While I have to admit it has crossed my mind that some districts and administrators might be slow to appreciate the value of web 2.0 tools, it never occurred to me that they might choose to block the applications and the sites that host them rather than learn how to best deal with the concerns. However, this week I read a post by Wesley Fryer on his Moving with the Speed of Creativity blog. In it he addressed how some schools have misinterpreted recent educational legislation and are being overly cautious. The schools are worried that they need to save and document every bit of information being created inside their walls in case of litigation. Apparently, this isn't quite the case.
In my reading of the post, I interpreted the quote from lawyer Scott Bauries to mean that if we are using web 2.0 tools with our students and the government needs to access it, that the courts will get it from the third party site hosting our activities, the school itself doesn't need a copy. So, there's no need to be overly conservative and cut ourselves off from this useful and growing set of technological developments. We should be able to embrace them and use them for our students' benefit.
Now, if one's district has blocked these sites because they don't want students to waste time or be distracted from whatever their assigned computer-based task is... well, that's another matter entirely. Surely though, with honest discussion and open minds, opposing parties can reach some sort of agreement that will allow teachers to take advantage of these new opportunities and still placate the concerns of the administration.
1 comment:
Lynne,
Both litigation and access are very important issues that each school district has to tackle. However, many districts across the country seem to have found good solutions so networking would be a great help to all concerned, don't you think?
Dr. Burgos
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