Module 4 Discussion Posting

“Is it more unethical to allow threats to students/schools (i.e., protecting students from objectionable content; protecting schools/personnel from security threats; protecting network bandwidth from "hogs"; etc.) or to deny students/teachers access to instructionally-relevant Web-based tools and content?

Issue: To block or not to block educational/instructionally relevant Web-based tools and content. A secondary question that becomes quite relevant is the identity of the individual making the decision about blocking portion of the Internet—it would be my assumption that more than one person would have input, but that an administrator, perhaps with the assistance of a risk manager and/or legal counsel would likely be making the final decision rather than an educator in the classroom.

Applicable Rules: Common law doctrine known as in loco parentis (“in place of a parent”), which defines the rights of students while at school in the United States. This commonly adhered to belief system establishes the school’s authority over students literally standing in for their parents while the student is at school. This boundary or parameter, upheld time and time again by the Appellate Courts, puts schools as entities and their employees as individuals in the position of needing to ensure the safety and well-being of minors and proscribes penalties for the failure to do so.

“Computer Ethics for Educators,” as described in Figure 8-20 on page 484 of the textbook outlines the general guidelines that teachers must follow; however, teachers are also held to the standards of abuse and neglect as described in Florida Statutes Chapter 39, which involve the exposure of minors to detrimental material online, along with the Children’s Internet Protection Act, as described in the textbook on page 492.

Analysis: Courts have struggled since the foundation of this country to balance the issues of safety and privacy. This struggle is especially poignant when children are involved. In attempting to arrive at a place where children are safe, privacy and access to the outside world have been sacrificed. My Juvenile Public Defendant colleagues continue to protest the intrusion of the government into children’s lives, contending that children should not be treated differently than their adult counterparts when it comes to the privacy and ability to choose their path, but that has not been the reality.

Recent comments by iKeepSafe President, Marsali Hancock, reveal that students and adults look at the issue from very different perspectives. See her comments and the blog begun by a high school student on Education.com here: http://ikeepsafe.blogspot.com/2009/09/educationcom-should-schools-ban-or.html.

These (and other readily available) comments demonstrate that there are those who contend for a happy medium—access to Web-based educational and instructional sites under the careful supervision of teachers. Yet, if this is to be so, time and effort and careful attention are required.

Dr. Sampson, a researcher at Florida State University, updated his 2002 article entitled “Quality and Ethics in Internet-Based Guidance” in 2006, stating that “Maintaining quality and ethics in Internet-based guidance applications is the shared responsibility of funding agents, policy makers, developers, practitioners, users, and researchers and evaluators.” His article, among others, demonstrates that if we are to be successful in presenting Web based learning to children, each part of the process must be at the table.

Conclusion: Until there is a viable method of ensuring the safety and well-being of students in place, it is far better to shield students from the potential exposure to inappropriate web-content. Having said that, the benefits of Web-based educational/instructional content can be so valuable that working towards the methodology of utilizing it safely in the classroom is a worthwhile endeavor.

Citations:

Hancock, M. (2009). Education.com: Should Schools Ban or Restrict Internet Use by Students Because Some Mis-use it?. Retrieved from http://ikeepsafe.blogspot.com/2009/09/educationcom-should-schools-ban-or.html on September 20, 2009.

Sampson, J. P. (2002) Quality and Ethics in Internet-Based Guidance. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, Volume 2, Number 3, pgs. 157-171. Revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date, DOI: 10.1023/A:1020665316813.

Shelly, Cashman, Gunter, and Gunter. Teachers Discovering Computers: Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom, 5th Ed., Course Technology - Thompson Publishing (2008). ISBN: 1423911806