Monday, August 30, 2010
Net Censoring
Each day, schools, organizations, and individuals across the country continue in an ongoing debate about Internet censorship . A number of organizations, including the American Library Association (ALA), oppose the use of Internet filtering software programs. Many schools are blocking their students from viewing popular Web sites like Wikopedia, YouTube, and even the Weather Channel. Some people feel that schools are censoring valuable information and that students would be better off with unlimited access, coupled with strict teacher observation and guidelines. Others, however, are very concerned about the use of the Internet in schools and do not want children using the Internet — even if filtering programs and Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) are in place. Do you think schools should limit or ban Internet usage? How could you use the Internet effectively in your classroom without offending or angering parents? Does your ability to monitor students increase or decrease with the number of computers and various technologies that are available? Why or why not? How are other educators addressing these issues?
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I think the internet is a very useful tool in the classroom and should under no circumstances be banned from the classroom! The internet and technology has become a major part of children’s lives and having it available in the classroom will encourage them to learn.
ReplyDeleteIn my EDN 300 class Dr. Walker made an interesting point about limiting internet use from his travels in Japan. One of the students in the group he took to Japan asked a Japanese school administrator how they keep their children from going to “bad” websites and the administrator said we don’t try block computers so children cant visit websites that aren’t good, we try to put a block on the hear to of the child. That is a perspective that most educators don’t think about and won’t take when it comes to internet use in the class room.
Our job as teachers is to nurture learning and I think if a child wants to check the weather or Google a question about boogers in the classroom I am ok with it and welcome it in my classroom as long as they are learning and are interested in what they are learning.
I’m surprised that parents would want the internet banned from classrooms. I would try to explain to parents of the children in my classroom that technology is such a great resource when resources for public school teachers are scarce!
As much valuable information as the internet offers, I definitely don't think that it should be banned. I know that there are some non-children friendly sites online, but compared to all the good, helpful, educational sites offered, it wouldn't be worth it to just ban internet all together.
ReplyDeleteI think that some sites should be blocked from children yes, but that's my opinion as a future teacher and mother simply because I am a student now and i know from experience that unless a site is blocked, a student can sneak on it. It doesn't matter how the teacher makes rounds, walking around the classroom. There is still time for wandering. As far as little students like I plan to be teaching goes, most of the computer usage is easily monitored. It is either a pre-designed educational program which they log right into, or an internet browser that has all sites blocked except a few.
It depends I guess on the grade level you have in your classroom. Little kids I don't feel like are a threat to browse bad sites because they probably won't know how. A little bit older students may need some more censoring for their curiosity, and college kids should be over it by then. I think the internet is a thing of the future, educational success, and should not be banned from a classroom. Atleast not entirely.
To comment on the post, I agree on your comments to keep the Internet in the classroom,but to have parents consent on the information the students are exposed to in the classroom. To give parents prior preview of which websites you will expose to their children,so they will be informed prior to the students.
ReplyDeleteTo reponse to the question of banning or limiting the Internet in the schools,I believe that the relationship between the school and the parents are vital to the program. Parents should have to consent for their children to have usage,also to build a bridge with the adults the lesson plans should be previewed by parents on which websites will be used during the class period. To ease the tension of this techology in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the internet should be banned in schools. I also don't believe any websites should be blocked. If a student wants to view a certain website they WILL do it whether they are in school or not. I believe teachers should communicate with children about appropriate and inappropriate websites and what is expected of them while browsing the web in the classroom. Obviously, visiting a sexually explicit or violent website would be a serious problem, but I think most kids know better than to view one at school. Even if a child does, a teacher will be in the room to ensure the situation is corrected immediately. However, banning websites such as the weather channel is just ridiculous. Even right now, students could be using that website to track hurricane Earl or to look back at the damage Katrina has caused.
