Comments on: Help! – A plea to bring sanity to my attempts to use the Web at school http://www.mrstucke.com/2008/10/20/help-a-plea-to-bring-sanity-to-my-attempts-to-use-the-web-at-school/ Musings on Maths, education, teaching and technology. Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:41:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: The Fight Goes On | The Masterplan http://www.mrstucke.com/2008/10/20/help-a-plea-to-bring-sanity-to-my-attempts-to-use-the-web-at-school/comment-page-1/#comment-57 The Fight Goes On | The Masterplan Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:10:08 +0000 http://themasterplan.edublogs.org/?p=45#comment-57 [...] thanks to all those who commented on my rant last month with regards to Internet filtering etc within school, I know it’s something a lot [...] [...] thanks to all those who commented on my rant last month with regards to Internet filtering etc within school, I know it’s something a lot [...]

]]> By: Brian Smith http://www.mrstucke.com/2008/10/20/help-a-plea-to-bring-sanity-to-my-attempts-to-use-the-web-at-school/comment-page-1/#comment-56 Brian Smith Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:31:55 +0000 http://themasterplan.edublogs.org/?p=45#comment-56 Daniel, your frustration is totally understandable and shared by an increasing number of teachers and others. The respondents here have raised several issues including my own pet theme which is that we are witnessing the dying embers of the Victorian Curriculum (born 1870, died 20??). Stephen Heppel calls this generation of children currently in schools the Lost Generation and he fears for them. You are working for them and their futures but you are being blocked by the dinosaurs. All I can say is that you know you are right and you have the backing of the entire thinking educational community. Keep up the good work and good luck with the battle to reopen Google Docs and other sites in your school. Daniel, your frustration is totally understandable and shared by an increasing number of teachers and others. The respondents here have raised several issues including my own pet theme which is that we are witnessing the dying embers of the Victorian Curriculum (born 1870, died 20??). Stephen Heppel calls this generation of children currently in schools the Lost Generation and he fears for them. You are working for them and their futures but you are being blocked by the dinosaurs. All I can say is that you know you are right and you have the backing of the entire thinking educational community. Keep up the good work and good luck with the battle to reopen Google Docs and other sites in your school.

]]> By: Using Web 2.0 in schools | Tania Kennedy at UTS http://www.mrstucke.com/2008/10/20/help-a-plea-to-bring-sanity-to-my-attempts-to-use-the-web-at-school/comment-page-1/#comment-55 Using Web 2.0 in schools | Tania Kennedy at UTS Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:48:16 +0000 http://themasterplan.edublogs.org/?p=45#comment-55 [...] Stucke’s blog post expressed great frustration at Googledocs being blocked at his school in Scotland. Googledocs [...] [...] Stucke’s blog post expressed great frustration at Googledocs being blocked at his school in Scotland. Googledocs [...]

]]> By: AS ICT - Some thoughts | milesberry.net http://www.mrstucke.com/2008/10/20/help-a-plea-to-bring-sanity-to-my-attempts-to-use-the-web-at-school/comment-page-1/#comment-54 AS ICT - Some thoughts | milesberry.net Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:47:35 +0000 http://themasterplan.edublogs.org/?p=45#comment-54 [...] undergrads in using Excel to do interesting things like manipulate big data sets, and mrstucke is not allowed access to a a google sheet from school. Is it possible that the system isn’t working in the best interests of our [...] [...] undergrads in using Excel to do interesting things like manipulate big data sets, and mrstucke is not allowed access to a a google sheet from school. Is it possible that the system isn’t working in the best interests of our [...]

]]> By: mrstucke http://www.mrstucke.com/2008/10/20/help-a-plea-to-bring-sanity-to-my-attempts-to-use-the-web-at-school/comment-page-1/#comment-53 mrstucke Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:41:04 +0000 http://themasterplan.edublogs.org/?p=45#comment-53 I couldn't agree more Michelle. It is only a small matter of time until numerous pupils have iphones on their pocket with unlimited data plans. Shortly after that I can see them having netbooks with similar data plans, I'd seriously consider supplying my son/daughter (if I had one!) with one if they had to put up with our network. I couldn’t agree more Michelle. It is only a small matter of time until numerous pupils have iphones on their pocket with unlimited data plans. Shortly after that I can see them having netbooks with similar data plans, I’d seriously consider supplying my son/daughter (if I had one!) with one if they had to put up with our network.

]]> By: Michelle Baldwin http://www.mrstucke.com/2008/10/20/help-a-plea-to-bring-sanity-to-my-attempts-to-use-the-web-at-school/comment-page-1/#comment-52 Michelle Baldwin Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:31:09 +0000 http://themasterplan.edublogs.org/?p=45#comment-52 Good luck to you... I know this isn't easy. Part of the problem, I think, is that many of the decision-makers do not use Web 2.0 themselves. We recently surveyed all our administration to ask them if they even knew about certain Web 2.0 tools, did they use them, etc. The results were not promising; HOWEVER, I've been given the opportunity to provide a short in-service to show the value. I'm optimistic. Another part of the problem, and it's all the way to the federal gov't, is our CIPA and COPPA legislation. So many adults have an issue with control (or the illusion thereof) regarding anything on the web. They are only aware of the garbage and the dangers -- and because they can't control those things, they feel they cannot allow children to view any of it during the school day. So what are those kids doing outside of school then? My opinion is that kids need to be educated about becoming good web citizens. They can't learn to avoid the "bad stuff" if they never access the web. Sorry... my comment is rather long, isn't it? :-) Good luck to you… I know this isn’t easy.

