Internet Filters and Acceptable Use Policies: By Kelli Mohn
As more and more technology and Internet-based tools are being used in classrooms, school districts have adopted guidelines called an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) to help prevent technology users from engaging with inappropriate online content and to monitor how students and staff use the Internet. Each AUP is different but defines topics like copyright/ownership and privacy, and explains prohibited practices and consequences for violating the agreement.
Walt Maguire is a freelance writer that reports on K-12 instructional technology. He interviewed a computer specialist for a Michigan public school district about their filtering software and how their district works to keep the Internet safe for their students. He listed reasons to monitor the Internet, described email filtering, and gave a list of recommendations for setting up Internet filters.
Reasons to monitor Internet usage:
Knowing when traffic is heaviest allows bandwidth to be monitored and resources to be efficiently allocated.
Maintenance updates can occur during slow periods.
E-Mail Filtering
Email filters help reduce the amount of virus, phishing and spam content that reach email users. The filters search emails for suspicious content. Flagged emails are automatically moved to a spam folder.
Web Filtering System Recommendations
Create a ".vbs rule," which isolates potentially dangerous ".vbs" attachments.
Make sure to have virus protection software from a leading anti-virus software maker.
Block executable files that arrive via e-mail which can launch potentially dangerous worms and viruses.
Isolate HTML files that carry suspect script words and phrases.
Allow educators to manually add or remove sites from the Web filter. This allows for more people to spot inappropriate sites and also identify sites that are being unintentionally blocked.
Allow an administrator to set limits that allow certain users specific access, in keeping with the Acceptable Use Policy.
Reports should be based on content category, user groups, file transfer types, or access time.
My school district uses Securly to monitor student devices and Internet usage. We recently upgraded to a more expensive version that provides teachers with more monitoring capabilities and more detailed reports. Below is a press release from Securly to describe the newest features of Securly 8.0.
Securly: What is it and how does it work?
Securly is a student safety and device management tool for K-12 schools. It allows teachers to view everything happening on student desktops and browsers. Teachers can also see a list of applications that students have running and it gives teachers the power to close them remotely. Teachers can also push websites to student devices, screen their share with students, lock students to a single site or to a list of sites, limit the number of tabs that students can have open, remotely close student tabs, create custom blocklists, review class summary reports with browsing history, enable hand raising, and allow 2-way chat with students.
References:
Maguire, W. (2002). Filtering Software & Internet Safety. What does your school’s Acceptable Use Policy for Internet usage actually say? Filtering software is being used high and wide in schools. MEDIA AND METHODS, 39(1), 8–9.
PR Newswire. (2021). Enhanced Windows Support for Securly Classroom Gives Teachers More Visibility and Management of Student Devices. PR Newswire US.
Comment by Morgan Dorsky
I appreciate the concise way that you put this and the informative nature of your post! These recommendations are easy to follow but can have major benefits when it comes to the safety of our internet usage! I especially appreciate allowing educators to add to the list of acceptable and inappropriate sites, because we all know how quickly things can change on the internet and how quickly word gets around about certain things among students, so allowing educators to be able to monitor and update this is imperative!
The Importance of Acceptable Use Policies and Digital Citizenships
Elise Bennett
As technology is being applied in schools, security for students using the devices is crucial. School districts have adopted an agreement between students, guardians, and the school to keep students safe online. This agreement is called an Acceptable Use Policy, or AUP. With additional software or online tools that become available for students to use, this policy provides opportunities for students and parents to understand the risks that could be harmful or inappropriate. As a result, students need to understand digital citizenship. Students will succeed if they learn how to successfully navigate the internet safely and responsibly.
Digital citizenship is the ability to use technology in an appropriate way. Students develop skills that help them engage with the digital community in a healthy and non-risky way. According to How to Teach Your Students the 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship there are several elements that will teach students to be safe and inform them when they are on their devices. Digital access allows students to connect with others using the internet. Digital etiquette is teaching students to treat others with respect when using the internet. Using appropriate behavior and understanding the consequences of cyberbullying are beneficial to them. Digital rights and responsibilities are the rights that students have on the internet. Everyone has the right to freedom of speech, but they need to learn to respect others privacy and treat others with admiration. Digital law is a set of rules or procedures for using the internet at school. For example, informing students when it is appropriate to use technology in schools. Digital communication is informing students how to communicate safely and appropriately online when texting, emailing, or on social media. Digital health and wellness involve teaching students about appropriate screen time. Psychological well-being is important to remember when using the internet. Digital security is informing students about viruses, scams, or strangers online.
As Acceptable Use Policies are handed out for students and parents to read and sign, it is also important for them to understand why the district creates AUPs and why digital citizenship is taught. The benefits of digital citizenship help develop practices that are healthy for students. Technology is becoming so prevalent in schools that parents, teachers, and administrators must be concerned about cyberbullying and misuse of the internet. As students become better digital citizens, they will have a better understanding of how to use technology.