ReplyDeleteI know I fully plan on using the internet in my classroom. I will communicate with my students about what is expected of them while using the computer and will let them know what consequences will follow if they visit a seriously inappropriate website (a phone call to their parents). However, I don't really plan on this being a major issue in my classroom because I will have young children.
I will let parents know that the internet will be used in my classroom and that I will be present in the room at all times while children are on the computers. I will also let parents know that I am open to hearing any concerns they have about internet usage in the classroom.
To comment back to Kyle, I agree with you saying that if a student wants to view a website, they are going to do it regardless of the possible restrictions. Also, I too think that banning the weather channel is such a stupid idea it's almost funny. Why would you stop kids from looking up the weather? It makes no sense.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone so far that the internet should not be banned from the classroom. I understand people's concerns with the students possibly accessing explicit sites, or non task oriented site, but like Kyle said, if a child wants to visit a site, he/she will find a way. I also liked what the Japanese teacher pointed out: that the problem doesnt lie with the internet, but with the use and if we address these issues with children, we can teach them WHY they don't need to visit certain sites, at school or at home. And if the teachers don't want their sudents using Wikipedia or other such website, they should just inform their students that it does not count as a resource and that it is of no use for that particular class.
ReplyDeleteI think that the censoring of the web in classrooms is somewhat out of control. Not being able to access useful websites in the classroom limits tools that you can use to enhance your lessons and make boring topics more exciting. For example, if YouTube is banned that makes using a video in the classroom a lot more challenging. Students cannot access certain things that could actually benefit their learning experience. I understand blocking pages like Facebook and Myspace but beyond that I do not see the point in censoring most websites. If students are monitored while using computers and there are consequences for inappropriate internet usage then censoring should be cut down on. Monitoring a classroom of thirty or more students while they use the internet will not be easy but it is doable if you set standards right from the beginning.
ReplyDeleteI think that net censoring is somewhere in between the middle when it comes to school appropriate and inappropriate. I say this because yes, students can get carried away with the internet and you are going to have those typical students who are familiar with computers that know how to get by some net censoring. I don't think it is necessarily bad to block sites like facebook, myspace, and youtube, mostly because those sites are the sites used by most students.
ReplyDeleteI do feel that the internet is the best source of information, it is needed in the school systems and I believe that without it it's hard to accomplish everything that is necessary. I think that you could aware the parents the curriculum and the amount of time that the kids are on the internet and start from there. The internet is way too much of a useful tool to ban it during school. Our teachers use it, and it should be alright if the students do also.
The internet is an extremely valuable tool for students to utilize. However, I can easily see why this is such a debate. Students will misuse whatever you give them, if given the opportunity. For example, if you don't monitor what students are using the internet for then they may spend all the allotted time that they could have been researching their topic or completing their assignment on myspace or facebook. From experience, I grew up out in the country and my father didn't really feel that internet was necessary to have in our home. So, I dreaded the times that a research project or online assignment was made because that required me to go to the local library and use their computers. If it weren't for having the internet at school I wouldn't have had much experience with it which would have made me much less prepared for college.
ReplyDeleteI digress, the internet should not be completely banned from school becuase it is a huge part of our society and a very valuable research tool, but it should be monitored to an extent. I use both youtube and wikipedia when I research for topics in college so they are not necessarily the sites to monitor. My teachers utilize the internet by showing us youtube clips, making websites for us to find all the information necessary for their class on, blackboard is a very handy website to conduct class assignments and discussions from, etc. I don't really believe in having extreme amounts of technology in the classroom, but I do think the internet is very important.
I think the internet should not be banned in school. The internet is technology that everyone uses everyday. Students need to learn and prepare themselves for the real world. Also, I don't think we should ban certain websites. I don't think that children should be able to go online without supervision, but as a teacher we should teach children not to go on bad websites and be careful what words they use to do searches online.
ReplyDeleteI am also in Dr. Walker's EDN 300 class and I firmly believe we should teach the internet like Japan does. Sometimes teachers focus on bad behavior when it happens instead of trying to prevent it.
