WebedtecH

I recently received a question from a parent about how it would be best to manage and filter their child’s web site explorations at home.  Here’s my response:

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Sit down with your child at the computer and ask him to teach you about Webkinz and Neopets and the other sites he is interested in.  Don’t take it from the position of evaluating the sites but rather from a sincere interest in learning more about them and what he is interested.  By doing that you will gain several things:

1. You will have a better understanding of these virtual worlds and the types of interactions that can happen in them, both positive and negative.
2. You will be able to spend some time and observe his/her interactions with the games and see what aspects of them he tends towards.  Boys by nature gravitate to more action-oriented sections of games where girls traditionally gravitate to puzzles and interactive environments.  (Of course there are always exceptions to the rule).
3. Gaming environments can be very engaging, especially if a child has a vivid imagination or tends to get immersed in things easily.  Compare his game reactions to the reactions he has to movies and cartoons.  Are they similar, stronger, or weaker?
4. Look for common themes in the types of characters he/she chooses to play.  If he/she chooses one over another, don’t hesitate to ask him why.  There may be commonalities in his decisions, such as powerful versus weak, a specific look, gender association, etc.
5. This may be the biggest stretch for you…but ask him/her to help you set up your own characters and take you through the world.  Aside from it being good quality time you will be establishing credibility with him when it comes time to execute parental control on worlds and places he should not be entering.  Do not hesitate to try the sites he is visiting on your own when he is not around.  The more you learn about the sites the better off you will be.
6. Check in with him.  Every so often ask him/her how his characters are doing (make a point to learn the character names and the names he/she gave them).

There are systems available that can be used to filter web sites from kids (we use one at the school called OpenDNS [http://www.opendns.com] that is free and provides a great deal of control at the machine level.  However, no technological solution can replace building the understanding between you and he as to the types of things you consider appropriate and not.

The sites he/she has identified so far are known kids sites and many have protections in place for child safety.  (Gaia is targeted for PG-13 so I’d recommend against that.)  Most sites that draw kids will have some sort of parental information available easily from their home page.

He/she will want to explore and try new things, that is a given.  Working with him/her is the best solution in preparing him/her to be responsible as he/she grows on the internet.  I equate it to when he/she starts to drive.  The driving lessons will be invaluable since at some point he’ll have to leave the parking lot.

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Comments?

Open Thinking & Digital Pedagogy » Freedom Sticks For The Classroom

Alec has posted an interesting article about his efforts to get around overly restrictive filtering and access controls.  In our back and forth comments a thought occured to me.  What if we were to use USB drives as “keys” to the internet.  Here’s the idea:

1. The teacher is given a USB key that includes a file with an encrypted sequence of characters that acts as their “authorization code”.
2. When they log into the network,  the login script looks for the key file and verifies the authorization code on the USB drive is the same as the one associated with the teacher’s account.
3. If they match, the teacher is granted full access.

What if scenarios:

1. Teacher logs in without the USB key – teacher is given standard network access (student level)
2. Student logs in with teacher’s USB key on student account – no special permissions are granted and a notification is sent to IT
3. One teacher logs in with another teacher’s USB key – only student level access is granted.
4. USB key is lost – the authorization code for that teacher is changed on the server, immediately making the old code invalid

I’m sure there are dozens of other situations we would need to take into account (and that it’s similar to VPN connections but not quite), but I’m curious what the IT people and teachers out there would think of this?

I’ve been quiet for a long time about this topic but I can’t any longer. Read the posting below and then I’ll comment…

TipLine – Gates’ Computer Tips: [TIPS] STOP! You can’t use Google Maps! What if…

A group of middle school teachers got together to create a cross curricular lesson. Each one would appoint a scribe for the day who would post information to a google map. The basis was that kids were going to “Walk to California” for wellness. They would do laps around the track, adding up the miles they walked and then plotting it on a google map where they stopped at each day. Other areas of the curriculum were involved, as well. Geography. Social Studies. Foreign language. It was going to be all the 6th, 7th and 8th graders building this project. Teachers were primed and ready to go.In steps the tech director who says, “What if someone posts something inappropriate on there – and other kids see it? It’s on YOUR web page!”

Full stop! End of idea. A couple teachers wanted to go ahead with it, offering some suggestions on how to deal with that possibility. No go. It died a quick death.

By the way, that person who raised this fear factor is NOT an educator and never WAS.

Ok, I’m going to take a couple deep breaths before I say this…quietly and calmly:

WHAT DOES “NOT AN EDUCATOR AND NEVER WAS.” HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?!?

Why is it that so many “educators” feel they know all the answers when it comes to the proper way to provide content on a school network. Throwing the doors open wide and casting the students into the world with “guidance” is the best way? How many of these so-called “educators” have stood in front of a board meeting or a parents conference and been able to explain how they are looking out for the welfare of their students with this mindset?

GET OFF YOUR HORSE!

Many tech administrators are caught in the unenviable position of having to enact the policies decreed by the administration and the board and then enforce those policies once they are in place. Many, many times they are not consulted about those policies in advance. There are some out there who have developed a napoleonic complex about their position, but the majority is trying to do what is right and best for everyone involved in using the technology.

Let’s take the question and you answer it…what if someone posts something inappropriate on your web page/blog/web 2.0 gadget of choice and a parent or better yet the press get a hold of it?

Are you ready to defend yourself? You’re going to have to do it outside the educator’s echo chamber and out in the real world. Are you ready to stand in front of your superintendent and say, “Why yes, we could have put in technology to protect the kids, but I thought it was best for them to just learn by encountering things and then we can discuss them.” Naive. Foolish. Irresponsible. There is much to be said for “authentic experiences” but some things do not need to be experienced by children. Period.

We talk about putting the computer at home in a public area such as the living room rather than the child’s bedroom. “We don’t use any filtering at home. I can keep an eye on what they are doing and keep them safe.”

DUH! You’re talking human filters, not technological ones, but it’s just the same. If schools could afford to have a teacher for each student then the technology answers wouldn’t be necessary. If you ever want a little dose of reality as to what’s actually happening outside the protected walls of your own little educational sanctuary, ask your network admin to show you the filter or firewall logs for your school for a week. You’ll be amazed the places your precious little angels wind up trying to go, most often by accident but in many cases not.

Stop thinking because a technology staffer doesn’t have an Ed degree he or she isn’t an educator. This is the 21st. century people. Stop thinking in such 19th. century terms. Many have been working in technology for much longer than the teachers they are trying to support. On top of that they are self-directed, continual learners and trainers. Teaching does not change nearly at the pace that technology does. A teacher can go for 20 years without changing and becomes “seasoned.” A technology person who doesn’t change for 20 years is “unemployed.” Try working with them rather than demonizing them for doing the jobs they’re paid and mandated to do. Without them and the protective/preventative measures they take on behalf of the entire school rather than just your batch of interests you’re able to have technology that was just dreamed of 10 years ago.

Gloves are off…comments are open. Let me hear you.