another blocked site? feeling stifled? what can you do?
By alex miller • Aug 18th, 2007 • Category: Facilitation, FeaturesWhy are so many sites blocked?
Sue Waters raises some interesting and very valid points in her latest post that are definitely worth some discussion;
What can we do about policies that are stifling innovation in educational uses of technology?
This is a very interesting topic and perhaps worthy of further exploration.
The above blog post couldn’t come at a more appropriate time for me. I am currently witnessing, first hand, a substantial growth in the use of open websites in the form of wikis, blog’s and other social networking sites/web tools for the purpose of educational resource and corporate knowledge sharing.
I am also, today, feeling quite disturbed by the number of stories I am hearing about cyberstalking, cyber and text bullying and harassment of young people.
Please Don’t stop the Innovation
The availability and access to these tools and this technology has resulted in so much innovation, collaboration, creativity and excitement from teachers, students, community and industry. While this has been very inspiring, there is obviously material out there, on these spaces, open to the world wide web, that legally shouldn’t be, may be against policy, unsafe, breach privacy and child protection legislation and therefore, those websites get blocked inside the DET world.
I do NOT however, think the solution is to block everything.
So what can we do?
Who’s responsibility is it to guide young people in these spaces? Their parents? Do they understand it themselves? How can we, as teachers, coaches and mentors, guide them in these spaces, prepare them for use of this technology in the workplace if we can’t access them?
There’s an obvious effort by educators to “engage youth, get on their wavelength” (article by Khyiah Angel from the NSW Teachers Federation), there are generation studies emerging at a rate of knots as the Baby Boomers and Generation Jones try to embrace technology, get their head around the effect that video games have had on Generations X & Y, and how this all might affect us in the workplace. How can we do this if we can’t access the technology that our children “live” in and work with?
Maybe we need to change our thinking?
Unless we raise our own awareness about these issues, and start being more proactive about privacy, copyright legislation, etc, then unfortunately, I think we are likely to see more sites getting blocked and there’s probably very little we can do about it.
I have had many conversations recently regarding the above and whilst there is some awareness of privacy laws, legal requirements, corporate policies, there is, evidently, a substantial lack of knowledge, not only about how the technology actually works, but also about copyright, licensing, child protection laws, privacy legislation, compliance issues, etc.
I believe that we must very quickly engage in discussion about building and sharing knowledge around the above issues. We need to start developing policies and guidelines in a friendly language that are supportive and start a framework for building capability in our workplaces.
Perhaps then, we might start to see some positive changes.
What are your thoughts?
Please comment.
Some Resouces
- The Copyright Kitchen is a user-friendly resource for those working in vocational education and training (VET). It breaks up copyright information into categories built around who you are, where you work and the task at hand. Check out their list of Resources!
- Youth Privacy Issues
- DET Child Protection Training
- To see if a site is blocked at DET, run the site through the web filter here. You will need to use your DET username and password.
- Gmail Warning to students and teachers by Frances McLean
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Alex
this is such a hot topic right now. My local paper only this morning has a feature article on mobile phone bullying amongst school students. There is a list of suggested ways of dealing with the problem, and yes, ban ‘em is pretty much at the top of the list. When it comes to the more complex issue of online free speech and creativity, I share your concern that the same ‘ban it’ or block it and it will go away mentality will rule the day. As far as children are concerned, educators have to make it a front and centre issue. Prod politicians and education bureaucrats to make it their business to ensure free speech and creativity are not disabled by outdated draconian legislation. Talk to parents and get them thinking too. It won’t be easy, but if you believe in the tipping point dynamic, then talking about it … a lot … in as many forums as possible e.g., discussions like this, may just viral their way around the network. Blogs and mobiles and P&C forums at the ready? The other point of view is just as vital in the debate. What sites should be blocked in the interest of child safety and common sense? Is there a one-size rule to fit all situations? Probably not, but get the talk happening is one way to get action.
Hi Kate,
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. I don’t think this issue is going to go away somehow. Your comments are very valuable and have certainly added to my thoughts. Cheers,
Alex
Hi Alex
I am glad you have written a post in response to my post - and I would love it if people would start shouting it out around the World. Also lets both agree - you are so much better at writing then me - excellent work.
Fortunately at my college, I have been lucky, other than the screening of terms like sex which managed to block “sex and the single guppy” all sites can be accessed. We are lucky in Western Australia as security decisions are made at College level and our College is very supportive. Other Colleges have been less lucky, and face similar problems to what all educational institutions face in NSW.
I do think that it is a lack of knowledge and awareness of the benefits that is causing these decisions. We need to start educating our managers so that higher management appreciates the impact of these decisions on education.