ReplyDeleteThe internet can be a very useful and important tool if used correctly in the school systems.I do not think that students should have unlimited access to the internet but they should be able to access the sites that will help them learn whatever they are studying. In some schools now the students do have limited access to certain sites but if for some reason a teacher fills that a new site should be added to the list of websites that the students can see then they would have to send in some kind of form requesting the site be opened. And if the teacher feels that the parents may have a problem with their children viewing then the teacher could send out a consent form for the parents to sign saying it was okay for their student to view the site. Technology can really be a interesting and fun tool to learn with but it could also be a hazard also. Teachers should just make sure they watching their students and make sure they are doing what they are supose to.
ReplyDeleteI think that there are some things that have to be blocked in the classroom, such as sexually explicit material. As was mentioned, kids will and do try to view these sites. I've worked in a small computer lab with small groups of middle school aged children for the last two years. Even with the restrictions placed they can "do damage" if you're not alert. It's hard to keep track of what's going on at that many moniters at once! In the larger labs they mount mirrors rather like the ones in stores for shop lifters in the corners of stores. Still, damage is done to equipment and innappropriate sites are sometimes called up by a student trying to be funny. Even the most vigilent instructor can watch 30 computers.
ReplyDeleteIt is a hinderance to instructors that we aren't given a password or different level of clearance. There have been many times when students have asked a question about a certain person or place an my instinct is to go and look up a video, but utube and a lot of others sites are blocked for me too. It's okay if I'm planning and I have to download a video in my personal laptop at home to bring in, despite being a pain. However, there are many instances where a discussion or explanation could be enhanced by something that has been blocked by the wide reaching net of internet censoring software.
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ReplyDeleteIn today’s technology-driven culture, it’s nearly impossible to go anywhere without seeing a “visit us online,” or “check us out on facebook.” You can order a pizza from Dominoes in 20 minutes, book a flight across the country, and Skype with someone from across the world. Whether a person accepts the fact or not, our society is revolutionizing. I think it’s very naïve for someone to ban all internet usage throughout public schools. The internet is an integral part of projects, assignments, research, and resources tools for students. Banning internet use would block a lot of these resources for students to use in the classroom. However, I do think there should be a limit for Elementary and Middle School students. Student at this age, especially Elementary aged, should be taught how to appropriately use resources on the internet. In my future classroom, I will probably send home a permission slip to the student’s parents, asking permission if their child had limited access to the internet that year to guide them through lessons, utilize webquests, or for instructional purposes throughout the curriculum. This way, if there is a certain parent who does not feel comfortable with letting their child have access to these resources, then they can tell you up front. In my future classroom, I will let my students use web-based learning activity to get more visualized types of learning experiences. I think with more students utilizing different computers, it would be harder to supervise every single one of them. However, I feel that if the students have a limited amount of time to complete a certain web activity on the internet, they will not have too much time to resort to off-task behaviors. My mom is a first grade teacher, and she allows the students to use the classroom computers to do work in groups to complete various activities such as I explained. Sometimes the students go to the computer lab and work with a different teacher to complete these tasks.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what everyone is saying also. I think it would be ridiculous if we banned the internet from schools. In this day and age, the internet is used for everything. Kids growing up during this time need to know how to use the internet proficiently in order to accomplish certain tasks, especially involving with school. I think as teachers it is our job to guide them through and "teach", like the Japanese school instructor explained his way of teaching them so they will have somewhat of a understanding as to why we have to block some sites rather than others.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Alei. I think that children need to learn how to use the internet correctly and effectively. If we forbid them to use computers, they will never be able to use technology to enhance their education. There are so many good resources and software out there for students to use to help them with their school work, and restricting this use would be ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that there needs to be a limit to what students can go to on the internet, however, I feel that teachers need the internet in the classroom to enhance the learning that is taking place. The limit to how students use the internet and what websites they visit should be modeled by the teacher rather than banned by school districts. There are so many teaching opportunities through technology that will never be experienced if the websites are inaccessible. From my previous high school experience, I remember many of my classmates trying to find ways to get on blocked websites through proxy sites. It places the idea that we as a school system do not trust our students with technology or value our students enough to expose them to significant learning tools on the internet. YouTube can be a valuable resource in the classroom, providing educational videos on numerous topics as well as a chance for students to develop videos of their own. Many of my professors use YouTube to give their students a new perspective on the material as well as another method of teaching rather than lecture. From Virtual Math Manipulatives that allow students to create and explore shapes, place value and more to blogs that allow students to express their opinion and discuss topics with classmates, the internet can help students review skills and deepen their understanding of the topics they are learning. We are banning something that students use on a regular basis, and if it is blocked for the students, it is blocked for the teachers as well in that classroom.
