Random Thoughts and Questions to Ask When Deciding Whether to Manage Content (Questions from CoSN. Random thoughts from Wolinsky)

How will students use the Internet?
Will there be adequate access so that it can be a tool for students rather than a resource controlled by teachers? We may want ubiquitous access, but the realities of access may color our decisions.

Do you want students to be able to direct their own learning or is it more important for teachers to retain control of what goes on in the classroom?
Will it be a tool for students or a resource controlled by teachers?

Should different standards be applied, based on the age of the student?
I don’t know that there is much to argue about here, but the ability to filter differentially has direct impact on the nature of the solution you select.

Should school employees be subject to the same rules as students, to their own set of rules or to no rules?
This is very much a local decision, because there is no requirement under CIPA to protect or monitor adults.

Would you prefer to simply monitor how students and employees use the Internet, rather than blocking their access to sites?

Packet sniffing technology is a new entry into the educational arena. Interestingly, CIPA had spurred significant crossover from the business world into a market that was all but non-existent a year ago.

At this time, it appears that the use of packet sniffing software now offers districts that don’t want to filter a way of doing just that. However, the privacy issues it may pose will be a problem to many.

Are there other issues that you want to address at the same time?
Hackers, viruses, advertising, third party collection of student data and other issues may be something you want to include in your actual program, but unless you want to be here for another three hours, put this on your to-do list.

How will school officials respond if students are found to be accessing inappropriate material?
Let’s broaden that to, How will school officials respond if students violate the Acceptable Use Policy? AUPs must be enforced, but each case needs to be handled consistently, yet individually. A zero-tolerance position on AUP violations is usually not a good tactic.

What strategies will your school district use to teach "information literacy?"
Do you see Information Literacy as a topic that must be covered before going online or do you see it as a way of life?

Questions to Consider When Evaluating Content Management Products

As you read this section take into account packet sniffing software that is now available, as well as emerging technologies such as flesh tone filters and AI filters.

Who should make the decision on what kind of sites are blocked or accessed?

Regardless, CIPA has taken one of those decisions away from schools, but what school would approve of students accessing pornography. Yet, this is the center of much of the controversy in CIPA. There is universal agreement that no filter can block all the pornography and every filter that attempts to block pornography also blocks many other sites inappropriately. The more aggressively you filter the more legitimate educational material you block.

If a third party will make the decision…

Does that party provide blocking consistent with your educational philosophy, and your community standards? Who makes those decisions?

What kinds of content are you concerned about?
Are you primarily concerned about children's access to pornography and obscenity, or are you concerned about their access to materials on topics such as weapons, hate groups and alternative lifestyles?

What has the experience been with the solution you propose to use?
This too is part of the controversy over CIPA. The perception of the experience is not necessarily the reality of the experience. The perception of the reality also depends on your perspective.

How are users notified when they try to access a blocked site?
Some systems tell you that tried to access something that is inappropriate, while other give a more generic message for all blocked content? Does this make a difference?

Does the proposed solution address other forms of content besides just Web sites?
Does it provide tools for controlling such things as e-mail, access to chat rooms, and Instant Messaging? Is it important for your solution to include that kind of functionality?

How easy would it be for a child to hack into and disable a particular filtering solution?
How much does this factor weigh in your solution?

Does the proposed solution incorporate advertising messages? Will third parties be able to collect information about how your students are accessing the Internet?
The idea of business and schools together is looked on the relationship as symbiotic and others as parasitic.

If your students speak many different languages, does your proposed solution control access to sites written in languages other than English?
If this is important to you, your choice of solutions will be narrower.

How will the proposed solution serve your district in the future?
TCO, hand held access, system growth and other factors must be examined.