Re: lab policy for substitutes
EDTECH Editor-Hogan
Some materials I am working on to address Internet use management address the
concerns of substitutes. Thanks for reaffirming what I was going to say.
There
are significant concerns about having subs responsible for supervising
students
when using computers because all you will get in many situations with current
management practices is "Internet recess." And if the class in in middle
school
or above, during Internet recess, the students will be bypassing the
filter to
get to wherever they want to go. I am dismayed about the comments on use of
computer labs for drill and practice software or the creation of stupid
powerpoints. How long have we been trying to implement the effective use of
technology for instruction???
But I think this is actually a deeper problem that will require rethinking
how
schools manage Internet use. I would love your feedback on these thoughts. I
think the problem is grounded in CIPA. When computers/the Internet came into
schools they came in holding hands with CIPA.
As a consequence, I believe that in most districts a misperception emerged
that
it was the tech services department's/computer lab coordinator's
responsibility
to ensure that students were not misusing the Internet.
Everyone thought then, and many folks think now, that when filters are used,
students are safe to search the Internet - and this is good for them and will
result in learning. So it is ok to simply take students to the computer
lab and
let them "surf the Internet." Or teachers bring students to the lab
without any
semblance of a lesson plan and let the computer lab coordinator supervise
them
while they go and get a cup of coffee. There is no sense of universal
responsibility for preventing misuse.
I recall a press release by N2H2 - filtering company that was purchased by
someone else - (not a new flu ;)) that analyzed student Internet use in a
filtered environment. N2H2 studied the top 300 sites visited by students by
number of page views. According to N2H2, these 300 sites accounted for
"roughly
half" of the total page views. N2H2 considered their data to present a
"representative picture of use." Here is what their data showed (I did the
percentage calculation):
1. Instructional, Reference & Computing 60 seconds 16.7%
2. News & Sports 58 seconds 16.2%
3. Business & Finance 52 seconds 14.5%
4. Commerce & E-Services 51 seconds 14.2%
5. Music, Games & Fun 48 seconds 13.4%
6. Portals & Search 46 seconds 12.8%
7. Communities 44 seconds 12.3%
Here was their definition: "Instructional, Reference, & Computing. Sites that
could be use for specific instructional purposes by teachers or students,
general research and reference resources, and computer
network resources." One may ask why computer network resource sites were
included in this category, since such sites are clearly not instructional
purpose sites. If computing sites, which tend to be very popular, were
eliminated from this category, this would reduce the percentage of time spent
on instructional sites below the already abysmally low 16.7 %.
The false security of reliance on filtering, I believe, it at the heart of
the
problem. This false security created the misperception that teachers who are
with students in the lab are not also responsible for preventing misuse - and
also set up a situation where student use of the Internet is frequently
not for
educational purposes. This false security set up a situation where there
is not
a perception of universal responsibility.
Do you want to test the accuracy of my perception? If you have access to the
computer traffic data, here is what you can do. Throughout the day gather
a set
of 1000 sites, perhaps in 100 site "blocks"- so around every half hour get
the
raw data for where people are going online. Assess these sites - if you hand
out each block of 100 to ten teachers, this will not be onerous. Use the
above
framework and classify the sites. I would love to know what you find.
So what needs to be in place? Here are my thoughts - and I would welcome
feedback.
Shift to "universal responsibility." Teachers need to know that the filter
can
easily be bypassed. So they have a responsibility for preventing misuse.
Establish the standard that Internet use at school must be for
instructional/learning purposes. This can include self-exploration - but
it has
to be "instructional" not entertainment or socializing. Do you want your
students thinking that when they get a job, they can use the workplace
Internet
for entertainment and socializing?
Install remote access monitoring on all computers in the building. And pay
attention. The occasional detection of misuse with a consequence -
preferably a
community service requirement - is necessary to demonstrate effectiveness.
Try
to find a student engaging in misuse once a day at the beginning of the
school
year and students will quickly get the message that this remote monitoring
actually works. There is nothing more powerful than the random potential of a
negative consequence to manage behavior.
Require that when teachers have students use the Internet, they have a
well-thought-out lesson plan, plus extra credit projects or approved work
completion activities for when students finish their work. (This is to
prevent
the common phenomenon of students rushing through assigned work to be able to
play on the computer.)
Consider using a system that allows teachers to create Internet based lessons
that enable them to easily select sites they want their students to use and
restrict student use to these sites - whitelisting. Perhaps they can have a
second level of access to the sites that they think are appropriate for work
completion. The only system I know that does this is a program called
EduPlatform. "Technology enthusiasts" may think this kind of a product is too
restrictive. But in my opinion, this is the kind of resource that the
majority
of teachers need to be able to shift to the use of Internet resources for
instruction. This provides the level of control necessary for them to feel
comfortable. Also, once one of these lessons is created it can be shared.
Further, if student use is restricted to the selected sites for the
project and
then work completion activities, there is no fear of handing this assignment
over to a substitute.
Remove the major disincentive that is preventing use of the Internet for
instruction - the frequent overblocking of sites that are necessary for
instructional activities. Filters are currently being used for two
purposes: 1.
To block access to really harmful material - required under CIPA. They are
reasonably effective for this purpose - primarily because students are not
likely to intentionally try to access this material while at school. 2. To
try
to keep students from engaging in Internet recess and to control bandwidth.
This does not work all that well - and can cause the overblocking that is
preventing effective instructional use. So if schools shift from trying to
block to more effective watching and guiding, they ought to be able to
give all
teachers the authority to bypass the filter to access sites in these other
categories for instructional purposes. But set clear standards and
occasionally
monitor so that teachers are not abusing this ability to engage in their own
"Internet coffee break."
Establish a program that uses students as tech aides. Like the GenYes
program.
The students know all of the ways other students are misusing the Internet
and
if given the responsibility to stop this, will likely be effective.
Substitutes should be specifically certified as being prepared to effectively
manage student Internet use. They should only be with students when there
is a
specific, well-designed lesson with work completion requirements, preferably
with an aide - who could actually be a student. And the use of a whitelisting
approach.
Thoughts?
Nancy
--
Nancy Willard, M.S., J.D.
Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use
http://csriu.org
http://cyberbully.org
http://cyber-safe-kids.com
http://csriu.wordpress.com
nwil...@csriu.org
Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats: Responding to the Challenge of Online Social
Aggression, Threats, and Distress (Research Press)
Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens: Helping Young People Learn to Use the
Internet Safely and Responsibly (Jossey-Bass)
---
Edtech Archives, posting guidelines and other information are at:
http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~edweb
Please include your name, email address, and school or professional
affiliation in each posting.
To unsubscribe send the following command to: LIST...@H-NET.MSU.EDU
SIGNOFF EDTECH