ReplyDeleteThere are numerous ways that the Internet can be used in classrooms today without offending any parents. A classroom website is a great way to keep the students, teachers, and parents connected to what students are learning and events throughout the year. If there is an issue with parents and the internet, using a projector, the teacher can project the internet website onto the screen in his or her classroom and use the resources with the entire class, still exposing the class to technology. Websites such as abcya.com as well as webquests provide educational games and activities for students. I agree with Morgan in that sending home a permission slip or a concern sheet to the parents allows the teacher to find out the issues parents have with the internet and accommodate the classroom accordingly. I would even give the parents a list of websites that will be accessed in my classroom so they are able to visit the website before it is introduced in the classroom.
With elementary students, computers can be easily monitored by the teacher, especially if computers are set up in centers or in group activities. As Sarah said, however, the teacher needs to teach his or her students standards for using the internet and implement them.
When educators run into obstacles, they go to websites such as TeacherTube to access similar videos when YouTube is blocked. If vital web pages are blocked, some teachers have even printed off resources and activities at home and made copies for their students to use in the classroom
alright so to hit the ground running i absolutely think that banning the internet in schools is absurd especially if there is already arguments of cell phones being used that have internet capability on them with no restrictions. So once again you run into that problem of telling a student they cant do something and them sneaking around doing it anyway. A great way to use the internet without angering parents is in your syllabus you send home with the students you have an internet section explaining what topics will be taught and explain how the internet is important to completion of the subject. Not only that but we already have several computer classes in both middle and high school that teach students the correct way to type and effective ways to surf the web when doing research projects. Teachers will still be able to observe what students are looking at by simply applying what we have been taught in our EDN classes which is we should be constantly moving around the room and monitoring students not just standing at the front or sitting behind our desk doing our own thing on the computer. They also have every computer in the room linked to the teachers computer so we can access whatever computer we want to see what they are viewing or who they are chatting with and what about. My last thought about the internet being banned would be that the U.S. is already behind in technological advances to the Japanese and Chinese. We get most of our software and other technology such as cell phones gaming devices and TV from them. I think if we dont use the internet to teach our students how to properly use computers and the internet we will fall even further behind and not be able to catch up.
ReplyDeletethe internet is possibly the greatest invention of all time. there is so much information at our fingertips and it would be ridiculous not to take full advantage of this in our nations schools. teachers and students alike have made cases for unlimited internet access for years. to think that kids are missing out on what the world wide web has to offer is sad. websites such as youtube, facebook, and wikipedia should be used in classrooms across the US. as a physical education teacher, i am going to utilize the internet to increase the efficiency of my classes. if i can find ways to relay information to my students better i am going to do it. using methods that kids can relate to is going to be vital to our younger generations success.
