Blocking useful Websites
As teachers, it is important for us to constantly challenge and engage our students. One way of doing this, is by getting them interested in things that they like to do. The internet is a great way to get students involved in learning. Students will be more apt to take an interest in an assignment if they enjoy doing it. However, teachers face the problem of the school systems blocking a lot of useful resources and websites. Yes, there are websites out there that should be blocked. However, I do not think that websites like voicethread or wikispaces should be some of them. I particularly love the voicethread website. I believe it is a creative way to hear student feedback, and also allow them to create their own projects. Some content on voicethread may be inappropriate, but this should not cause it to be blocked. I remember when I was in high school the library had computers that were inside there own cubicles. This made it easy to view restricted material, if one wished to do so. With this being said, isn’t it our responsibility as teachers to monitor our students? If computer labs and libraries were set-up to where the monitors could easily be seen by everyone, then this would deter students form looking up inappropriate websites. I mean lets be realistic, the students have access to internet other than just at school, if they want to view restricted websites badly enough; then they will find a way to do so. Why should we limit our students to certain websites, when these sites are beneficial to them? In a world where technology advances everyday, it is our responsibility to see to it that our students advance right along.
