Slow Chromebooks and Blocked Websites
A Look Into The Cause and Impact of Slow Loading Screens and Blocked Websites
By: Jordynn Andrew
Have you recently opened your chromebook and have been met with a blue rotating circle in the middle of your screen? Frustrating, right? Well, that’s the reality many students at Copley High School have to deal with due to the administration blocking the use of numerous websites from the school chromebooks. The purpose of the blockade of these websites is overall to create a “safe, focused learning environment” as stated by Lance Green, our school's director of technology. Mr. Green also stated that the reasons for the blocked websites are for student safety, legal requirement by the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), and educational focus.
Now, let’s get into how these blockades are put into place. The filtering of these websites are managed through a cloud based system where the rules are applied based on the student’s CFCS Google Account. With this filtering put in place, if a student tries to access a website that isn’t categorized yet, the filter will scan the content and attempt to categorize it “on the fly”. So, when your see a loading screen on your chromebook, it probably is due to the filtering system trying scan the website to determine if you can safely access it.
Without a doubt, these blockades and filters work to keep students safe from any harmful material online; however, these filters aren’t perfect. Sometimes, educational sites can be blocked from students and teachers to access. When this happens, many feel that it is a disruption to their learning, or just outright creates a feeling of upset and irritation. I interviewed a few students in the school to get their opinions on this issue. Most are against the action of blocking certain websites, and their explanations as to why are quoted below:
Ava Bearshak, a junior at Copley High School, stated in the interview that the action by the school to block numerous websites from use on the chromebooks is “horrible,” while also mentioning that "unnecessary" websites have been blocked as a result. Now, Ava is referring to how many educational and scholarly websites have been recently blocked due to the filters set in place by the tech department. Some of these websites include Quizlet, MyBib; a free citation generator, Duolingo, and many more websites that can be used for scholarly purposes. This adds an obstacle for students to conduct research for their homework or writing assignments, as well as the ability to use studying tools.
Collin Witherspoon, an outspoken senior here at Copley, explained during the interview the following: “For all the renovations that we’ve done for the school, you would think at least our connection would be strong, we need to work on the little things first like fidelity issues.” Collin clearly shows his disappointment for the slow loading screens of the chromebooks. He believes that as the school improves more and more, so should the quality of the chromebooks issued by the school.
In the end, the action by the school to block websites on the chromebooks is to keep the students here at Copley safe and to promote a “safe, focused learning environment.” It can be acknowledged that these website blockages are efficient do a great job at protecting the students from viewing inappropriate or harmful content on their chromebooks. However, the action to protect students safety shouldn’t hinder their education. So, I hope that the school and tech department can hear the statements of their fellow students and teachers, and hopefully improve these current conditions. Copley High School has definitely seen some improvements in the past year, so now we just need the quality, and loading time, of the chromebooks to match the status.