Via Edutopia
Diigo excerpts from an article by Grace Rubenstein
Just a few months after his promotion from network manager to director of information systems of the Racine Unified School District last summer, Tim Peltz made a revolutionary move: he removed the firewalls that had blocked students from many parts of the Internet. He didn’t just remove a brick here and there. He tore those walls completely down.
In a back-to-school letter to faculty and staff, Peltz announced that students could now access almost all websites, online chats and discussion boards, streaming video, Skype, and Web-based e-mail services like Gmail. He even opened up the two sites that seem to scare the pants off many school administrators – Facebook and YouTube. The only content blocked was “adult” (sexual) sites and what Peltz calls “hardcore extreme views,” such as the websites of violent gangs. Students had to log in each time they used a school computer, so administrators could identify anyone who misbehaved online.
Peltz is passionate about teaching with technology and opening Web access because he believes it’s (a) a powerful way to engage students, and (b) the only way to teach kids how to safely and productively use technologies that they will use -– and misuse — whether the school restricts them or not. (Case in point: one Racine high school student last year made a video of a fight and posted it to YouTube using his cell phone -– no school Internet access needed.)
Most districts are especially cautious about Web access because they fear losing their federal E-rate telecommunications discount if they violate the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), Peltz said. Peltz’s take: “I feel that if teachers and staff are showing the kids how to use the technology in an appropriate, productive manner, we’ll be in compliance.”
What do you think? Bold progress or brash mistake? Have you had any successes or lessons learned that you’d share?
Read the full article here at edutopia.org
