Filtering the Internet

Pros

Cons

1) While the internet changes too rapidly to ensure that every questionable site is blocked, many objectionable sites will be blocked, reducing the risk of children accessing pornography and other inappropriate information. 2) Parents want their children protected in as many ways as possible. By providing internet filters on computers, schools and libraries make parents feel more confident in their children’s use of the inter net outside of a home environment. 3) Compliance with internet filtering standards makes schools eligible to receive funding for technology through eRate. Politicians see internet safety as a big concern to address to please voters- if schools want to comply, they can receive benefits. 4) Filters reduce some of the useless sites that clutter up a search engine results page which helps cut back on the number of sites that need to be sifted through for information. 5) Sites that parents or teachers want to block that are not blacklisted by the filter can be added to the blocked list. For example, if teachers want to block e-mail or chat sites to keep kids from misusing their educational time, the filters can block access to those sites.

1) Internet filters do not block all inappropriate sites. Teachers and parents may have a false sense of security if they rely on the filter to regulate student searches without supervision. While the filters may prevent some material getting through, only parent or teacher supervision will ensure that the kids are accessing appropriate information. 2) Internet filters block some legitimate sites as well as the inappropriate ones. Since sites are filtered and blocked according to keywords, sites that may innocently use certain terms are blocked and often blacklisted. For example, sites that contain information on breast cancer or SuperBowl XXX are blocked simply because of their keywords. 3) Internet filters often come with a set of blacklisted sites already included. These sites are often legitimately inappropriate sites, however, the programmers of the filter software often also include their personal biases in the blocked sites. For instance, websites that promote gay rights, advocate medicinal marijuana, or are anti-filter are often included on filter blacklists, preventing students from accessing both sides of an issue and infringing upon the freedom of information. 4) Internet filters can be worked around relatively easily, especially by technology savvy teenagers. There is no guarantee that just because a filter is in place students will not find a way around it. 5) When parents relay on filters they are not only trusting a false sense of security, but they are missing an opportunity to demonstrate trust in their kids. This is also a missed opportunity to teach kids about safety on the internet, appropriate and inappropriate site material, and proper internet behavior.

So, what can we do as future educators?

I feel that as a teacher I do have responsibilities to keep my class safe, whether that requires fire drills or supervision on the internet. I think that minimally restrictive filters should be placed on school computers. Not only does this reassure parents who may have doubts about their kids being allowed to access any information available on the web, but it does reduce the odds of an inappropriate site coming up. If it is minimally restrictive there should be the least amount of interference with a normal educational search. So many kids today have access to the internet in their homes that, if a site is blocked to them at school and it is of legitimate interest, they can take note of it and access it from a computer at home. Teachers have a big job on their hands monitoring twenty-some students’ use of the internet. Filters can help reduce the likelihood of misuse of the internet as a tool to help the teacher, not necessarily completely protecting the child. Filters seem to be of particular use in elementary schools where you want the least exposure to inappropriate material and the searches being conducted are likely simple. Ultimately, however, the job of supervision lies with the teacher, not a program on the computer. As a teacher, I think it is also important to model appropriate internet behavior and teach students that misuse of the school’s resources is not to be tolerated. Most kids are not going to seek out the inappropriate material, however the teacher should be ready with a set of consequences. The internet is a tool; it can be used correctly or incorrectly. The teacher has an obligation to teach her students the best way possible to use that tool correctly.