There is a strong difference on how students use the
Internet after school compared to how they are using it at my school. When students use the Internet outside
of school the most popular answers I got from students was they use it for
social networking (mainly Facebook), gaming, and You Tube. Some students did say they use it for
school assignments in which they word process or for Study Island assignments,
but the majority of the time it is used for the three reasons above. This differs greatly in how we ask them
to use the Internet in school.
Most teachers use the Internet for research purposes, presentation of
material or Study Island assignments.
This directly relates to the question we have been asking in class: are
we preparing students’ for “real world” application of the Internet?
My
district does receive E-rate funding.
Students and parents are required to sign an acceptable use policy in
order for students to use electronic devices during school. The acceptable use policy is a three
page document and can even be found on my school’s library website. It was first adopted by the Board of
Education in 2001 and was last revised in 2008. We also use an Internet filter called IBoss. From talking to our school’s technology
coordinator and administration, the policy and the Internet filter used are
chosen by the Board of Education, but the reason for their choice was unclear.
One
conversation I brought up in class was that teachers and students have the same
Internet access in my building. In
looking more closely at my district’s acceptable use policy I found out
why. There is a specific section
that addresses “staff member requirements”; part of the policy states: “No
adult staff member, volunteer, or member of the public may use district equipment
or access routes for purposes prohibited to students.” Even though it is possible with IBoss
to allow different access between students and teachers, Board policy prohibits
it. Because of this policy, I
think a lot of educationally sound uses of the Internet are lost, not to
mention methodology that could really draw students in and get them excited
about learning, relating to how they use the Internet everyday. When I asked why this is the policy,
none of the technology representatives or administration I talked to knew why.
Many
of the students know how to get around the filter to access sites like Facebook
and You Tube. This is known by the
technology representative of my building.
She reports the information to the Computer Services Manager for the
district, and he works on a solution to stop however the students are getting
around the filter.
We
have also talked in class about who is making these decisions. Through interviews conducted, I have
found that the Board of Education in my district makes the decisions regarding
the policy and what Internet filter to use. In class I brought up the notion of
the “big computer guy”. I found
out that the actual title of the “big computer guy” in my district is Computer
Services Manager. The Computer
Services Manager makes many of the decisions regarding technology in the
district, which is then submitted to the Board for approval.
Link to Acceptable Use Policy of my district (scroll to bottom of page)
