I have know for a long time that Google technology scanned my emails and popped up ads that were meant just for me. My husband and I used to play games to see how quick new ads would pop up to match what we were emailing. Somehow the idea that the searches themselves would be different, outside of the ads, didn't occur to me. What does Goggle think I need to know about? Would you all get the same results that I do? Would my students all get the same results that I do when we are researching something?
I am curious. Here is what I get when I search for European explorers. I will check to see what one of my students get when they search. What is your top listing?
We were to rewrite our district's acceptable use policy in a one page simplified document. Boy was this hard. My district's policy is 13 pages long. Clearly they paid a lawyer a lot of money to write this document up and adjust it a number of times. Why is it so long? Is it only long for the district's protection, or to also protect the teachers and students? When did our lives and legal system get to the point that we need to have everything spelled out the way it is here? They cover whole areas that I would think common sense would dictate. ie: the only two times people may work under someone else's log in would be a student on an instructor's computer while presenting and a technology support staff trying to assess a problem. I have issues with that needing to be spelled out.
Here is my attempt at a very simplified version of the original. I tried to put choice in the hands of the teacher, but share the responsibility among all the staff members. The goal is to educate the students with the tools of technology.
References:
Acceptable Use of the Computers, Network, Internet, Electronic Communications, and Information Systems. (2014, February 10). Retrieved November 6, 2014, from http://members.psba.org/districts_policies/c/106/POLCD815.pdf
Pariser, E. (2011, March 1). Beware online "filter bubbles" Retrieved November 6, 2014, from http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles
Hi Chris,
ReplyDelete13 pages is a tremendous amount to read on what is acceptable when using internet resources at your school. The policy is very specific in what can and cannot be done. One thing for sure, the reader was not considered when the authors put the document together.
I went over your Acceptable Use Policy and found that I can read and understand every point. I think sometimes when trying to plan for the unexpected, we get bogged down in details. You proved that with your own policy you can cover more ground with general statements. I am sure since you work with the policy daily; it is very clear to you what needs to be put into the document. It’s too bad that those who wrote your school’s Acceptable Use Policy do not read your policy document first.
I think you hit the nail on the head. They tried to plan for everything and any thing that might happen and make sure that they are legally covered. It is a lot to take in for a casual user. I guess the questions is: Can we back up from this sort of language, or has it become so precious to those who created it that they are not willing to simplify?
DeleteChris,
ReplyDeleteThat is a good question. I do believe we can have meaningful language in a document that can be understood. The writers of the document just need to be made aware of the fact that people will be reading it.
Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteI think you make a strong connection regarding Pariser's "filter bubble" and network filters. I believe district filters are in place to protect students and staff, but can they inadvertently censor relevant content? There are conservative districts that have been known to filter or censor controversial topics. Over 12 years can filters help to shape the opinions and beliefs of young students?
I appreciate how you included a section of responsibility within your AUP. I agree with you that it is very important for adults to model and teach students about their digital footprint.
In certain ways we create a real life filter bubble in the classroom. So it is natural for us to create a filter bubble when connecting to the internet. I do think that it has a lasting effect on students.
DeleteI had conferences the other day and one of the moms was talking about how she has spent years unlearning the overly sweet version of American history. I try very hard to present a balanced view of what went on during the time periods that we are looking at. There were good things, and there were not good things. Being angry about them now doesn't change any of it though, and some of the information walks a fine line. At what age do we stop protecting students from the ugliness of the past? I think that it should be gradual.
This just brought to mind one of my wonderful 2nd grade teachers. He taught the kids about Columbus on Columbus day. He came to me to let me know that he only presented them with the facts. He told them that when they got to 5th grade that Mrs Lopez would tell them a whole lot more about it and they needed to tell me that he only used facts. I am appreciative that he isn't filling their minds with fluff. I have enough to fight with the Disney versions of Pocahontas. Now that is a filter-bubble-full-of-sugar-version of history.
Chris
Chris,
DeleteLove your Acceptable Use Policy. Our county has got it down to a page and a half for a parent version and I am grateful for that. On "European Explorers", I got Weebly first and all the pictures are the same. Amazingly only bearded white men were explorers. Ha. (What about bearded ladies?) Natives just didn't go looking for crazy. It came to them. I don't like that Google puts my personal life in my educational one. It white washes things too. It leaves out the little gals and guys, the skin you are in,etc. Money + power +influence wipes other things out. Perhaps because I am a pale Internet window shopping late nights like I won the lottery woman, I get what a get. I have to really search to be surprised, challenged, or get just the facts, Filters are necessary in most situations: a fish tank, water, and my mouth because we put stuff where it doesn't need to be, we add what doesn't need to be added, and we distort what we don't want to see. I use filters but I try to challenge myself to see what I have learned through a filter. Short History Lesson: Went to Austria at 16. Edelweiss grows like a weed. They didn't sing about it. Now there is an Edelweiss Lodge and Resort thanks to the "Sound of Music."
Valerie
Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteI understand the necessity to filter to an extent, but you are right does this really help them? At some point they are going to need to understand what is acceptable to use and search for and what is not. I guess at a young age having a filter is more beneficial, but as students begin to transition into high school and beyond, I feel that students should be held accountable for their actions. This means that they are given free rein on the internet, but that if they abuse that there will be consequences.
For your European Explorers, my top choice was your second one listed. Looks like the rest of the page was the same, but I wonder why I didn’t get the one for major European Explorers like yours did. I am not a fan of how Google tracks everything and would love to find a search engine that I didn’t feel could monitor everything thing I am doing.
I agree with you about how unfortunate it is that we need to spell out what most people would say is common sense. I don’t know where we went wrong as a society that every single detail needs to be written. But, I think your simplification of your districts AUP was really well done!
Gina
I agree whole heartedly with what you say about your district's 13 page Internet Usage Policy. The one I found online for my district was the same - 13 pages of legal jargon that didn't make much sense to me and won't make sense to kids. It was essentially the same thing written over and over again just to cover our district. After looking at my district AUP, I actually gave up and chose to go a different route with my blog post this week. My district has one, but my school will be creating our own to implement with the kids as they get their individual devices.
ReplyDelete(My european explorers search was similar to yours except the top two were swapped.)