Class+6+-+Feb+22nd

Synthesis of Class 6

Should we establish national web filtering guidelines?

Summary of Reading The article questions whether web based information should be filtered. As with any debate, there are those who say YES and those who say NO.

Those who say Yes: · Even having to ask the question “should we have web filtering?” implies that people do not realize how dangerous some online information can be · We should also expect some parts of the internet to be off limits to our children and our students Those who say No: So just how dangerous are the sites?
 * Instead of attempting to cut our children off from inappropriate material, we should give them the tools they need to safely navigate the web
 * One study suggests that about 40% of eating-disorder patients visited pro-anorexia sites
 * Students and teachers must learn to avoid this material and to use the internet responsibly

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Reflection on Reading Personally, I think that schools should institute web filtering guidelines. While students and families are free to do what they like at home, the school environment should be free of inappropriate web material. Obviously it isn’t always easy to know what to filter, but I think we can all agree that there are some pretty obvious candidates out there.

On another note, I think we have to remember that students don’t have to view the material themselves in order to be harmed by it. A case in point is child pornography which can seriously harm children even when they themselves have nothing to do with the internet.

As for sites which do target students, why don’t we get rid of them? It’s a fairly simple thing to do. Sure it would be nice to “give students the tools they need…blah, blah, blah” but the reality is that life isn’t that simple. Adults are quick to criticize young people for making stupid and irrational decisions, yet we’re asking them to safely navigate the web.

The OSAPAC The OSAPAC offers a nice huge list of software which can definitely come in handy.

One of the pieces of software I can see myself using in the classroom is Froguts Dissection Software.

Now there is a debate going on in biology about whether or not wet dissection (the real stuff) is always better than virtual dissection. While I admit that you may never forget the experience of dissecting a real animal, that fact may have more to do with how repulsed you were rather than how much you learned. For those who do not have the stomach for dissection, Froguts is an excellent alternative. It also caters to students who have an ethical issue with dissecting frogs.

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The issue of Copyright Questions of copyright arise all the time these days; including in classrooms. I think the best way for teachers to know how to avoid the copyright pitfalls is for teachers to learn about copyright law. Having said that, where do we draw the line? Even before downloading became a word teachers broke copyright laws by bringing in movies from their at home collection and showing them in class. Was that wrong?

Personally, I haven’t decided on where I stand (morally speaking) on this issue. But obviously, it’s best not to get caught breaking any law…even the lame copyright ones.



Creative Commons

This non-profit organization may be the solution to our copyright problems. They have created and released several creative commons licenses which give creators to keep some rights and get rid of others. In other words, this organization will help expand the range of material available for legal use.