I just received an email from a high school student who was asking about my stance on filtering the Web in a school. She was taking a Law class in her school and they were researching what educators in the field said about which sites should be accessible and which should be blocked. I have included my response below. You will notice that I have left it anonymous but I thought that it contained some interesting points:
Question: What are your thoughts about students using social networking sites on the new one-on-one laptops
Dear Student;
I am honored that you are interested in my opinion on this topic.
As frustrating as this may sound, my answer is "It all depends."
Providing
one computer for each student is not about technology. It is about
providing students with individual tools that will allow them to take
responsibility for their education. This means that you will have the
ability to access the almost unlimited amount of information available
on the web. It also means that you must act responsibly in what you use
and how you use it.
I am not a fan of blocking online sites. This reduces your access to
the many resources that you may use for your studies. However, if you
have open access to these sites you must use them in a mature and
responsible manner.
It is something like teaching a child about crossing the street.
You can't teach her to look both ways before crossing unless you allow
her to cross it. We can't teach students about how to be safe and sane
on the Web unless we provide them access.
This does not mean that you have free reign of Facebook or Twitter
or YouTube. If you are Facebooking your friends in class when you should
be using it to search for pertinent information, you should be
disciplined for your actions as you would for any misbehavior in class.
These punishments should be identified beforehand so that both the
teachers and students know what to do.
I would strongly suggest that you and your teachers read
From Fear to Facebook.
It is 120-page book by a principal who was hired in Cupertino to
convert their school to a 1-to-1 school. It is a wonderful narrative
that explains how student, parents, teachers and administrators shaped
the rules of the school. It costs $10 for a Kindle and you can get it
immediately. It's twice the price for paperback.
http://tinyurl.com/78sj48o I use it in my technology coordinator class.
I hope that this has been useful. To summarize, I don't believe
in filtering content unless necessary. If it turns out that the students
can't responsibly use some resources like Facebook, it should be
removed. You responsibilities as a student increase as your access to
technology and online resources increase. If you do not act responsibly,
then appropriate disciplinary actions should be taken.
Good luck and keep me posted of your success.
Leigh Zeitz
Associate Professor.
Coordinator of Instructional Technology division
University of Northern Iowa
