Journal #4-It's Time to Trust Teachers with the Internet: A Conversation with Meg Ormiston (NETS-T I, V)

Schaffhauser, D. (2010, December 1). It's time to trust teachers with the internet: a conversation with meg ormiston. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/Articles/2010/12/01/Its-Time-To-Trust-Teachers-with-the-Internet-A-Conversation-with-Meg-Ormiston.aspx?sc_lang=en&Page=1

Meg Ormiston has been a curriculum coach, a school board member, and a grant stimulator among other things. In this conversation with Ormiston, she is determined to be the one to stick up for the teachers that seem to be forced into incorporating technology into the classroom, only to be slapped down by restrictions of the use of internet.  A question Schaffhauser asks is about the blocking of social networking sites. Ormiston does mention that teachers should filter the sites they use, but does bring up a fantastic point that as teachers and parents we need to teach students about making the right choices in how to navigate through the internet to find the proper information they are looking for. According to Ormiston, the problem can sometimes be the bandwidth that the schools have on their computers, as well as the spyware used to protect the computer from viruses that often prevent teachers and students from certain sites. Schaffhauser asks Ormiston what can be done by educators and administrators to which the answer is very discouraging. Ormiston mentions that it is up to teachers and their time outside of school in order to investigate their sites they would like to visit at their own homes because of the restrictions at school. Teachers are unsure as to what step to take after they have deemed the site "age appropriate", take it to the administration office and then wait for the "no" response they have been so accustom to hearing. Ormiston suggests that even though teachers may become discouraged that teachers keep trying as well as getting the school systems to use some sort of tiered approach. Allow the teacher access to the websites and have them filter through what should be deemed "age appropriate". They are teaching our children, why should they not be the one to guide them in the area of technology as well?

Questions:

1. How are students learning how to navigate through the internet?
As of right now it seems as if it is a trial-error sort of thing. Unfortunately, with the use of firewalls and spyware, even teachers are unable to filter what students are able to view while at school.

2. What is Ormiston's suggestion for teachers?
Keep trying. Making the effort to go home and research the sites on their own time and then submitting them to the administrators.