Digital Access

Many schools are still very cautious regarding opening up internet access for fear of law suits, negative publicity, or even worse.  While more schools every day move to reform and liberalize their internet and digital access policies, many still maintain a blanket policy of blocking access as the default position, as pointed out in several recent blog posts from education commentators.  But rather than locking down internet access, many thoughtful commentators point out "we should be opening it up and teaching our students the value and importance of responsible access - what they access, how and when they participate, and what they share."  Its just good [digital] citizenship.

In an Edutopia blog post last March, "Beyond the Ban: Revisiting In-School Internet Access", the author points out how the federal laws, originally intended to protect children from unscrupulous profiteering companies, have been mistakenly interpreted to justify broad banning of all social media and many other sites (such as YouTube). "It was never the intention of these laws [FERPA, COPPA, CIPA] to require schools to ban teachers and students from accessing the Internet for the purpose of learning."

Is this what it feels like planning a lesson with digital content?

The dangers, of course, are real - nefarious individuals and raunchy content - and even the staunchest advocates of liberalizing school policies don't dismiss or diminish them.  But our response should not be to pretend we can block out the digital world.  Rather, we need to teach our students good digital citizenship, online safety, respect for privacy (theirs and others), and proper ethics.  As Tom Whitby points out, students have a digital life and a digital footprint.  Blocking it at school only serves to disconnect school from their reality.  Our policy should be focused on guiding students to be smart, self-protective, ethical, and productive online.

One example is social media, completely banned at many schools.  At Burlington, MA high school, social media - Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are part of everyday life.  In his blog post, Patrick Larkin, Asst Superintendent at BPS, points out "when students are empowered to share their learning, to take social responsibility, and to connect with a broader audience, they take great pride in their work."