Open Up or Block Internet in Schools?

The above signs have become the usual on some school computers as administrators strive to protect their students from the ills of cyber-world. The question (which is very emotional for some), is whether or not internet sites should be blocked in schools?The answer can be very conflicting at times because in the act of doing what is best for students, good websites are also blocked and this can be very frustrating for educators.

The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requires all school libraries receiving certain federal funds to install and use blocking or filtering software; to prevent students from viewing material considered harmful to minors; however some studies conclude that blocking access to web pages that are directly related to the state-mandated curriculums and by restricting broader inquiries by both students and teachers.
My school district uses a web filtering software known as Lightspeed. Lightspeed is used to help filter offensive sites. Periodically the filter misses websites that should be blocked and sometimes block sites that should not be blocked. Teachers are encouraged to submit websites they feel need to be blocked. Elementary filtering is much more restrictive than those employed in Middle and High schools or in administrative centers. Although there is a system in place to block sites considered 'harmful' to students, there are also policies and procedures institutions can adopt to protect/sanction students' use of the Internet. I'll share a few with you.

• Internet contracts must be signed by parents and students each year before students can access the internet.
• Students must have an Internet license on file before they can use the Internet.
• Students who abuse privileges will be restricted from using the internet.
• Chat lines and Instant Messaging are prohibited (for safety have these blocked)
• Students should observe all copyright regulations regarding internet use.
• Students should have NO expectation of privacy regarding anything they do on a school computer system.
• Using school computer equipment or Internet facilities implies consent to search computer-related equipment.

Research Findings  
In my research on this topic I found to my chagrin that there are websites available that gives explicit instructions as to how to unblock a blocked site.
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/how-to-access-blocked-web-sites/

Really!, and then we wonder why our Net-Gen kids are outsmarting our efforts? There is a lot more sites like this one and students are using it to get through these blockages. I also decided to poll my students to see how they felt about the blocked internet sites.  My question was simple - 'Should the Internet be blocked in schools?' I got conflicting responses, it was almost a tie - 47% felt the blockage was a 'good' thing while 53% felt that it was ''stupid'. Three statements stood out for me and I'll share them with you. One young man - typical 4th Graders remarked that his favorite game site was blocked and 'that ain't cool'. The next two statements really resonated with me because these were 4th grade students. One young man stated that he was fine with the sites being blocked because some sites pose as a threat to children endangering their welfare by corrupting them and the wider community. He went on to say 'child porn' which is illegal was accessible and so the internet unsupervised was not the place for a child.  I was stunned! I thought 'Here was a child who is being guided by a responsible parent, wow!'.  Another stated that objectionable content found on Myspace and Yahoo have no place in the classroom and so should be blocked. I did a double take at this point - objectionable content? and this was the 4th grade - no wonder he is one of the students I'm accellerating.



Computer Access in the Homes

 It makes me very sad that there is not more close supervision in the homes re Internet use. This is becoming more evident in the type of posts students are making for example the fake Myspace posts damaging the educator's image. https://blackboard.vcu.edu/@@/F2E7EE38D2B48EF3C6232CDC37F85E1F/courses/1/ADMS-647-C91-2010Fall/content/_2579593_1/Layshock_NSBA_summary.pdf  Many of them were done form home computers since these sites are filtered on school property; yet parents have the nerve to talk about infringing on their child's 1st Amendment rights. Many more persons need to be sanctioned with internet censorship to stop this wanton free reign. Internet Censorship is control or suppression of the publishing or accessing of information on the Internet.
The law requires that schools develop an Internet Safety Policy and use protection measures that block and filter internet access to material that is obscene or harmful to minors. I believe by extension parents should also be covered under the law to ensure that their children are not open to these sites at home either. A law such as this will force parents to be more responsible and actually supervise their child's use of the internet.. A resource that is available to parents who are concerned about their children's use of the Internet is 'The Parents Guide to the Internet' published by the U.S Department of Education.

The Teacher's Role
  No matter what guidelines or software filtering packeges are adopted by schools, teachers need to exercise good classroom management in supervising students access to the Internet. Parents also share responsibilities with the schools in assuring that their children learn how to become responsible users of this medium. In my classroom, I have an Internet sign-in form at each computer; students sign their names, date, time and site being accessed on this form. I also monitor them physically as you know how 'fast' students hands can move on a keyboard.