Re: [LM_NET] Filtering Question

[Paula Yohe <paula_yohe@YAHOO.COM>]

thanks
i can tell you why techs care -- they think that librarians would let kids get to 
anything -- the techs just want to make it work -- they look at viruses, etc. they 
then hear the constant complaints about that the computers are slow -- well if you 
don't have enough bandwidth and the kids are downloading huge music files, video, 
etc.  -- they just say block it -- it makes it work -- they move on --
they don't think like we do -- they are looking to make it work the fastes, most 
efficient way -- is that the correct attitude -- in some cases yes - in others no

I have folks who work for me as well as some contraced technicians that I have to 
watch -- one told me one day that we needed to block ecards --
my question -- why is that -- Answer - well they can have viruses, they take up 
bandwidth, --
my answer no -- we are not blocking ecards.

if they bring a legitimate concern to me - then we look at it and I inform the 
faculty and staff in the district to let them know that a change has been made -- 
if they have any problems or concerns to let me know and i will look into it.

That position has it pros and cons --
One day I received an irate email from a teacher who did not appreciate getting 
these type of pronographic emails and why wasn't I blocking it -- It was a viagra 
ad -- I told her to hit delete -- that I certainly could not keep up with every 
spelling variation -

Another day I received an irate email from a teacher who was doing a search on 
tropical islands --- in front of all of her students islandboys.com came up -- not 
blocked -- (WOW -- LM_NETTERS don't go there if you don't want to see something you 
don't want to see -- ) --

You will never satisify everyone but I try to keep faculty and staff informed --

Our current filter is crazy and too cumbersome

It blocks stuff it shoulnd't and heck I have two sites that no matter what I do -- 
I can't get them to work ---

so I have been investigating other choices and I am working on trying to get our 
state to put together a team of technology folks and media specialists to work on a 
RFP for a product that would meet our needs ---
Will keep you posted on the progress of that.

As far as recent postings about students getting around filters -- I have never 
seen a kid yet who doesn't try to beat the system --They wouldn't be kids if they 
didn't try --
I spent 23 years as a junior high media specialist before I went to the district 
office -- and if any group is trying to push the boundaries they --

By working together -- we can make a difference and provide students and teachers 
with what they need to work --
Paula


Robert Eiffert <beiffert@COMCAST.NET> wrote:
I applaud your philosophy and how it is implemented.

But not sure why a tech's opinion of my political positions or
educational philosophy would have any bearing. In big capital letters:
it is not their job to be setting policies!

Yup, that fits right to the unsupportive, yadda yadda. But then, they
are there for support of the educational process. Certainly, input on
problem solving (spam filter, anti-virus, anti-spyware) is appreciated.
A group of librarians reviewed the filter setting choices for our
district and made the recommendations (elem, middle, hs) that were
implemented by tech dept. Tech looked at the company choices, how that
company's products fit to our hardware system, considered possible
changes we would be doing, how open they were to input, etc. But the
actual implementation choices were done by educators.

We've not had a problem with our Acceptable Use Policy. Kids and
teachers know about it; parents have backed teachers and administration
when it needed to be enforced.

While it is not the most efficient method, I have been able to get
WebSense (our filter) to change the category on several sites. It would
have been easier to just open the site through our district process, but
then the company wouldn't have gotten the feedback.

Are you saying that stuff way out of category is blocked? I can see why
you'd be ready to change. How do you deal with stuff that misses being
blocked that should be?


--
Robert Eiffert, Librarian
Pacific MS
Vancouver, WA
pac.egreen.wednet.edu/library
beiffert.net furl.net/members/reiffert bloglines.com/blog/reiffert

Paula Yohe wrote:
> 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.

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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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