It would be like China or Iran or . . . the average American school.
Maybe it's time we advocate for open Internet in every context.
Imagine if the Government Censored the Web
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About This Blog
This blog consists of the individual thoughts of John T. Spencer. They do not reflect the ideas, philosophies or practices of the Cartwright Elementary School District. Furthermore, the blog criticisms are aimed at overall educational trends rather than any one individual or institution. The goal is to start a conversation regarding how to fix professional development.
Thought you might find this relevant...
http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/01/18/mass-suspension-at-pittsburgh-school-for-bypassing-filter.aspx
John at TestSoup, that link is great. It's sad how the comments quickly derail toward blaming students, and don't broach the issue of the honor student who suggested circumventing the access restrictions was needed to get schoolwork done.
I don't get how those in the comments don't take the hint that it's not the students' behavior that might need changing but the antiquated "Acceptable Use" policy.
Phu, I was scared there for a while - it's dead apparently.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/19/technology/web-protests-piracy-bill-and-2-key-senators-change-course.html
I find it difficult to understand how my school district's internet blocking service listens so little to the teachers in what should not be blocked. I submit things for review all the time and never hear anything.
If the system had better recourse, I think it could work. But, it's a centrally controlled system with a disinterested bureaucratic system that doesn't really have a stake in the outcome. Sounds familiar, right?
I must say I have mixed feelings about this. I like the idea of open internet, but as a father of 4 kids in a home that has many digital devices, I'm just not sure we don't need some filtering. Perhaps, I would advocate for more balanced filtering. I use OpenDNS on our home network with the explanation to my kids that if there is a site they need to visit nut find blocked to bring it to me and we'll look at it together. If it's okay, we whitelist it. I have my settings set to medium filtering, and I live by the same filtering that my kids do. I know "but you have the password and the power." I'm not as interested in blocking stuff as I am in protecting my children and having the important conversations that need to be had about responsible use.
I agree, Philip. The point was a bit over-the-top. I want filtering of specific sites. What I don't want is the blind censoring of tools. To say, "no social media" is very different from keeping kids away from porn.