Teachers, not students, are the people most affected by school filters, according to a commentary in the Washington Post - even though the US federal law requiring filtering by schools receiving federal connectivity funding (the Children's Internet Protection Act, or CIPA) is aimed at protecting students from inappropriate content. "Walk the halls of a public school, and students will readily … [Read more...] about Filtering critics, issues in 3 countries
school policy
FL school district’s plans for sexting ed
The Miami-Dade school district aims to be a leader in teaching students the risks of cellphone sexting, the Miami Herald reports. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho wants to work with government and law enforcement to develop a curriculum for the coming school year, and he plans to put forth "a cutting-edge School Board policy" on the subject, the Herald adds. It looks like the superintendent is … [Read more...] about FL school district’s plans for sexting ed
Teacher’s Facebook ‘teachable moment’
I loved The Ethicist's answer to the question of how an 8th grade teacher, who has been "friended" by a lot of her students, should deal with issues like underage drinking when they come up in students' Facebook profiles: "She should carpe that diem," Randy Cohen writes in his New York Times column. "Were she simply to bust these online doofuses, she would squander a chance to convey something of … [Read more...] about Teacher’s Facebook ‘teachable moment’
Md. students seek cellphone rules change
Cellphones are banned from Montgomery County (Md.) schools, but there's still plenty of texting going on in the classroom. So, since texting is so inextricable from their lives now, the students - led by Quratul-Ann Malik, a high school senior - are taking a resolution before the county school board, asking it to allow high school students to use cellphones during lunchtime, the Washington Post … [Read more...] about Md. students seek cellphone rules change
Phone bans don’t work: Oz expert
After two girls were suspended from Ascham School - a boarding school for girls in an eastern suburb of Sydney - for harassing fellow students, "the school sent a letter to parents urging them to take their children's mobile phones away from them at night to try and stop abusive messages circulating," ABC News Australia reports. But ABC talked with the general manager of Kids Helpline, a free … [Read more...] about Phone bans don’t work: Oz expert