References
How to teach your students the 9 elements of Digital Citizenship. Waterford.org. (2021, October 7). Retrieved November 26, 2022, from https://www.waterford.org/education/digital-citizenship-activities-and-tips/
Comment by Chloe Pozderac
I love that you discussed AUP in terms of digital citizenship. Throughout my years of schooling, I never realized that the AUP was there to protect us. I thought it was put in place to keep us from being distracted in school settings with non-academic things such as social media. Having a healthy honest dialogue with students is a great way to encourage them to protect themselves while online. Here is a playlist of videos demonstrating ways other teachers have taught digital citizenship to their students. This playlist is created by ISTE, International Society for Technology in Education. ISTE is a fantastic resource to further learn what educators, students, leaders, and coaches can do to educate on digital citizenship. In a previous class, we had an entire project devoted to digital citizenship. From that project, I gathered a list of great resources about digital citizenship in education or aspects of digital citizenship.
Digital Citizenship Curriculum | Common Sense Education. (2022). Common Sense Media. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/curriculum
Google. (2022). Be Internet Awesome. Be Internet Awesome - A Program to Teach Kids Online Safety. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us
International Society for Technology in Education. (2017, October 30). The New Digital Citizenship | Empower Proactive Digital Learners. YouTube. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=45&v=NOYu35BbMNU&feature=emb_logo
ISTE. (2018, October 11). Rethinking digital citizenship. YouTube. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwKTYHBG5kk&t=1s
Ribble, M. (2019, March 15). 5 Things About Effective Digital Citizenship You Need to Know. YouTube. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfJKvtTtoTU
Stauffer, B. (2021, November 29). 5 Ways to Reduce Computer Time in Your Classroom When Using Digital Resources. Applied Educational Systems. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/ways-reduce-computer-time-your-classroom
Wilson, D., & Conyers, M. (2017, January 4). 4 Proven Strategies for Teaching Empathy. Edutopia. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/4-proven-strategies-teaching-empathy-donna-wilson-marcus-conyers
Zook, C. (2019, January 10). Top 7 Best Empathy Lesson Plans for Middle School. Applied Educational Systems. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/top-7-best-empathy-lesson-plans-and-why-you-need-the
Bring Your Own Device Initiatives
and the Social-Emotional Development of 21st Century Students
Tristan Silver
School is more than just a place for students to gain knowledge in mathematics and language arts—it is also a place where they are able to socialize, developing social competencies such as learning to share, working in groups, and learning the boundaries of acceptable conduct in a public space (Robson, 2013). Those who have worked in education fields throughout the COVID-19 pandemic are intimately familiar with how important school is in supporting the healthy social-emotional development of children. Following lockdown lifts and the return of students to the classroom after months of virtual schooling, it became apparent that a severe social-emotional backslide had occurred among students who, on top of the high amounts of stress and uncertainty they experienced throughout the pandemic, could not safely socialize with other kids the way they had been able to in the past.
The use of social media is as important to students’ lives outside of school as peer socialization is within school and a ban on cell phone and/or social media usage within school is just as disruptive to the development of the modern student as being unable to see their peers is. We all expect that students jump onto Roblox, Twitter, and TikTok when the final bell rings, but to ignore that digitally ingrained life outside of school in favor of an unplugged school life leaves students to completely fend for themselves in the navigation of the digital world. This leaves students with all the power of digital technology at their fingertips without the support that guides ethical development, resulting in situations where they conduct activities—such as duplicating software, clicking a link in a phishing email, or publicly sharing location information—that could bring harm to themselves or others without the capacity to understand why those actions are unwise. In a cross-generational conversation regarding digital media and ethics conducted by Harvard University’s Goodplay Project (2009), it was found that teens are least likely to engage in ethical thinking, that is, “thinking in abstract terms about the effects of one’s actions on the online community,” (Alberta Education, 2012, p. 10) and that adults are more consistently able to engage in ethical thinking about digital dilemmas, suggesting that adult guidance is needed to lead youth to become responsible digital citizens.
Certainly, cell phone and social media usage within a school setting is something that can also be interruptive to students’ learning experience, which is why the implementation of an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is paramount when allowing these activities to be conducted in the classroom. One of the most important factors in the development of an AUP is that it is created collaboratively through the involvement of all stakeholders—administrators, teachers, parents, and yes, even students. A more community-oriented development process fosters a stronger sense of ownership among stakeholders in the finalized AUP and helps students to better understand what a policy stipulates, why it is necessary, and generate buy-in to its guidelines (Consortium for School Networking, 2011).
References
Alberta Education. (2012). Digital Citizenship Policy Development Guide. In Alberta Education.
Consortium for School Networking. (2011). Acceptable Use Policies in a Web 2.0 & Mobile Era: A Guide for School Districts. In Consortium for School Networking.
Global Kids, Harvard University’s GoodPlay Project & Commons Sense Media (2009). Meeting of Minds: Cross-Generational Dialogue on the Ethics of Digital Life.
Robson, K. (2013). Socialization in the Schooling Process. In Sociology of Education in Canada. Pearson Canada.