Internet Access and Safety for Schools

by Suzette Nielson

Technology Requirements for Schools

• Federal laws NCLB requiring schools use technology for management and teaching applications. 

• National Education Technology Standards adopted by states.(NETS)

Internet Access and Safety 

CHALLENGES• Technology Infrastructure • Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA)• Filters• E-ratings• Philosophy:  restrict vs. teach• Social Networking Sites• Privacy Laws

Infrastructure

Schools are working towards upgrading their current technology systems to support new applications.

Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA) 

Schools are required to restrict access to sites that may be harmful to students.  Pornography sites and other sites where pedophiles may have access to students are targeted.

Network Filters

Districts are balancing internet safety and internet access by creating filters with levels of restrictions that differentiate between the individual users needs or groups of users, such as staff, secondary, and primary students. 

E-Ratings 

Resources to upgrade technology access are available to districts through an application process.

Philosophy Shift

Schools are beginning to recognize the impossibility of protecting students from all potentially harmful sites, and a better strategy is empowering students and parents by teaching them how to navigate the potential dangers.

Social Media

Districts are now seeing inclusion of social media access as a calculated risk if they are to succeed in connecting students to learning beyond the classroom. 

Conclusion

The Race to the Top is fueling energy for schools to make changes that will meet the needs of students in the 21st Century.  Public and Private sectors have recognized the U.S. must make changes in education in order to create a competitive work force and are instituting requirements that force schools to adapt current practices. Considering the size of the bureaucracy of public education, and the rapid pace at which technology has grown, schools are making giant strides towards meeting the goal of digital learning.