Internet Safety

ED 6620 Web Safety Issues Assignment

1. Which aspects of WEB safety are of most concern in your teaching institution?
Web safety is a growing concern in all schools as computer and Internet use become more and more prevalent in normal classroom activities. Teachers, parents, and students are becoming better educated on the dangers involved in accessing and posting information on the WEB. Unfortunately, predators, marketers, and third party groups are also learning new ways to attract users to their sites. A 2006 study by the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children revealed "that almost 13% of 10-17 years old Internet users receive sexual solicitations from unknown preys." (Young, 2008).

As a high school teacher, the area of WEB safety of most concern to me is sites that contain inappropriate or pornographic material. Our school district, like most others, has an acceptable use policy for students and teachers with regards to computer and Internet use. We also have a WEB awareness site that offers tips on personal protection. However, policies are like speed limit signs, they only work if everyone obeys the rules. It comes as no surprise that teenage boys and girls will sometimes visit inappropriate sites when they are supposed to be doing school work.
At home and in school, parents and teachers are responsible for ensuring that students are using the computer in a safe environment. However, the average parent (or teacher) is nowhere near as tech savvy as their son or daughter. Most parents will recognize pornographic sites when they see them. But other potential threats are less recognizable. The boom of social networking sites such as Facebook, Flickr, Youtube and other WEB 2.0 applications allow students a new environment to share ideas and express opinions. Although these sites have been created to promote interaction among Web users, they also create a very credible threat for those same users. Predators recognize that the great appeal of WEB 2.0 applications is that users now want a forum through which they can have their voice heard. Pedophiles, marketers, bigots and cyberbullies are all exploiting this want by enticing, threatening or persuading the users of these new environments.

2. How do teachers better effect positive change in students who routinely access knowledge and fact through the use of computer and when conveying information?
I think that many of us will have similar responses to this question. Many of the teachers that I speak with are becoming more and more frustrated with the volume of WEB referenced "facts" that are appearing in students’ work. Students are slow to believe that not everything seen or read from the Internet can be considered the truth. The problem is that much of the information is presented in professional looking sites that seem to the uninformed user as quite credible. The largest offender, in my opinion is Wikipedia. Wikipedia references can be edited by the average user and if enough people agree the opinion is presented as fact. The comedian Stephen Colbert coined this term as "Wikiality". To prove his point, he urged his viewers to post that the African elephant population tripled in the last 6 months. Wikipedia administrators had to lock the site to prevent any more "editing" by Colbert fans. Students must be encouraged by teachers to question information that they retrieve from the Internet and double-check any WEB references.

I’m not trying to say that the Internet does not contain useful information. The Web gives students access to an almost endless amount of resources. Unfortunately, students are not always giving credit to the sources of this information. Plagiarism is becoming much more of a problem with increased student use of the WEB. As teachers, we must educate students on how to sort through this information, critically question its validity, and properly reference it.

3. What is a useful method that could improve the handling of WEB safety or the values (ala text readings) in your profession and in your school?
I believe that educating our students on how to use the WEB safely and effectively is our best strategy. The PEI Department of Education imposes Internet blocking software to protect and prevent students (and teachers) from accessing web sites that may contain objectionable material. Unfortunately, this means that many sites that could be used for educational purposes are blocked for teachers and students alike.

The overinclusive and underinclusive nature of Internet blocking software must be taken into account. A recent study of the filters CYBERsitter, Cyber Patrol, Net Nanny, and SurfWatch found that the filters "failed to block objectionable content 25 percent of the time, while on the other hand, they improperly blocked 21 percent of benign content." (Hunter, 2000) I interpret these results to mean that filters are not particularly good at blocking inappropriate material. To make matters worse, they often block a rather high percentage of pages that do not contain any inappropriate material. Adding insult to injury is the fact that many high school students can circumvent the filters in a matter of a few keystrokes.

In my opinion, the best way to improve WEB safety in a high school environment is to rely more on education of the potential dangers present on the WEB and less on the marginal security provided by Internet filters and blocking software. Parents, teachers and administrators must first teach students to use this technology safely, and then have the time and resources to adequately supervise its use.

References:
Hunter, C.D. (2000). Internet Filter Effectiveness:Testing Over and Underinclusive Blocking
Decisions of Four Popular Filters. Retrieved January 19, 2009 from:
http://www.copacommission.org/papers/filter_effect.pdf

Young, E. (April 14, 2008). Internet Safety Classes Required in Virginia Schools. Retrieved
January 19, 2009, from:
http://www.gadgetell.com/tech/comment/internet-safety-classes-required-in-virginia-schools/