ReplyDeletein order to have unlimited access to the internet, parents and teachers must work together to provide a safe atmosphere while students are using it. we have to monitor what our kids are using the internet for. if students are using the internet for purposes other than school work, it is not going to work.
with all the technology used in today's world, we have to find a way to use it to our advantage. we obviously cant have students checking their facebook every five minutes but we could certainly allow students free range to find and research information. this can work with strict monitoring of time spent and websites visited. we as educators have to allow our students to prove that they can handle responsibility. if they dont learn discipline at a young age, when will they learn it???
I think that schools are censoring too many websites from students at school. I do not believe students should have unlimited freedom to the internet, there are obvious websites that should be blocked. However, there is no reason for websites such as Wikipedia and Weather Channel to be blocked from the students. I agree J-Gay, the internet has so many great resources and information for students, why would we keep those sites from our students? I also agree that is important to incorporate the internet in to the classroom. As long as we can monitor what the students are doing I do not see what the issue would be in doing this. Technology is such a huge part of the world today, if we can not include it into our classrooms our students will get bored and lose intrest. I see no problem in allowing the students to use the internet at school and I think we are being over dramatic we block them from so many sites!
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine not having or being able to use the internet in any school system. I think that every student should have access to computer everyday at school because there are so many great resources that the internet provides. I don't think that the internet should be banned or have limited access either. As a teacher, I think I could use the internet in many ways to help the students learn more about physical activities. I could use it to show videos of workouts and exercises and games that could help the students learn and use to help the motor skills and teamwork skills.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher, the more computers that you have, I think it requires more and more overlooking of the students. I definitely don't think that the extra work would be a big deal. It's definitely better than not having the students be able to use the internet at all though.
The internet is one of the most amazing forms of technology in our society and to ban it form our students is absolutely rediculous. Allowing children to explore the interent and use their resources is what it's their for, to allow people to learn new things, and explore new techniques. I do think it is imporant to monitor and make sure what children are viewing in school is appropriate however they will know better then to access a site that is not. As a teacher you should give guideline to certain websites you find useful. To not allow students to look at the weather channel is histerical and impratical of most teachers.
ReplyDeleteThe only time I could find it useful to not ban the internet but monitor and not allow certain sites is in the younger elementary grades. These students might not have the maturity of knowledge to handle some websites of pop ups and in those cases you might want to wait till the students is more mature to understand what is appropriate for school and what is not.
I cannot understand why a school would have computers if they were going to ban internet usage. The internet is part of our evolving culture and to ban it in schools, of all places, would be the result of our children being in the dark ages. Of course there needs to be restrictions on the websites used, but usually when a child is told they are not allowed to visit a certain website, they make every attempt to visit said site. Some schools in the area have the children and the parents sign a contract at the beginning of the school year listing the rules of computer usage. This document is at least two pages long and should help ease parent’s worries about their children using the internet. Teachers should use good judgment when deciding which websites are to be utilized by the class according to subject matter and age appropriateness of the class they are teaching. As a teacher I would reassure parents of the intended websites to be used and answer any concerns they may have. With the increase of computers and other technology in the classroom, it seems it would be hard to constantly monitor what students are viewing, but it is usually apparent when students are not following the rules. Such as: there is usually a gathering of other students around the inappropriate material on the computer and it is obvious when a student is texting or checking messages on their cell phone during class. Other educators seem to be handling the situation by setting rules at the beginning of the school year and disciplinary action for inappropriate use of the internet.
ReplyDeleteI agree with J-Gay that it is so important for children to learn discipline early on in life. Of course their curiosity will lead them to inappropriate websites, but hopefully the discipline learned will help them return to what's appropriate.
ReplyDeleteI agree with J-Gay and S. Merante also in that it is the teacher's responsibility to help children learn discipline early in life. If websites are always blocked, we are not giving students the chance to prove that they can be responsible with the internet and use it for educational purposes. Students will make mistakes with the internet, but with the teacher's modeling and guidance of appropriate internet usage, they will learn from their mistakes, which is a vital part of the learning process.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that the internet should be banned from schools but should definitely be filtered. There is just way to much useful information on the internet that could never fit in a textbook, it would be crazy to ban it!
