Internet filters are necessary and helpful in keeping students from accessing inappropriate sites on the Internet, but filters alone cannot guarantee that students will not be exposed to inappropriate or harmful materials while using the Internet. Internet filters are designed to monitor all Internet connections, protecting children from inappropriate online material. Some filters may work better than others, but no filter works perfectly all of the time.
This year at the Georgia Educational Technology Conference, I attended three sessions that addressed Internet filtering: Policies 2.0: Rules for the Social Web by Doug Johnson; The Inexact Science of Internet Filtering for the K-12 Environment by Jason Kau; and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: How Internet Filters Work, How They Don’t Work, and How Students Bypass Them by Patrick Crispen.
The GaETC presenters made it clear that we cannot depend on filtering alone to keep our students away from inappropriate sites on the Internet. Doug Johnson, Jason Kau, and Patrick Crispen stated that legislation such as the Childhood Internet Protection Act (CIPA) mandates filters for computers with Internet access used by students at school. All three presenters then explained how students are able to bypass filters. Access to inappropriate sites may be accidental or intentional. Some students intending to go to legitimate sites may end up at an inappropriate site. At other times students intentionally bypass filters to view sites that were intended to be blocked. Doug Johnson stated “safety comes from education, not blocking.”
The education Doug Johnson referred to applies to teachers and parents as well as to the students. All three of the GaETC presenters challenged teachers and parents to be aware of how students are using the Internet. Some of the uses of the Internet that were discussed are MySpace, Facebook, podcasts, wikis, blogs, social bookmarking, and 3-D environments. The better informed teachers and parents are as to how students are using the Internet, the better equipped they will be in monitoring the use of computers in the school as well as in the home. Students need to be educated in the proper use of technology, and they must be made aware of the long-term effects of improper uses of technology.
I left the GaETC motivated to follow up on several of the informative ideas I had heard from the GaETC presenters. I am determined to keep the use of technology in our school a safe, positive and valuable experience. First, I will work at staying current with the trends in technology, as well as being more aware of how my students are using technology in their personal and educational lives. Second, I will recognize the limitations of filters and will be more vigilant in monitoring the use of computers connected to the Internet. I understand that students using the Internet need to be monitored as if no filters are in place. Third, while teaching computer skills, I will look for opportunities to teach my students to think and act responsibility and will work at helping my students develop good character and moral values. Finally, I will make conscious efforts to share this information with my colleagues. Many of the teachers at our school are so busy with the daily routines of teaching that they have allowed the students to surpass them in technology and are unaware of how our students use technology and the Internet.
Since the GaETC conference I have been able to take several steps to keep the technology at our school safe for the students. The computers in our computer lab have filters. Teachers have been encouraged to monitor the students in the same manner they would if we did not have filters. Finally, I am encouraging teachers to educate themselves and their students in the proper use of our current technology.
