And I’ll say it again: It’s not fair to regulate what an 18 year can view on the internet based on what is appropriate for a 5 year old. Not only is it not fair, it’s not allowing teachers to reach some of our TEKS (state objectives). I am sick and tired of having people who have no idea WHO I teach, WHAT, I teach, or even HOW I teach it.
Babynames.com is now open at school, but I have serious problems when I teach Paradise Lost and Dante’s Inferno. My head spun when I tried to have my students go to http://www.hellpizza.co.uk to examine the pizzas and try to identity the allusions in the pizzas (did they come Inferno, Paradise Lost, or the Bible?) – the students were blocked. We weren’t given a reason why – just the white screen on censorship.
And please don’t tell me to write a Help desk ticket – I’ve done those before, and (if they ever get allowed), the teachable moment is gone. even if they get it approved for the next day, I might already be in another unit – I *am* on an accelerated schedule, you know.
I was told by one person that I should have my web page requests turned in at least 32 (preferably 48) hours before I want to to use. Cute. There are two issues here sparky, that I’d like you to consider:
1. When my students do research, I have no idea what webpages that they will stumble upon and read. Sure, you could say that I could take all of the extra time to determine a set number of appropriate webpages and only allow students to go to those webpages, but that is ridiculous. Since when is it appropriate for teachers to constrict learning? That’s like saying we will ONLY use the textbook to learn from. No workbooks. No experiments. No demonstrations. No field trips. Nothing. Just the textbook. Also, it’s not in line with the College and Career Readiness Standards. Do you think NetTrekker prepares high school students for internet-based assignments in college?
2. There is NO WAY for teachers to determine what webpages are restricted to students, so even if I wanted to comply with #1, there is really no way for me to, unless you want me to send IT a copy of every webpage that I use instructionally?
Argh. Anyone out there have any tips dealing with the censorship of the internet?