Blocking Blogs

My school blocks both blogs and social networking sites in addition to online forums. If these restrictions put on teachers and students in regard to electronic publication and access were for the safety of all concerned, I can't argue with the goal, but I think this kind of blanket policy is inhibiting teacher innovation and student engagement. The issue for administrators, I think, is the proverbial can of worms that would be opened by more liberal uses of the Internet even if a case could be made for specific sites. Let's say that every teacher decided he or she wanted to create a blog. The numbers could quickly become unmanageable, and the required scrutiny, extraordinary. So I believe that the view of some administrators is that a zero-tolerance policy provides the most security. As an administrator, I'm not sure I'd trust that sites like facebook or even Blogger would be used in an appropriate manner, and even if they were, I'm certain there would be concerns voiced from some corner. I'm under no illusion that there is an easy answer for administrators in regard to Internet access, but there must be a way to allow students and teachers to embrace new technologies more fully.

Internet Safety

Internet safety and security is a huge issue at my school. We live in such litigious times that everyone must be extremely careful about what can be published on any school-related websites. Of course, student safety is the primary concern, but more and more, teachers must be cognizant of their own vulnerabilities with regard to the material they publish or link to. I'm glad I'm not the administrator who has to dream up all the worst-case scenarios involved in teachers' creating Internet material that could leave the school open to any number of various lawsuits or leave teachers open to threats or invasions of privacy. I generally feel that more freedom is better, but I'd be foolish to discount the many predators out there and even more foolish if I didn't think that the school has the grave duty to protect itself, its staff, and its students. I'm glad that so far I haven't had any safety issues in this regard.

The First Post Is the Greatest

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
T. S. Eliot