Sue
Thanks for your comments Sue. I couldn’t agree with you more (apart from the comment about my writing, thank you though, I am flattered).
Let’s all make a noise!
Alex
Hello Alex
Really great points.
I recently took part in a seminar where Professor Sonia Livingstone (http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/media@lse/whosWho/soniaLivingstone.htm) presented on young peoples media literacy. I can’t find the notes right now, but this report (http://personal.lse.ac.uk/bober/UKCGOfinalReport.pdf) from the ‘UK Children Go Online’ research project (http://www.children-go-online.net/) has an interesting section on Balancing Opportunity and Risk (particularly with respect to unsuitable content).
Sonia’s website also links to a wealth of other books and reports - and her work is certainly the most insightful and balanced I’ve seen with respect to young people, media literacy and internet use.
Tim
This is such an evocative discussion forming. I thought I was going to get work done today, and here I am wanting to go off an write blog posts and comments. Sigh.
While I don’t work with children, I do struggle with the adults (who make these constricting rules). When I really listen, what I hear from them is a sense of being overwhelmed, not knowing how to handle the speed of change and innovation, and a deep seated fear of the unknown. The tools don’t do any of the things they are trying to stop, it is the humans that interface with them.
I think the best we can do is to continue to educate our own audiences. It will take a wide swath of understanding of the benefits and impacts Sue refers to. I’ll be working with you all in the Northwest US!
Thanks for the great links Tim!
Great to have some support in the Northwest US, thanks Christine.
Alex
Check out the Federal government iniative
Netalert.gov.au and
http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/cyber-safety-hotline-goes-live/2007/08/20/1187462133791.html
It’s an important issue. To give the choice for parents to download and install filters and talk to their children makes sense. I think that educating colleagues parents students mitigates the potential for govt iniatives to regulate what we access on our private connection. Have heard Labour wants to filter at the ISP hmmm not a good idea.
Thanks for that link Steven. What a hot topic! Also, your flickr photo’s from Ireland are fabulous! Thanks for sharing.
Alex
Im HOD IT, so I get to rule the firewall and proxy. As someone whos been fighting the war of the proxy, take it from me - the DET etc., cannot block much of anything. Proxy’s rise and fall daily, and the kids find them. So they are looking at Bebo, MySpace and Tube. SL requires a port setting, so perhaps not that one.
I’ve installed a super new firewall system. Its organic and highly responsive with easy install and removal. It is called a ‘teacher’. Get ‘em off thei chair an around the room and the problem goes away! IT rooms all to often are ‘just an easy lesson’.
I opened up YouTube et al, posted YouTube stuff on the intranet and embraced it. For a week the kids hit it hard, now a term later, they don’t really bother with it. Kids are smart, they know what the right and wrong thing is.
Make the lessons interesting, personal and challenging … then it really isn’t a problem. You can’t legislate creativity, and you cant beat the proxy war. Face it and move on I say.
I now have far less ‘moans’ about student activity … if they are on the ‘wrong’ site then guess what - log them off and move ‘em on.
[...] few times throughout this blog and her content often inspires me to write a post in response. Like this post I wrote in response to Sue’s article about innovation being challenged by all the constraints [...]
We have been on youtube before and some of the things will not go on our class blog. It is really hard trying to get our blog better in 31 days but it is still worth it. Please can you if you want to go to our blog at al.upton@glenelgsr7.sa.edu.au.
Cheers Phoebe
Some of the pictures were rood.
Thanks for your comments Alex.
We are discussing this at our ICT Committee meeting tomorrow, so I imagine there will be some heated debate.
I am the Systems Administrator at our campus, but am answerable to the Director of ICT for the whole college (we have 5 campuses). The committee is cahired by our ICT Learning coordinator K-12 who is an anti-blocking and lets teach advocate (see her blog at http://lgwilliams.edublogs.org) and will include our heads of schools (junior, middle, and senior) teaching representatives, college executive, and technical staff.
I’ll keep you posted on how we go. I’ll also point a few friends to your blog. I’m sure they will enjoy what you have to say, and will add to this discussion further.
Cheers.
TFT.
[...] read a great post by Alex Miller on another blocked site? feeling stifled? what can you do? and it was great to read the comments and see the support that is being built up around the globe [...]
The discussions continue with this great fairytale about access for large educational institutions…
Check out this story from Harriet Wakelam;
You Tube and Social Networking sites - The issues for large scale educational access
[...] read a great post by Alex Miller on another blocked site? feeling stifled? what can you do? and it was great to read the comments and see the support that is being built up around the globe [...]
i found read in another blog that using https worked and it worked for me lol
m fed up of this blocking of sites…… plz help me to unblock d site