ReplyDeleteI think that filtering is a a great idea though because, there is just as much trash on the web as there is good. Teachers should filter it down to only a handful of useful websites that they want to use in the classroom. I think that youtube is a good website for teachers to use to show the kids educational videos but should be banned to the students! I also see why schools ban Wikipedia, anyone who feels like posting information on a certain topic can. So you never really know if the information you are getting is true facts or just someone just trying to be funny.
Teachers can use the internet in the classroom to play games, show the children videos, instant messaging, and webhunts ( have the students find information on a certain topic an assigned webpage/pages). I don't think that a teacher should require the internet for homework though because not everyone is going to have access to a computer or the internet.
I think that the more computers in a classroom the harder it would be to monitor your students. But if you filter it to where they can only go to the websites you want them to then you wouldn't have to worry about them being on something that they shouldn't.
Also if you have the class partner up this would limit the amount of computers being used and make it easier to monitor them.
I agree with Chelsey that filtering the internet is the best way to ensure children learn how to use and take advantage of the internet but still use it appropriately. I think shem madea really good point to assign partner work so the teacher can monitor what the students are looking at. Classrooms typically have 20-25 students and one teacher! There is no way the teacher could monitor all computers so partners and group work are a great idea!
ReplyDeleteI agree with S. Merante and Katie Purrazzella, the internet is such an amazing tool to help broaden kids minds, why would you want to ban such useful material from your classroom? There is so much information and different activities you can do with the internet these days. As long as the teacher is using filters and the internet material goes along with what the students are learning at the time, I see no harm.
ReplyDeleteThe internet should definitely not be banned in schools. It is a vital source of information for educational purposes. It is available to help students with anything from homework to extensive research. The internet is also helpful for teachers to find educational games, videos, and creative ideas for lesson plans. It is definitely an asset to a positive educational environment.
ReplyDeleteI think that the internet should be allowed in schools, whether it is filtered or not. There are advantages to both routes, as long as the internet is still present in the classroom. Filtering and censoring the internet for younger students can prevent them from exploring inappropriate sites. This can keep parents and teachers from having to stress about their children/students being exposed to negative images or information. On the other hand, censoring can prevent students from going to useful sites like YouTube and Weather.com. These sites are completely safe and student-friendly. There is no reason why they cannot be used in the classroom because they can actually be used for educational purposes.
Again, whether the internet at a specific school is censored or not, it would be beneficial for the teacher to inform parents of their child's internet use. By laying out the exact sites and activities students will be engaging in through the internet, parents will more likely be more comfortable with the situation simply because they are informed. Parents will also then have the ability to check out these sites for themselves to make sure they feel that these will be appropriate for the students.
It is also the teacher's job, no matter what, to monitor the computer use of his or her students. The teacher should also make his or her expectations and rules of internet use known to the students. The students should also be informed of the disciplinary action that will take place if these privileges are abused or disobeyed.
The internet is too much of a useful tool in education today for it to be taken away from students entirely. It is such a good source for students, teachers, and parents to communicate, explore, and learn. Our whole world is using the internet and it is important for our youth to learn how to use it (as well as other forms of technology) correctly and efficiently.
I believe that net censoring on the internet is wrong if the computers are being used in a classroom and school based environment. Students should be able to use the internet as an open source to all information so that students can compare to many different sources and not just the ones that the school has system have left unblobked.
ReplyDeleteStudents need to be trusted more to do the right thing and there should be high consequences for those that violate the rules. The internet should be seen as a digital book of learning that should be looked at in all aspects. Even some of teh sites that most schools would ban such as facebook and other communication sites are helpful in school system. Teachers can use them to connect to their students on a different level that they understand better.
