I've tried to explain to some that filtering isn't working--and it's costing us in
time, money, and resources. Yet we continue to pump more and more money into
technology (which usually means more and more computers are placed in the
classrooms to be used by teachers and students who either can't figure out how to
do effective research or become frustrated with the continual blocking of valid
resources).
This is a waste of both time and money. It's like buying a Hummer and taking the
wheels off....we can start the engine, we can listen to the radio, and we can
exclaim how wonderful it looks in front of our house....but we can't get anywhere
with it.
Shonda Brisco, MLIS
Trinity Valley MS / US Librarian
Trinity Valley School
Fort Worth, TX 76132
817-321-0100 ext. 410
briscos@trinityvalleyschool.org
"Those who have the highest expectations for the web in terms of student research,
are those who work
with it, and students, the least." -- LM_NET librarian
________________________________
From: School Library Media & Network Communications on behalf of Paula Yohe
Sent: Thu 3/24/2005 5:59 PM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: [LM_NET] Filtering Question
I agree 100% -- too many school districts have let techies who know nothing about
instruction run the show but
we have to work on this -- i just wish we as a profession wouldn't have been so
negative on filtering -- the way it came across to many administrators and techs
was that we would allow access to any material like porn to kids ---
so we were ignored --
i have learned over the years -- you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar
and unfortunately with filtering we are like vinegar to tech folks and alot of
administrators --
sometimes you have to concede the battle to win the war -
i really think instead of saying filtering doesn't work -- or this is stupid -- we
need to be more proactive with the companies that are deciding what is filtered or
not -- think about how you approached the tech folks -- they have pressure as well
--
now think about the most foolish question you get during the day --
you are thinking to yourself -- good grief why am i doing this that is so
unimportant to what i need to be doing --
that is how alot of tech folks think --
there are plenty of great sites out there -- what's the big deal -- i have more
important things to do -- i have a server down -- so how important is that request
when you only have a few folks to get things down???? does this sound familiar --
don't we say the same thing??? When is the last time anyone sent a thank you note
when the technology staff installed a computer or fixed something for you ---
Thanks goes a long way!
Instead of telling each other about about how bad filtering is -- and how it
doesn't work -- and sending articles,etc out to newspapers and magazines - we need
to use a different approach --
Do I like filtering -- no -- but in my opinion -- filtering isn't going anywhere --
the tech people are not going anywhere - the administrators and teachers aren't
going anywhere ---
but are we going to have libraries and librarians ---
i keep hearing about job cuts - a move back to fixed scheduling -- giving library
grades! - the Internet instead of libraries
We need to work with the companies --
I will say this -- I am not happy with the product I am using -- however -- when I
talked with the sales rep last year -- they wanted input ---
I gave it to them -- and they were thrilled --
positive instead of negative.
food for thought - we all need to think about
Paula
"Brisco, Shonda" <briscos@trinityvalleyschool.org> wrote:
I believe some of the problems that libraries have with technology and technology
departments involves the lack of professional respect that many librarians receive
from most of their school's technology departments / administrators. Paula is both
the librarian and the technology director which allows her to see both sides of the
issue; however, when a technology department director is not involved in classroom
education or library instruction, they perceive their duty as "restricting all
improper sites / activities" without regard to the value of the information that is
being denied.
One of the most frustrating things as a librarian is trying to teach students and
teachers how to utilize information effectively and then being treated like a
13-year old when you have to explain to technology people and administrators why
accessing sites and information is important. Rather than allowing librarians the
opportunity to be involved in the decision making process (since we make the major
decisions on what will be placed within our libraries based upon our professional
experiences and education), many of us are excluded from technology committees or
meetings that involved educational instruction through technology / Internet.
If administrators are not tech-savvy or if they do not understand the issues
involved in the use of technology / Internet instruction within the classroom, most
will allow their technology departments to administer judgment over what should or
shouldn't be used by teachers and students, and allow them to create restriction
policies within the schools. Sometimes this results in one person making
educational decisions about what is appropriate, proper, and important for the
entire school district to use---frustrating teachers, students, and librarians and
resulting in the least effective use of technology.
While we, as librarians, might want to be more involved in this area, the reality
is that we cannot do our jobs now (without assistance--which many of us don't have)
AND be involved in technology management issues. I do believe, however, that
librarians should attend technology committee meetings and be involved in the
selection of educational software, online databases, and Internet filtering for the
schools. As the professionals with the most experience in locating and reviewing
educational materials, it is important that administrators and technology
department heads be reminded of our qualifications and our value to the overall
educational environment.
It should be a team effort...unfortunately in many schools, the team has benched
one their MVPs.
(Sorry for the b-ball reference....March Madness, you know.--- Go Pokes! --Oklahoma
State!)
