Comments on: What Teachers Want http://bethstill.edublogs.org/2008/10/13/what-teachers-want/ ' I am entirely certain that twenty years from now we will look back at education as it is practiced in most schools today and wonder how we could tolerated anything so primitive.' John W Gardner Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:07:02 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Tim McCarthey http://bethstill.edublogs.org/2008/10/13/what-teachers-want/comment-page-1/#comment-52 Tim McCarthey Mon, 08 Dec 2008 23:31:32 +0000 http://bethstill.edublogs.org/?p=55#comment-52 Try putting yourself in the shoes of the IT people for once. If a student accesses inappropriate material on school computers, who do you think will get the blame? It won't be the teacher who doesn't have the ability to monitor the students every move. It will be the IT department. Also, these sites aren't blocked just because of content; they are also blocked to keep people on track. Many faculty members at my school district, including principals, waste a lot of time surfing the internet. As far as I'm concerned, if there is any chance that an inappropriate image could be seen by my little girls at school, then I want that site blocked. PERIOD! I'm certain that many parents would agree. Try putting yourself in the shoes of the IT people for once. If a student accesses inappropriate material on school computers, who do you think will get the blame? It won’t be the teacher who doesn’t have the ability to monitor the students every move. It will be the IT department. Also, these sites aren’t blocked just because of content; they are also blocked to keep people on track. Many faculty members at my school district, including principals, waste a lot of time surfing the internet. As far as I’m concerned, if there is any chance that an inappropriate image could be seen by my little girls at school, then I want that site blocked. PERIOD! I’m certain that many parents would agree.

]]> By: Angie http://bethstill.edublogs.org/2008/10/13/what-teachers-want/comment-page-1/#comment-37 Angie Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:18:58 +0000 http://bethstill.edublogs.org/?p=55#comment-37 Hi Beth... Well, I guess we could be progressive in that Ning and Twitter are not blocked here....yet. However, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube....the list goes on. I can understand about MySpace. Facebook does have some worth and I even got an invite from our building tech but I can't access it HERE! YouTube does have value for students with projects etc. However, this would require more "policing" while in the computer lab by the teacher and many teachers just do not want to deal with that (does NOT include me). I think that it is quite difficult, and will remain so, to use Web 2.0 tools with the students as long as the tools are blocked. It's a Catch 22 in many areas. Unfortunate! Hi Beth…

Well, I guess we could be progressive in that Ning and Twitter are not blocked here….yet. However, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube….the list goes on. I can understand about MySpace. Facebook does have some worth and I even got an invite from our building tech but I can’t access it HERE! YouTube does have value for students with projects etc. However, this would require more “policing” while in the computer lab by the teacher and many teachers just do not want to deal with that (does NOT include me).

I think that it is quite difficult, and will remain so, to use Web 2.0 tools with the students as long as the tools are blocked. It’s a Catch 22 in many areas. Unfortunate!

]]> By: Josh http://bethstill.edublogs.org/2008/10/13/what-teachers-want/comment-page-1/#comment-36 Josh Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:55:34 +0000 http://bethstill.edublogs.org/?p=55#comment-36 I know one component of eRate is the control of student email, so that may be part of the email issue. I'm not sure about the others. My personal feeling is that the excessive blocking is initiated from a fear of being "that school" that makes the news for all the wrong reasons. I don't feel that many IT departments feel comfortable or confident enough to approach the curriculum department about working together on the filter. A quick solution for the IT department, or the administrators who "govern" them, is to block more than what's necessary instead of training teachers, media specialists and/or counselors on how to incorporate internet safety into their curriculum. I think we've gotten to a point now with cell phones that the Internet really isn't the main form of communication at school anyway. See Kearney Public for how well it works to block them (not a good idea). I know one component of eRate is the control of student email, so that may be part of the email issue. I’m not sure about the others.
My personal feeling is that the excessive blocking is initiated from a fear of being “that school” that makes the news for all the wrong reasons. I don’t feel that many IT departments feel comfortable or confident enough to approach the curriculum department about working together on the filter. A quick solution for the IT department, or the administrators who “govern” them, is to block more than what’s necessary instead of training teachers, media specialists and/or counselors on how to incorporate internet safety into their curriculum. I think we’ve gotten to a point now with cell phones that the Internet really isn’t the main form of communication at school anyway. See Kearney Public for how well it works to block them (not a good idea).

]]> By: Britt Gow http://bethstill.edublogs.org/2008/10/13/what-teachers-want/comment-page-1/#comment-35 Britt Gow Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:49:40 +0000 http://bethstill.edublogs.org/?p=55#comment-35 Hi Beth, I am contacting you through your blog because, guess what, the Nebraska teacher's ning is blocked at my school, although I have access from home. I would be very interested in working with your colleague, if she would like to look at some of my work at http://brittgow.globalteacher.org.au There are links to some of the science and maths Voicethreads that I have done with students, as well as a great paper airoplane practical, using the scientific method and sharing data of flight distance. I look forward to hearing from her! regards, Britt Gow Hi Beth,
I am contacting you through your blog because, guess what, the Nebraska teacher’s ning is blocked at my school, although I have access from home. I would be very interested in working with your colleague, if she would like to look at some of my work at http://brittgow.globalteacher.org.au
There are links to some of the science and maths Voicethreads that I have done with students, as well as a great paper airoplane practical, using the scientific method and sharing data of flight distance.
I look forward to hearing from her!
regards, Britt Gow

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