Comments on: Survey says…results shared http://technotuesday.edublogs.org/2008/07/13/survey-saysresults-shared/ Visit each TechnoTuesday to expand your knowledge in Classroom Technology Integration! Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:50:31 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Heather Loy http://technotuesday.edublogs.org/2008/07/13/survey-saysresults-shared/comment-page-1/#comment-802 Heather Loy Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:42:32 +0000 http://technotuesday.edublogs.org/?p=370#comment-802 I believe that filters are a necessary evil in schools. And while I will also agree that understanding how filters work and why they block what they do is something educators should know, it doesn't address the issue of who CONTROLS the filter. As you pointed out, many IT folks haven't taught in a classroom, yet they are the ones deciding if the tools we need to do our jobs can be accessed or not. I'm all for going through channels to obtain what I need to do my job, but from experience, going through those channels just isn't always practical due to time constraints. I know educators are supposed to plan ahead and should be checking resources they want to use ahead of time, but come on, they're too busy teaching to have to time to check every website they want to use to ensure it works at school. Most teachers at my high school do their lesson planning at home, since their "planning" period is usually taken up with make-up testing, subing for other teachers, or running off copies and any other errands they need to perform. If a website they want to use is blocked, they just better pray there is another site or other alternative available. Going through channels could mean the site gets unblocked days, weeks, or even months after the unit is already finished, if it gets unblocked at all! If asking for sites to be unblocked needs to be planned in advanced, how far in advance? Most of the web resources listed in the TEXTBOOKS are blocked. Does a teacher have to go through them ALL prior to school starting just to make sure they aren't blocked? And even then, the sties could be working today but be blocked tomorrow! I'm not saying that our IT department is bad or doesn't make every effort to assist teachers. And I certainly wouldn't want their job - worrying about the security of our district's network - what a headache! All I'm saying is that teachers, or at least an administrator or media specialist, should have the ability to override the filter in order to facilitate learning, while still going though proper channels to have the sites permanently unblocked....something your district understands and that I wish ours would understand, too. I believe that filters are a necessary evil in schools. And while I will also agree that understanding how filters work and why they block what they do is something educators should know, it doesn’t address the issue of who CONTROLS the filter. As you pointed out, many IT folks haven’t taught in a classroom, yet they are the ones deciding if the tools we need to do our jobs can be accessed or not. I’m all for going through channels to obtain what I need to do my job, but from experience, going through those channels just isn’t always practical due to time constraints. I know educators are supposed to plan ahead and should be checking resources they want to use ahead of time, but come on, they’re too busy teaching to have to time to check every website they want to use to ensure it works at school. Most teachers at my high school do their lesson planning at home, since their “planning” period is usually taken up with make-up testing, subing for other teachers, or running off copies and any other errands they need to perform. If a website they want to use is blocked, they just better pray there is another site or other alternative available. Going through channels could mean the site gets unblocked days, weeks, or even months after the unit is already finished, if it gets unblocked at all! If asking for sites to be unblocked needs to be planned in advanced, how far in advance? Most of the web resources listed in the TEXTBOOKS are blocked. Does a teacher have to go through them ALL prior to school starting just to make sure they aren’t blocked? And even then, the sties could be working today but be blocked tomorrow! I’m not saying that our IT department is bad or doesn’t make every effort to assist teachers. And I certainly wouldn’t want their job – worrying about the security of our district’s network – what a headache! All I’m saying is that teachers, or at least an administrator or media specialist, should have the ability to override the filter in order to facilitate learning, while still going though proper channels to have the sites permanently unblocked….something your district understands and that I wish ours would understand, too.

