Wikipedia
sites for their breadth of coverage, ad-free content, multiple language
inclusion, and readability. Librarians' Internet Index (LII) lists
Wikipedia as an encyclopedia resource. American Library Association (ALA)
lists Wikipedia as one of the Best Free Reference Websites of 2005. We
do not advise Wikipedia use as a single source authority, as we do not
advise that for any resource. Instead, we believe that with today's strong
emphasis on information literacy, teachers and librarians can equip students
for the task of using multiple sources to verify information.
While we see significant value in Wikipedia resources, netTrekker is
sensitive to the real and perceived vulnerability of Wikipedia resources and
the reluctance of some educators to allow their use. If you would prefer not
to have Wikipedia sites appear in your search result, we provide two options
for excluding them.
How do I remove Wikipedia sites from my
search results?
Wikipedia is an encyclopedia written by its users in over 200 languages
worldwide. Contributors collaboratively add and edit Wikipedia content for
free and open use by the global community. We give two options for users
who choose to remove Wikipedia sites from their search results.
- You can remove Wikipedia content from your individual
search result by using the Refine
Search feature. Click on Refine Search at the
top of any page (to the left of the Features toolbox) and
select the option to "Filter out Wikipedia websites."
- A netTrekker Administrator can filter Wikipedia content
in Admin Tools for all searches done by anyone within the
school population. Only people who have been designated
as netTrekker Administrators can use this process. To access
Admin Tools, log in with your Administrative username and
click on Admin Tools in the My Tools box at the right of
any page. Click
under netTrekker Settings, select "Filter out Wikipedia sites,"
and click the Save Changes button. Keep in mind
that filtering out Wikipedia sites through Admin Tools
removes them from all search results for all
users.
How can I make sure netTrekker sites aren't
blocked by my filter?
If your filter is blocking netTrekker sites, you can make changes that will
solve the problem. The sites are being blocked based on "established rules"
in your content filter. Update your filter to "white list" any site with
a referrer from the nettrekker.com domain to allow the next link to pass.
The specific URLs are
www.nettrekker.com,
http://standards.nettrekker.com,
http://elementary.nettrekker.com,
http://middle.nettrekker.com and
http://school.nettrekker.com.
If you would like to speak with a netTrekker representative, please call Customer
Support toll-free at 1-877-517-1125.