Part of the problem, I think, is that many of the decision-makers do not use Web 2.0 themselves. We recently surveyed all our administration to ask them if they even knew about certain Web 2.0 tools, did they use them, etc. The results were not promising; HOWEVER, I’ve been given the opportunity to provide a short in-service to show the value. I’m optimistic.

Another part of the problem, and it’s all the way to the federal gov’t, is our CIPA and COPPA legislation. So many adults have an issue with control (or the illusion thereof) regarding anything on the web. They are only aware of the garbage and the dangers — and because they can’t control those things, they feel they cannot allow children to view any of it during the school day. So what are those kids doing outside of school then?

My opinion is that kids need to be educated about becoming good web citizens. They can’t learn to avoid the “bad stuff” if they never access the web.

Sorry… my comment is rather long, isn’t it? :-)

]]> By: lynnehorn http://www.mrstucke.com/2008/10/20/help-a-plea-to-bring-sanity-to-my-attempts-to-use-the-web-at-school/comment-page-1/#comment-51 lynnehorn Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:24:26 +0000 http://themasterplan.edublogs.org/?p=45#comment-51 Some of the things I have asked to be unblocked have been (animoto, wordle), but other sites have been refused. I had to give reasons for them to be unblocked but there were no reasons given for the refusal - I had a bit of a mini tantrum and eventually the reasons given were that they contained streaming media or were blogs In fact I access blogs in school (edublogs and typepad are not blocked) and access other websites with streaming media with no problems. The worst thing is our technician was told that all blogs were blocked and told English staff this when they wanted to start own blog - thankfully between us we were able to sort this out and they have started their blog. So no answers, but I feel your frustrations! Some of the things I have asked to be unblocked have been (animoto, wordle), but other sites have been refused. I had to give reasons for them to be unblocked but there were no reasons given for the refusal – I had a bit of a mini tantrum and eventually the reasons given were that they contained streaming media or were blogs

In fact I access blogs in school (edublogs and typepad are not blocked) and access other websites with streaming media with no problems. The worst thing is our technician was told that all blogs were blocked and told English staff this when they wanted to start own blog – thankfully between us we were able to sort this out and they have started their blog.

So no answers, but I feel your frustrations!

]]> By: mrstucke http://www.mrstucke.com/2008/10/20/help-a-plea-to-bring-sanity-to-my-attempts-to-use-the-web-at-school/comment-page-1/#comment-50 mrstucke Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:52:47 +0000 http://themasterplan.edublogs.org/?p=45#comment-50 great minds! great minds!

]]> By: Doug Belshaw http://www.mrstucke.com/2008/10/20/help-a-plea-to-bring-sanity-to-my-attempts-to-use-the-web-at-school/comment-page-1/#comment-49 Doug Belshaw Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:50:00 +0000 http://themasterplan.edublogs.org/?p=45#comment-49 Dan, well *quiet*, don't tell anyone, but connecting via iPhone 3G on my netbook is what I'm doing at the moment. It doesn't contravene any school policy that I know of (yet!) Dan, well *quiet*, don’t tell anyone, but connecting via iPhone 3G on my netbook is what I’m doing at the moment. It doesn’t contravene any school policy that I know of (yet!)

]]> By: mrstucke http://www.mrstucke.com/2008/10/20/help-a-plea-to-bring-sanity-to-my-attempts-to-use-the-web-at-school/comment-page-1/#comment-48 mrstucke Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:31:07 +0000 http://themasterplan.edublogs.org/?p=45#comment-48 Doug, I'm going to run into that argument, and I can see the point. How does one explain the benefits of putting stuff onto the whole web, not just inside the VLE? Especially when I haven't had the opportunity to extend any of my projects to include collaboration with people outside of our school. Principle is not reason enough I fear. No gmail access, thank god for iPhone! When I get back from my hols in Feb with a new laptop from NYC I am tempted to jailbreak my iPhone and use the 3G with my personal laptop to bypass all filtering when in school. Rob, you can indeed but it is at least seen to be auditable, as would google docs, but thats beside the point! Thanks for your comments. Doug, I’m going to run into that argument, and I can see the point. How does one explain the benefits of putting stuff onto the whole web, not just inside the VLE? Especially when I haven’t had the opportunity to extend any of my projects to include collaboration with people outside of our school. Principle is not reason enough I fear.

No gmail access, thank god for iPhone! When I get back from my hols in Feb with a new laptop from NYC I am tempted to jailbreak my iPhone and use the 3G with my personal laptop to bypass all filtering when in school.

Rob, you can indeed but it is at least seen to be auditable, as would google docs, but thats beside the point!

Thanks for your comments.

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