]]> By: Cathy Nelson http://technotuesday.edublogs.org/2008/07/13/survey-saysresults-shared/comment-page-1/#comment-791 Cathy Nelson Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:47:22 +0000 http://technotuesday.edublogs.org/?p=370#comment-791 @Elaine Thank your that thorough description of the filter you use and how it works. I see teachers as being less frustrated when these things are explained and shared, and they have the opportunity to buy in to the philosophy behind it. It sounds like you have a lot of educational background too, so the decisions are being "processed" through one who has been in the trenches of teaching, so to speak. Based on responses in the survey and conversations at NECC, many IT have no educational background, and that is not only frightening, it is sad. Welcome to my network btw. I noticed you are now following me in Twitter. @Elaine Thank your that thorough description of the filter you use and how it works. I see teachers as being less frustrated when these things are explained and shared, and they have the opportunity to buy in to the philosophy behind it. It sounds like you have a lot of educational background too, so the decisions are being “processed” through one who has been in the trenches of teaching, so to speak. Based on responses in the survey and conversations at NECC, many IT have no educational background, and that is not only frightening, it is sad. Welcome to my network btw. I noticed you are now following me in Twitter.

]]> By: Elaine Talbert http://technotuesday.edublogs.org/2008/07/13/survey-saysresults-shared/comment-page-1/#comment-790 Elaine Talbert Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:32:33 +0000 http://technotuesday.edublogs.org/?p=370#comment-790 Hi there, Your post came to me via a google alert search with the term website filtering. I work in this area and know that teachers find much of the process frustrating. I like the section where the issue of categories was explained and also the fact that different levels of access to categories and individual sites can be applied. We have a web filter check all teachers can use and an explanation about categories. Still not enough understanding exists around why some categories are blocked. Also enterprise filter products vary quite a lot I understand. Older versions may have category names that continue to block social networking sites. The awesome highlighter is categorised internet services. We would have it available to all here. Maybe it is blocked for copyright issues? All teachers understand the blocks for several categories eg. p***, drugs, alcohol etc. Blocks applied for bandwidth, security etc are harder fro some to understand. With web 2.0 tools it is a movable feast. The blog rejected the post the first time, sine I had used the category name p***. BTW, we have penalties for anyone who tries to avoid the webfilter, by using a proxy. It is easy to access a free URL checker on the web. Hi there,
Your post came to me via a google alert search with the term
website filtering.
I work in this area and know that teachers find much of the process frustrating. I like the section where the issue of categories was explained and also the fact that different levels of access to categories and individual sites can be applied.

We have a web filter check all teachers can use and an explanation about categories. Still not enough understanding exists around why some categories are blocked.

Also enterprise filter products vary quite a lot I understand. Older versions may have category names that continue to block social networking sites.

The awesome highlighter is categorised internet services. We would have it available to all here. Maybe it is blocked for copyright issues?

All teachers understand the blocks for several categories eg. p***, drugs, alcohol etc. Blocks applied for bandwidth, security etc are harder fro some to understand. With web 2.0 tools it is a movable feast.

The blog rejected the post the first time, sine I had used the category name p***.

BTW, we have penalties for anyone who tries to avoid the webfilter, by using a proxy.

It is easy to access a free URL checker on the web.

]]> By: pcanine http://technotuesday.edublogs.org/2008/07/13/survey-saysresults-shared/comment-page-1/#comment-785 pcanine Mon, 14 Jul 2008 01:51:55 +0000 http://technotuesday.edublogs.org/?p=370#comment-785 I enjoyed reading the results of your survey. It really does show the wide range of policies, policy makers, and applications used by IT, LMS and teachers. I think that we do have it pretty good in HCS. I wonder how I will find things in Gtown Cty? Paula I enjoyed reading the results of your survey. It really does show the wide range of policies, policy makers, and applications used by IT, LMS and teachers. I think that we do have it pretty good in HCS. I wonder how I will find things in Gtown Cty?
Paula

]]> By: Pat http://technotuesday.edublogs.org/2008/07/13/survey-saysresults-shared/comment-page-1/#comment-784 Pat Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:11:12 +0000 http://technotuesday.edublogs.org/?p=370#comment-784 Thanks for sharing the results. This was really interesting. I wonder if SC is more conservative than other states and keeps tighter reins on filters. Thanks for doing this survey too! Thanks for sharing the results. This was really interesting. I wonder if SC is more conservative than other states and keeps tighter reins on filters. Thanks for doing this survey too!

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