Internet filtering in the school systems has been a hot topic lately amongst educators and other school personnel. The issue lies in the idea that by filtering material available to protect students we are in turn censoring the material used for educational purposes. It is true that research on the internet, at times, may yield inappropriate and often dangerous results for new web users but it has also been found that with guidance and practice, users can use the internet as a valuable tool for research and knowledge gains.
Filtering software does have its purpose in blocking questionable sites considered unsuitable for our students but it is also found to restrict sites deemed “clean” because of a simple word or phrase. An example of this could be shown in the case of a student researching a particular STD or STI, say HIV or AIDS. The student may not be able to access any information while filtering software is in place because of keywords such as “sex” or “drugs” alerting the filter to deny access to the site.
Personally, I feel that filtering software can be a more of a burden in the classroom than a blessing. With proper guidance and instruction, students can be taught how to conduct research via the internet safely and learn how to evaluate information and sites without the issue of censorship coming into play.
Do you feel that filtering software has its place in our schools? Do you feel that in today’s society, teaching students how to appropriately use the internet is a part of developing functional and contributing citizens?
More information on this topic can be found by clicking the below links:
http://www.tnellen.com/ted/filter.html
http://www.electronic-school.com/0198f1.html
http://www.eschoolnews.org/news/showstory.cfm?ArticleID=2246
http://www.cdt.org/testimony/990304statement.shtml
http://www.esc2.net/intclass/intclass_private/intesafe.htm
Angie D.
Filtering software does have its purpose in blocking questionable sites considered unsuitable for our students but it is also found to restrict sites deemed “clean” because of a simple word or phrase. An example of this could be shown in the case of a student researching a particular STD or STI, say HIV or AIDS. The student may not be able to access any information while filtering software is in place because of keywords such as “sex” or “drugs” alerting the filter to deny access to the site.
Personally, I feel that filtering software can be a more of a burden in the classroom than a blessing. With proper guidance and instruction, students can be taught how to conduct research via the internet safely and learn how to evaluate information and sites without the issue of censorship coming into play.
Do you feel that filtering software has its place in our schools? Do you feel that in today’s society, teaching students how to appropriately use the internet is a part of developing functional and contributing citizens?
More information on this topic can be found by clicking the below links:
http://www.tnellen.com/ted/filter.html
http://www.electronic-school.com/0198f1.html
http://www.eschoolnews.org/news/showstory.cfm?ArticleID=2246
http://www.cdt.org/testimony/990304statement.shtml
http://www.esc2.net/intclass/intclass_private/intesafe.htm
Angie D.
3 comments:
I feel that teaching our students to appropriately evaluate sources is more important than completely shielding them from the possiblity of finding inappropriate infomation. Students will be evaluating sources of information throughout their entire school career. Therefore, teaching this skill earlier will benefit them in the longterm.
Jamie
I agree with you Jamie, students are going to encounter sites or sources deemed inappropriate at some point in their research practices. By teaching them how to deal with sites such as these rather than pretending that they do not exist, we are better able to equip our students with the knowledge needed to learn how to deal with them(inappropriate sites).
Ang wrote the above message, and keeps forgetting to put her name!
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