Joanna Smith

SLM 521

Elective – Avoiding Pornography on the Web

Throughout the course of this year, our class will be visiting the computer lab to do two different things. One, we will be typing many papers into Word documents. Two, we will be researching and using the Internet as an informational tool. The Internet can be a very useful place to find information, but not everything on the Internet is appropriate for our use.

There are many sites on the Internet which are inappropriate for our use here at school. These sites may include anything from violence, to guns, to illegal drug use, to pornography. You have all signed an Internet-User Agreement which specifically states that you will not attempt to access these sites. In addition to the signed contract, our school has a block forbidding access to these sites. Unfortunately, these blocks are not perfect and may fail. So, what do you do if you find an inappropriate site? Take these steps!

    1. Avoid searching terms that may be interpreted as sexual or inappropriate. Be as specific as you can with your search query to avoid pornographic responses.
    2. If a pornography site pops up, remain calm. Do not yell out or draw attention to yourself. Most students will be working and will not notice the site unless you point it out to them.
    3. Try to close the site by clicking on the X in the upper right hand corner. Keep clicking if new windows keep opening.
    4. If you cannot click out of the site, turn the monitor off by pushing the button on the front of the monitor. Please do not try to turn off the computer.
    5. As soon as the screen is blank, go find the instructor or raise your hand. If we are in the library, see Mrs. Foreman or Mrs. Cronister. If we are in the lab, see me.
    6. Calmly explain what you were trying to access, which search words you used, and what was on the inappropriate website. Also, be sure to explain what steps you took to try and exit the website.
    7. Don’t worry! If the access to the site was a mistake and couldn’t be avoided, you are not in trouble. In fact, the school thanks you for pointing out these types of problems.

We will try to avoid these types of situations, but no filter system is perfect and suspect Internet sites are becoming more and more difficult to identify. If you follow the above steps, you are not only protecting yourself, but also other students!