Internet Security and Online Learning - Applied Educational Systems

Can school Internet security and online learning work together? Let?s hope so. But let?s take a look at what is really at stake here.

Teachers are increasingly being required to incorporate online learning into their courses. Additionally, online learning has provided fantastic curriculum for students and teachers that can truly enhance the business of learning and students? abilities to stay on track while simultaneously working at their own paces.

I don?t know too many people that would argue that online learning doesn?t have a place in today?s schools.

The Online Learning Safety Struggle

That being said, teachers and students are still struggling to get through or around blocked content and other safety measures that were likely put into place long before teachers began embracing online learning.

It seems to me that the use of online learning has grown way out of proportion to the old safety measures used to prevent students accessing online content. In other words, just a few short years ago, we were all trying to keep students off the Internet while in school using computers. NOW, however, we are using the Internet as a critical component of our lesson plans. But have we gone back and adjusted our security measures?

The fact is that those that create online learning tools are required to spend a great deal of time making sure that either they provide content that works within your school?s securities, or they provided as detailed as possible specifications for users that will allow what is needed to get through.

The problem? Well, it?s next to impossible to cover every possible security scenario out there. And so, some sites can experience issues outside of the specifications that only become apparent as students and teachers start to use the online learning tool. When an issue does crop up, time that could be spent developing more and better online content is spent trying to recreate security scenarios and make things work within those constraints.

Is there another way? Should there be?

I think yes. I believe that your students likely know more about Internet security and how to get around it than you do. And if they don?t, well they know how to Google it and find out. So, that begs the question, who are we really protected with what might by this time be an antiquated approach to safety.

I would rather see better programs available to teach personal Internet safety and ethical use of technology. I?d rather record where students have been and deal with incidents appropriately than prevent them from getting somewhere they SHOULD be in the first place.

Here?s a great article: Playing It Too Safe Online Will Make You Sorry.

What do you think?

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Source: http://blog.aeseducation.com/2012/11/internet-security-and-online-learning/

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