White list or black list? Opinions?

[Christiantech]

I'm about fed up with students not adhering to the rules for
online use of computers. We have a pretty aggressive black
list, but there is always some form of entertainment students
can find. We cannot afford to have someone else do our content
filtering. So... what is everyone here doing to limit student online
activity? (I'm dealing only with high school here.)

[Becky]

You may want to look into websense, its pretty strict.It's not perfect,
but it does block alot and you can change some of the settings to make
it closer to what you need.

[Melissa in TX]

Along with our blocking software, we use a program called Vision6, by
Geneva Logic. With this software, I can monitor each student's computer
usage from my desk. If I see objectional websites, or students off
task, I am able to send them a quick chat message reminding them to get
back on task. It also allows my to completely block internet access
while they should be working on an application, such as Word, Excel,
etc. (Surf Lock) Another feature that I use quite a bit is App
Lock...it allows me to lock down every application except the one I
want them working on. If we are working in Word, I can lock down
everything else.

Among the many benefits it has for classroom management, it also offers
many features that allow for more interactive teaching. You can work
through guided practice exercises with everyone at their computer. You
simply display your monitor output or another student's monitor output
on every student monitor.

If you are interested in hearing more about this product, you are
welcome to email me. The retail cost of this program with all the
plug-ins is about $40 a machine. With some shopping around, I was able
to find it at just under $30 a machine by going through a software
reseller. Here's the URL: www.genevalogic.com/index.php?id=us-vision

[ssa...@redlionca.org]

Hello all,

We also use a similar monitoring software called NetSupport. Although
I cannot recommend this particular software package because of its
inherent instability, just having it helps prevent web surfing abuse.
>From time to time, I project my screen onto a white board so all my
students can see that I am monitoring what they are doing. I also make
mention of the fact that I can record what they're doing for later
review by school authorities.

It also costs around $30 per computer.

Let me know what you decide to do.

[Christiantech]

Thanks for all of the ideas. We do use Dan's Guardian's list of sites
to block, and unfortunately I've had to block image searches (which
makes things pretty inconvenient at times) but I think it's better than
trying to adopt a so-called "white list". When class is "in session" in
the computer lab, it might be nice to be able to remotely run class
from the teacher's computer. The software that allows one to view all
the computers at once would be a useful tool as well.

[Melissa in TX]

I'm "so tellin' you" that you have to check out the Vision software I
mentioned in an earlier post. Just today, I gave an assignment to my
high school students. One student, with two onlookers, proceeded to
open up Paint! and play around. Gave one warning, two minutes later
still on Paint...I simply highlighted the students computer (on my
"dashboard" that allows me to see every student's computer) and clicked
another button that locked that student out of her computer. Told her
she would have to work on her assignment without the assistance of the
Internet until she got home. So worth the money!!

Melissa Simmons
Faith Christian School
Grapevine, TX