Shonda Brisco, MLIS
Trinity Valley MS / US Librarian
Trinity Valley School
Fort Worth, TX 76132
817-321-0100 ext. 410
briscos@trinityvalleyschool.org
"Those who have the highest expectations for the web in terms of student research,
are those who work
with it, and students, the least." -- LM_NET librarian
________________________________
From: School Library Media & Network Communications on behalf of Paula Yohe
Sent: Wed 3/23/2005 9:05 PM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: [LM_NET] Filtering Question
I will jump in on this discussion because i think it is a valid one --
I am a media specialist who is now the Director of Technology so I have the
pserpective from both sides of this issue
before i say anything -- i block nothing for teachers except the category of
explicit pornography becasue of CIPA -- --
For students as few catgeogries as possible -- explict sex categories -- personal
web-based email - chat rooms --Why -- we provide email accounts for students that
are accessible at home and at school -- - we do not allow home personal email
account access for students - we also provide forums for students to post
information and discussions
I unblock virutally anything a teacher requests - if the web address looks strange
- i look at it and if there is something that looks questionable -- i let someone
else decide (only had this happen one time in the last 7 years)
Do I like the system I have no --
I am changing again over the summer -- this will be the third filtering system --
So here goes --
1. Blocking email - you get complaints from staff that they are getting
inappropriate email -- why am i not blocking them? or you get complaints from
another group that email is being blocked --- If users get a virus from an email --
they complain that you should have been proactive and had this blocked -- never
mind that there are guidelines and suggestions posted --
2. blocking websites -- since i block very few --
i get complaints from teachers that they are searching and all of a sudden they get
something they think is porn and then I get why wasn't this blocked --- a student
may see it
3. Perception of media specialists by alot of tech folks --- unsupportive - hard to
deal with -- would allow kids access to anything they want including pornography --
too liberal --
4. Tech folks -- overworked -- not enough staff -- managing and maintaining
computers, email, viruses, fixing computers, printers, software installs, software
porblems, etc.
they are going for the quick fix to make their lives easier and in the pursuit of
keeping it all running
5. Some teachers and staff abuse the system -- nothing new here -- but how many
times have all of us put procedures into place becasue we had a problem with one or
two users ---and the complaints came in -- I have seen this not just in media
centers but in any issue -- just look at the headlines -- lawmakers do it almost
every day --
6. Acceptable Use Policy -- great in theory -- but that doens't work when mom comes
to call --- or a student is disciplined -- the little darlings are quick
7. Since my control is so slack -- the keybpoarding teachers complain -- can i just
turn off access to the Internet -- the kids download so much stuff they mess up the
machines -- so they can't teach -- kids are too quick -- they have 25 kids in a
room -- they can't check every computer during the four minutes between classes
8. My control is so slack -- that we are constantly dealing with Spyware - ADware
-- popups -- then the complaints come in -- with over 1500 computers and two folks
to fix everything -- it take some time to get to them -- and tell them to use
Spyware themsleves -- some try -- but we have found that we end up running three or
four spyware adware programs -- sometimes it is juts quicker to reimage the entire
machine.
9. We as media specialsists should have gotten on the phone and had these filtering
companies do what we wanted -- not what they wanted -- as a group we opposed
filtering --
and do I think it works personally not very well --
Is it going anywhere? No -- so we need to find out what filtering software is being
used in your school or dsitrct - and start emailing these companies ---
Paula
Robert Eiffert wrote:
Somewhere along the line, how tech depts have taken the lead on many
issues (filtering, login processes, webpage dev or constraints, software
selection, webusability) that really are decisions that should be being
made on a pedagogic basis would be really a good discussion.
Take a look at:
Internet Access & Filtering Issues - School of Library &
Information Science Indiana University Purdue - online
(http://eduscapes.com/sms/filtering.html)
Also (and probably a bit closer to what you are dealing with)
Just Give It to Me Straight: A Case Against Filtering the Internet - Phi
Delta Kappen (http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k0405cal.htm)
Especially look at Reason 2: Filtering Is Anti-Educational
From a public library POV :
Filtering is a Collection Development Issue
(http://webpages.charter.net/tomeboy/filters.html)
--
Robert Eiffert, Librarian
Pacific MS
Vancouver, WA
pac.egreen.wednet.edu/library
beiffert.net furl.net/members/reiffert bloglines.com/blog/reiffert
Kathy Ofsharick wrote:
> Sorry to be late commenting on this, but this is something which I find also find
>frustrating. Our computers were formerly filtered by our Intermediate Unit, and
>although there times that I couldn't get to something I wanted to look at to see
>if it was appropriate, on the whole I could get where I needed to go. Within the
>last few months our (controlling) tech person has installed his own filter, which
>doesn't necessarily look for personal email, but prevents the staff from viewing
>most of the sites we need to get to.
>
> To access something we feel we need, we must submit the site address to the
>building principal (who is unable to turn on his own computer), who then decides
>whether to submit it for unblocking. I'm still wavering between boycotting
>computer use altogether with students (not too difficult, since the library
>computers are so slow), or swamping them daily with unblocking requests. Of the
>sites I submitted last week, the only one he unblocked was Eric Carle's. We can't
>get to anything that's classified as a personal web page, and most things I want
>are blocked as Shopping/Merchandising, including every publisher's site or catalog
>that I frequently used, which also contain much biographical info on children's
>authors. These he refuses to unblock because "we aren't supposed to be shopping at
>school". I feel like submitting a bill for the increased Internet time I'm using
>at home. The blocked sites are announced in huge black letters as "FORBIDDEN",
>along with the reason, w
hich would be a little funny if it weren't so constantly inconvenient. My favorite
are the links to library jokes or cartoons from LM_NET, which are FORBIDDEN: HUMOR.
Wouldn't want any of that to leak through, now would we?
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Paula Yohe
Director Of Technology/Library Media Center
Dillon School District Two
405 West Washington Street
Dillon, SC 29536
Phone: 843-841-3604 Fax:843-774-1214
paula_yohe@yahoo.com
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Paula Yohe
Director Of Technology/Library Media Center
Dillon School District Two
405 West Washington Street
Dillon, SC 29536
Phone: 843-841-3604 Fax:843-774-1214
paula_yohe@yahoo.com
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