If internet filtering is the answer, then what is the question?

I ended up on yet another committee.  This one deals with the policies and procedures surrounding the internet filter that all traffic from the schools must pass through in order to get connected.  If the filter says OK, then you’re there.  If says NO, then it’s a no go.

In a perfect world, everyone is a thoughtful and wise user of resources.  But then, in a perfect world, all of the resources that you would like to access are thoughfully and wisely placed online.

So, we purchase a service to help ensure that the content that is accessible is appropriate.

Image via Wikipedia

This is clearly an issue where I can see all sides of the argument.  Life was indeed easier before sliced bread.

There are concerns about young students accessing adult content.  There are concerns about using up all of the bandwidth if every user was streaming audio and video all day long.  There are concerns about the entry of viruses or other forms of malware entering the system.  There are concerns about phishing efforts hijacking personal information and identity.

There are some classrooms where access to resources is heavily controlled.  There are some other classrooms where students are encouraged to explore and research deeply.  There is also a desire to use web based collaborative tools to explode the walls of the classroom so that all can become globally involved in discussions and projects.

Because internet content filters are used for more than just education, there’s also a business slant on these things.  What might be inappropriate for access in a business office could be very powerful in the hands of a student and progressive teacher.  What business calls “games”, education may call “simulations”.

While the simplest solution may be to indicate that classroom supervision is the ultimate arbiter, that’s far from perfect.  A quick ALT-Tab puts the user apparently back on task.

I suppose that the good news is that nobody has the best answer.  In the newsgroups that I read on a regular basis, this topic is a constant point of discussion and debate.

So, where in the world is the happy point in this argument that allows for all users to feel fairly treated and their concerns addressed?

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links for 2009-10-15

• indispensibletools / FrontPage
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• Building iPhone Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
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• HOW TO: Organize an Event on Facebook
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• Sublime Text: The text editor you'll fall in love with
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• Shouts
  "Subject: Our Marketing Plan"
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• DoodleBuzz: Typographic News Explorer
  "DoodleBuzz is a new way to read the news through an experimental interface that allows you to create typographic maps of current news stories."
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• Just This Day
  Our world is busy and in the turmoil we forget we all share the same space. Families, communities and countries live with conflict, poverty and disease. How can we make a difference?
  (tags: day poverty difference)
• Chartgame.com: Time-lapse trading
  When playing Chartgame, the computer will present you with a random historical stock chart of an actual large cap (S
  (tags: chartgame.com chartgame math)
• The eyeballing game
  The game works by showing you a series of geometries that need to be adjusted a little bit to make them right. A square highlights the point that needs to be moved or adjusted. Use the mouse to drag the blue square or arrowhead where you feel it is 'right'. Once you let go of the mouse, the computer evaluates your move, so don't let up on the mouse button until you are sure. The 'correct' geometry is also shown in green, so you can see where you went wrong.
  (tags: math Geometry eyeballing)
• smartboard lessons, lesson plans, ideas, content and more
  "Do you have a great smartboard lesson that you've created for use with your smartboard? Let your name be heard and submit it to smartboardlounge.com! The process is simple, just click to send us an e-mail, attach your file in either notebook, word, or powerpoint form and we'll review it and add it to the content here at smartboardlounge.com. Once submitted and added to the site, we will give you full credit for creating the content!"
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