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I agree 100% David The kids don't know much about privacy and really have not clue about alot of dangers on the Internet. This is one of the main reasons I allow kids to ask to have websites unblocked When they ask about Facebook, Myspace, etc. I tell them why the site is blocked during the school day. And some of the reasons are: the State pays for Internet use and it is for instruction. I also tell them they should talk to their parents, teacher, guidance counselor or media specialist about using these sites on the Internet. I send some links to articles on problems real students have had with these websites and finally I send them to the links on my website for kids about Internet safety. I also use bulk email to send short tidbits on using the Internet, email, etc. I am in the process of setting up Moodle and am going to use for Wiki, blogs, and then move to try and let students do their own thing -- with oversight -- and safety I hope I am in the process of putting together procedures for these things -- and if most recall I asked for others procedures I had alot of responses but they were for me to post a hit. So I guess that means I will be writing one - and will post when finished --- "Wee, David" <dwee@HW.COM> wrote: > Hello, > > I've been trying to avoid weighing in on all of > these discussions, but I can't resist joining this > one. > > Paula's point about lack of educational use for My > Space or Facebook is well taken as I have not yet, > personally, seen or heard of any examples of > educational uses of either. I had some teachers > interested in trying to use social networking to do > a project, but we could not find a social networking > platform that met our Administration's comfort level > for privacy, etc. so the project went in another > direction. > > That being said, however, I also cannot agree with > some educators' knee jerk responses to the > MySpace/Facebook issue that effectively amount to > pretending that social networking doesn't exist. > Banishing social networking from the kingdom doesn't > mean that students aren't accessing and using them > and unless we ask we won't ever know what kids are > ACTUALLY doing with them. It is very much an > emerging technology. In the book Wikinomics, Don > Tapscott gives numerous examples of ways that > corporations from Boeing to BMW to Geek Squad, are > BEGINNING to use collaborative computing and > communication platforms to change the way that they > do what their work. As educators we need to > understand that our students are doing the same > kinds of things. Believe me, I AM NOT one of those > people who immediately wants to go set up my > library's Facebook profile, but I AM saying that we > need to make a serious effort to understand HOW kids > are using technology so we know what policies will > be right for our institutions. > > I know, for example, that even though we provide > school e-mail accounts, that students in our school > are, indeed, organizing themselves into study groups > for courses that they set up themselves in Facebook. > I don't know numbers or percentages, but students > I've asked confirm that, that is indeed happening. > For many (but by no means all) Facebook is their > online communication medium of choice. > > In the interest of full disclosure, we banned access > to Facebook and MySpace in our library very early on > a few years ago as kids DID spend unreasonable > amounts of time surfing profiles so there might be > very legitimate reasons to block access to Facebook > and My Space. I just don't want to see us chuck the > baby out with the bathwater and just because > blocking access was right two years ago, doesn't > mean that blocking them now is still the right thing > to do. Indeed, if we revisit our policy and decide > that blocking is still right, that won't mean that > blocking will be right two years from now. The > technology is emergent and changing so I think that > it only makes sense that our policies are the same. > > > Personally, I also worry that students are woefully > informed about privacy. I have found that some of my > middle schoolers have some very wrong perceptions > about Facebook networks which makes them very ill > prepared to make good privacy choices. Perhaps > there is NOTHING wrong with Facebook Beacon, but I > have serious reservations that a majority of my kids > know enough to make that determination for > themselves well. If I choose to ignore the > existence of social networks, I see very few other > people on campus who are well equipped to educate > them. If anything, I'd like every other adult on > campus to be able to talk to kids about this issue > and the way that I see it, FINDING a way to use > social networking in school might be the best way to > make that dialog happen. > > Just my 150 cents. > > > Dave Wee, Librarian > Harvard-Westlake Middle School > 700 North Faring Road > Los Angeles, CA 90077 > dwee@hw dot com > > "The fact that she had a nut for a head made it hard > for her mind to grasp new ideas." > ~~ Miss Hickory, Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, 1946 ~~ > > ________________________________ > > From: School Library Media & Network Communications > on behalf of Paula Yohe > Sent: Fri 11/30/2007 4:12 PM > To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU > Subject: Re: [LM_NET] Website that lets kids access > myspace, etc > > > > LOL Nancy I can't wait for someone to tell you > myspace > is an educational activity. > And then I can't wait for the next posting where > someone is bound to say -- I have academic freedom. > > And I want those folks who seem to think that > anything > goes -- need to start looking at the bandwidth > > My next biggest complaint is the Internet is so > slow. > Well when have the place is trying to watch American > Idol -- download music - etc. it takes up bandwidth > and heaven forbid when you try to block it or limit > the bandwidth. > I actually have adults complaining to me about how > slow some of the things they are trying to do are > and by gosh -- I just didn't know that watching TV > shows in an office was work related -- but hey - > let's > remeber free and unfettered Internet access. > > I would love to - but with 4000 users and a 10mg > circuit -- hey you just can't do everything -- > It;s kind of like getting your paycheck -- you have > so > much money and you have to prioritze what is more > important... > Is that a radical concept? -- > > SInce I am a librarian I block as little as possible > and have a different filters for different age > groups/ > > I have traffic monitoring software in place -- and > when the traffic starts hitting 50% or more - I look > to see what sites are taking up bandwidth > > And for just once - I would like to see it be > instructional -- instead - I find -- radio stations, > TV shows, on-line college classes that teachers are > taking, etc. > > I also allow teachers and students to request to > have > websites unblocked and they are normally unblocked > in > a matter of a few minutes unless there is an > emergency > and everyone in my office is away from their desks. > > SOmetimes legitimate sites have been blocked - but > inthe majority of cases -- the website was spelled > wrong -- or they tried to guess at what the website > should be -- > and I go and find the correct website and copy and > paste the URL into the email. > > Legitimate sites that I have found blocked -- have > been very few. > > Now I know that is not the case in alot of places -- > it takes alot of time and effort to provide this > much > flexibilty... > And I think because I am a librarian -- I take the > time to do it -- > but alot of folks aren't librarians and one size > fits > all for them. > > I disagree but before you start crtiticizing the IT > staff - you need to find out how many staff members > they have - how many computers are in the district, > what type of access to the Internet does your > district > have, how many servers, how many software > applpications -- > SOmetimes you have to choose -- > If you have a very small staff --and alot of servers > and software applications -- you are going to spend > your time there -- the most people you can keep > functioning. > > Try to remember those things when you start > criticizing yout IT dept. > > --- Nancy Willard <nwillard@CSRIU.ORG> wrote: > > > The reason students should not be accessing > MySpace > > and the like from > > schools is that is not an educational activity. > > Internet use in school > > should be for educational purposes. Further there > > are some liability risks - > === message truncated === 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 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Get easy, one-click access to your favorites. Make Yahoo! your homepage. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs -------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book. 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