Emilie Johnson

SLM 521

Elective #11

 

 

Should teachers filter the Internet?

 

Pros

Cons

Children will not be subjected to pornography or hateful ideas and words.

The Internet can be overblocked preventing the use of “good” sites.

Teachers will be able to let students work on the Internet individually without worrying about what her students may be reading about.

The Internet can be underblocked, allowing “bad” sites to seep through the cracks.

Teachers can use the Internet more often in instruction.

Filtering software does not block chat rooms.

Parents will feel more at ease when their students are doing projects on the Internet in and out of school.

There may not be access to information about particular points of view that a student would like to research.

The educational sites will not be filtered, therefore encouraging the students to use them more often.

Children may feel that they are not trusted and filters may cause them to be even more curious about the “bad” sites.  They will want to find a way to get to a particular site.

 

How will I make sure that my students are using the Internet appropriately and effectively?

 

Children of today’s society will know how to search the Internet; therefore Internet etiquette should be discussed at the beginning of the school year.  I will make sure that my students are aware of what is expected of them when using the Internet and what is considered appropriate use in my classroom. 

 

Before using the Internet for instruction, I will…

1.          Make sure that all websites are appropriate for the classroom.

2.          Make sure that parents are aware of when we will be using the Internet.

3.          Have my students sign a contract with me accepting the Internet rules in my classroom.

 

I think it is also important that students have a chance to explore on their own to some degree.  I will give my children the opportunity to explore and search the web using an extensive list of appropriate sites to choose from.  The Internet should be fun, not something that the students dread.

 

 

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