When I was in middle school and high school every student was issued a computer for the school year to use an educational tool and books were supposed to be cut back to make learning more fun and lighter loads for the students to carry everyday back and forth to class. However, we still had about the same amount of books and our laptops just became more of a hassle than a fun learning device. Everything was blocked when you were both at school and at home. You couldn't even see certain sites that you searched through google. Students began to feel very annoyed by our new "freedom" that had all of these limitations to it. We thought it would be diffferent and fun not something that we tried to constantly figure out how to beat the system to get the sites that we wanted to be able to be on.
If the school system took the approach of looking at the students more as adults and not young screw up kids then I think the students would respond better. Besides people always want what they can't have or get to. The internet is the new modern world of today and to take that away from our young students is truely depriving them of something special and a learning advantage at an early age.
I completely agree with S. Marente why would the school systems give out computers if they are just going to ban or put limitations on the internet. It just isn't logical to me either. I know my post is late, but please read wha tI put about my own experience in the school system with laptops and I think that you will see that we have some of the same similar ideas!
ReplyDeleteI think the whole banning the internet thing is just a total bad idea. The educational purposes that we use the internet should not upset the parents. Where on the other hand, I can see where it would. It could be seen as distracting, and disruptive. But there are times to where a teacher will have to use technology, more so the internet to give out the information to make sure the students are engaged in the lesson. Also, we are advancing in the technology era. The era where we are supposed to be educated on the internet, if not you are left behind. I mean, I have read where schools have totally gotten rid of the library, such as books, magazines completely. They were strictly making their library and online database. What if we were to adopt this idea throughout the entire world? Would parents be so quickly to ban or disagree with the use of the internet? I however feel, if that were to happen it would be acceptable for the parents. So I think it is safe to say that banning or censoring the internet would be a bad idea...however I could be wrong, but as far as a teacher and trying to get the students engaged?? It would be a brilliant idea to keep the internet in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with S. Marente's opinion. Why spend so much money on putting computers in the school if internet access is not even available? Yes, computers are essential for other educational purposes (typing papers, printing, making graphs, etc...) but the most useful educational tool is the internet. S. Marente also makes a great point in saying that the internet is a huge part of our evolving culture and school systems without the internet would leave our future generations in the dark ages. I totally agree with this statement. In my Politics and Government in a Global Perspective class, we talked about countries being connected to the internet. The United States is lagging behind other countries that have more people connected. In 2006, Iceland was leading the world in highest amount of internet users (869 per 1000.) The U.S. was ranked number 10 on this list (630 users per 1000.) This should tell us that banning internet from schools would prohibit our country from progressing in this competitive, technology-savvy, and internet driven world.
ReplyDeleteExcellent ideas. Here are some comments in response to yours.
ReplyDeleteSeveral of you stated that kids will find their way around censored content. This is a worthwhile consideration. Some suggestions were made on how to address this. Relatedly, the 2-page document that schools send home is called an Acceptable Use Policy. It provides information (in general) about how the internet will be used. Both parents and students have to sign the document, which is kept on file.
All of the responses are worthwhile, including the ones that talk about personal experiences or the experience of others. "Story-telling" has been demonstrated as a great learning technique. Think about the information you have been told over the years and what you remember. Was it b/c it was from a story?
The mirrors in the computer lab or a teaching station that can access all the monitors are interesting approaches. It would be neat to determine if schools are using the latter approach, the software to accomplish this and its cost.
I agree with many of you that the Japenese mind set is admirable and one that we should adopt. Along the lines of global education, the stats on Iceland are remarkable. Continue to support your statements/arguments with this kind of detail.
I think the Internet is such a valuable tool especially with Web 2.0 activities. The school I attended for high school did not block any sites students could access everything including FB and other social networking sites. I believe since high school students have access to all of these at home that students at this level should not be restricted. The teacher needs to monitor activities when they are working on computers in class. But lets be honest most smart phones allow students to access anything they want to. elementary aged students are a different story here the schools might need to block certain sites.
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