Filtering

The teacher’s role in protecting students while on the internet is a challenge that all teacher must face. Computers are going to be part of every teachers life, they will be an extension of the classroom. Just as the teacher is responsible for their student safety in the classroom, they are also responsible while they are on the internet. No teacher would show a pornographic movie to their class, nor should their class be able to view pornography on the internet. That is why filter programs are important, even though I feel that there are some limitations in their delivery, the protection that they offer outweighs the setbacks related to filter programs. But that being said filters are only a part of a teachers role, like parents teachers must be diligent while their student are working on the internet to insure that the material that they are viewing is of a educational nature. Below is a list of pros and cons to filter programs.

Cons

· Company can put any web site they what on a black list ex. The Vatican

· Meta search can wrongly put web site on black ex. boys 12 and under soccer website

· Can not differentiate between pornography and art

· Blocks violent material that may be historically or culturally relevant

· Schools and libraries are forced to use these programs or the risk losing funding

Pros

· Blocks images and text that is pornographic, including child pornography

· Adults can feel more secure that a child will not “stumble” on something inappropriate

· No chat room- Sexual predators

· Limits the internet as a form of entertainment, focus on the internet as a educational tool

· Protect school computers from downloading questionable material