I really, really, really wish educators would not use the term "spyware"
when referring to totally appropriate monitoring tools. Do you refer to a
general search of student lockers as "spying" on students?
Spyware is software that someone else tricks people into installing onto
their personal computer that can then track how the person is using the
Internet and possible track keystrokes and is used for the purpose of
directing banner advertising and identify theft.
When students use the Internet through the district Internet system, their
use should be for a limited educational purpose. They should understand that
they have only a limited privacy interest in their online activities -- that
all use is generally monitored by staff and can be monitored technically and
that a specific search of their online activities will occur if there is a
reasonable suspicion of misuse. If this sounds familiar, it is the "locker
search" standard.
There are three kinds of monitoring tools.
1. Real time monitoring systems. These systems can provide real time view of
the monitor of any computer in a lab or even the school.
2. Minimal monitoring capacities build into filtering software -- this
generally only picks up on when students or staff try to use keywords that
are seeking to find holes in the filter. A user who is getting lots of
blocked sites is likely trying to find a similar site that is not yet
blocked.
3. Intelligent content analysis. This kind of monitoring system reviews all
Internet traffic using a sophisticated keyword in context analysis in an
effort to pick up on traffic that has indicators (presents a reasonable
suspicion) of concern. There is only one product I know that does this --
Vericept. I wish there were more products.
The best use of any monitoring system is for deterrence. If students know
that there is a high likelihood that their misuse will be detected, they are
less likely to engage in misuse.
In my opinion, students should not be using MySpace at school -- period.
There is no or insufficient educational purpose in this activity. I
thoroughly support the use of educationally-based social networking/blog
tools, but not the commercial, non-educational sites. Allowing student use
on these sites from school is just asking for trouble.
If student off-campus activity on MySpace or other sites is interfering with
the school climate or the well-being of any student, the best way to find
this out is to have an effective reporting and response system so that
students will report concerning posts to the school. Students are probably
the best monitors.
Nancy
> Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2006 11:52:58 -0400
> From: "Roseneau, Mary Hope" <em8634@BEAUFORT.K12.SC.US>
> Subject: Spyware to monitor myspace.com
>
> Does anyone know of a spyware program that a school or a district could
> purchase to monitor myspace.com? I know of several packages for parent
> use, but wondered about educational institutions' use.
> Mary Hope Roseneau
--
Nancy Willard, M.S., J.D.
Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use
http://csriu.org
http://cyberbully.org
nwillard@csriu.org
Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats: Responding to the Challenge of Online Social
Cruelty, Threats, and Distress, a resource for educators, is now available
online at http://cyberbully.org.
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