ABC Week #3: Net censoring at school

Usage of the internet in public schools (K-12) has been and will continue to be a controversial issue.  Should students be blocked from accessing some sites? Or should students have unlimited access with strict teacher observation and guidelines?  Should schools limit or ban internet usage?  Well I definitely don't believe that banning the internet at school is a viable option.  We live in a digital age and students need to develop digital skills such as researching on the internet.  Many students may not have internet access at home and if their access at school is limited as well, when will they have the opportunity to gain these skills? 

So we're left with either blocking some sites or strict supervision.  Blocking sites would provide safety for our students while at school.  However, many blocking programs will also inadvertently block useful websites such as Wikipedia.  That leaves us with only one acceptable option if we don't want to limit our students' opportunities for research: unlimited access with strict supervision and guidelines.  I know when this idea is mentioned most people think of strict rules that teachers wander around the room trying to enforce while students quickly hide off task windows when the teacher comes near them, but I have seen some software that would allow the teacher to supervise the student's use of the computer including the internet.  Some software not only allows the teacher to view different student's screens without their knowledge, it also allows the teacher the freeze the screen.  This means that the students don't know when the teacher will be looking and can't simply hide their off task activities.  The internet, in and of itself, is not dangerous.  It's the material that our students may find on the internet that is the problem.  If students help to create the rules and know that the teacher will be able to adequately enforce them if necessary, then I believe that we can keep our students safe while providing them with the opportunity to acquire and/or improve their digital skills, which will be necessary for a successful future career.