tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8241688187068476902.post4500898152659553976..comments2012-04-11T12:23:41.988-07:00Comments on Outside Looking In: Pick an Analogy...Scott Shelharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11215921176352918686noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8241688187068476902.post-12334764758958724812009-02-04T07:30:00.000-08:002009-02-04T07:30:00.000-08:00Scott: There was a GREAT deal of discussion at the...Scott: There was a GREAT deal of discussion at the METC conference last week in St Louis about filtering issues and blocks, and this also came up in Norman at the OU K-20 Center's Midwinter Conference. I think we need a collaborative project (likely a wiki) which would help dispel myths and identify issues when it comes to web filtering. Multiple factors are at play here, but the bottom line ends up being schools where much of the constructive, potentially positive web is blocked because schools tend toward overcontrol and digital censorship beyond even the bounds of reasonability. Certainly the leadership of the district both at the supt/principal level and the IT level is very important in this regard.<BR/><BR/>One issue with keeping a public list about why particular sites is blocked that I think would be contentious is that it would give interested kids (and others) links to try... "Ooo, this was a blocked by the school, so let's go visit it and see why." As far as I know, content filtering companies tightly control and limit access to their block lists. There are open projects (like <A HREF="http://dansguardian.org/" REL="nofollow">Dans Guardian</A>) which have lists that I think you can access. That is a thought I had reading your post.<BR/><BR/>Certainly I agree with you that we generally need to do a better job preparing kids to "be the filter." As <A HREF="http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/" REL="nofollow">Dr Scott McLeod</A> said last week at the OU K-20 Center's Midwinter conference, no one in our society today is "preparing kids for the unfiltered web." We need to find ways in our communities to do a better job of meeting that challenge. It's not something many school leaders want to consider at this point.Wesley Fryerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03502157354436518160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8241688187068476902.post-87723395119471473602009-02-01T07:00:00.000-08:002009-02-01T07:00:00.000-08:00• Known porn sites are blocked• Teachers and stude...<I>• Known porn sites are blocked<BR/>• Teachers and students are given access to the Internet<BR/>• When inappropriate sites are discovered by students, a block request would be submitted to the IT department.<BR/>• Teachers and administrators would have the power to place an immediate block on an inappropriate site.<BR/>• A list (similar to a wiki) would be maintained to show who, when, and why a site was blocked.<BR/>• Teachers would have the ability to override the filter.</I><BR/><BR/>A properly selected and managed content filter can do all of this and more. 8e6 is one example. It does require thoughtful and dedicated set up and management.<BR/><BR/>Having said that, I also believe that content filters give the majority of educators a false sense of security. Adult supervision is - and will be - the BEST way to manage internet access in schools. All content filters can be defeated; creative, intelligent people do this every day. <BR/><BR/>As you said, a combination of filtering technology and attentive educators is the best way to deal with inappropriate digital content!TechNorthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15596757132063215878noreply@blogger.com