Security vs. Usability
A Information Systems character in a recent Dilbert cartoon stated something to the tune that security trumps usability. This struck a chord because lately I’ve been consistently hearing from teachers about their frustrations with filters. More and more web sites are being blocked by school districts. One district blocks wikis, another blogs, another Google images, another Flickr, another YouTube, and so forth. These applications do have the potential to be risky to students. As you are aware, each of these applications also has potential to help students learn.
The purpose of this article is not to degrade people who work for information services in schools, not district administrators who determine policy. IS people, district administrators and teachers all care about students safety, and rightfully so. However, one problem with filters is that students quickly figure out ways to bypass them. For example, when Google images are blocked, students do a web search and add the words “images” and “pictures” to the search query: this returns web pages with images students need. For each video site blocked, students find another, and so on. Marc Pesce notes "The net regards censorship as a failure, and routes around it."
Students’ safety is an ongoing concern. One appropriate question is “What are the best ways to do that?”
I think another more appropriate question is “What is the primary purpose of technology in a school district?” The only answer is to help teachers to help students learn. Therefore, a major focus of IS policies should be on that concern. This includes policies related to the district’s internet filter.
Security trumping usability? Sometimes teachers and students feel that this is a policy. In my opinion, such policies (either stated or supposed)that stifle and suppress teachers’ and students’ creative uses of resources tend to have a negative effect on their moral. One teacher said “The filter although is needed, often frustrates the students as they become blocked.” Another stated “The filter on the computers sometimes lets questionable information come through and other times information that’s needed can’t be accessed.” Still another told me that so many sites are blocked by her district’s filter, she doesn’t bother using the internet much. Many other comments related to me over time were of a similar nature.
Along with software-based filtering, districts are using educational programs such as I-Safe and acceptable use policies as tools to teach young people internet safety. A teacher stated "Teach students to use the Internet safely instead of restricting access through arbitrarily placed filters that dampens curiosity and motivation."
A Information Systems character in a recent Dilbert cartoon stated something to the tune that security trumps usability. This struck a chord because lately I’ve been consistently hearing from teachers about their frustrations with filters. More and more web sites are being blocked by school districts. One district blocks wikis, another blogs, another Google images, another Flickr, another YouTube, and so forth. These applications do have the potential to be risky to students. As you are aware, each of these applications also has potential to help students learn.
The purpose of this article is not to degrade people who work for information services in schools, not district administrators who determine policy. IS people, district administrators and teachers all care about students safety, and rightfully so. However, one problem with filters is that students quickly figure out ways to bypass them. For example, when Google images are blocked, students do a web search and add the words “images” and “pictures” to the search query: this returns web pages with images students need. For each video site blocked, students find another, and so on. Marc Pesce notes "The net regards censorship as a failure, and routes around it."
Students’ safety is an ongoing concern. One appropriate question is “What are the best ways to do that?”
I think another more appropriate question is “What is the primary purpose of technology in a school district?” The only answer is to help teachers to help students learn. Therefore, a major focus of IS policies should be on that concern. This includes policies related to the district’s internet filter.
Security trumping usability? Sometimes teachers and students feel that this is a policy. In my opinion, such policies (either stated or supposed)that stifle and suppress teachers’ and students’ creative uses of resources tend to have a negative effect on their moral. One teacher said “The filter although is needed, often frustrates the students as they become blocked.” Another stated “The filter on the computers sometimes lets questionable information come through and other times information that’s needed can’t be accessed.” Still another told me that so many sites are blocked by her district’s filter, she doesn’t bother using the internet much. Many other comments related to me over time were of a similar nature.
Along with software-based filtering, districts are using educational programs such as I-Safe and acceptable use policies as tools to teach young people internet safety. A teacher stated "Teach students to use the Internet safely instead of restricting access through arbitrarily placed filters that dampens curiosity and motivation."
Brian Rimes asks a key question "Who should control the filters?" Should it be left totally to a machine scanning for a list of words so that it will block any web site containing any of those words, no matter the context? Shouldn't humans, more specifically your child's teacher, be allowed to choose appropriate web sites? You trust your child's teacher with your child. Shouldn't you trust your child's teacher's judgement on web sites that both protect your child and provide the best opportunities for your child to learn?
In my opinion though, the best “filter” is, of course, the desire of students to stay on the learning task that they have bought into and that a teacher helps them to focus on. Another great “filter” is teacher vigilance and frequent checks of student learning progress. A third “filter” is the speed and certainty of consequences when students are found using technology in inappropriate ways or for inappropriate reasons. A fourth "filter" is the role of administrators who evaluate teachers by their ability to help students remain focused on their learning tasks.
Christopher D. Sessums wrote "In the end, who we might might become and how social software enhances our lives is entirely up to us. While we might currently reside in a house dominated by fear and anxiety over growth and change, we ultimately have the power to change our individual and collective futures. But only if we allow ourselves the opportunity to do so."
Security trumping usability? What do you think?
Credits:
Credits:
Dilbert cartoon that was referenced: http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/dilbert-20071116.html
Marc Pesce quote: http://blog.futurestreetconsulting.com/
Christopher D Sessums quote: http://eduspaces.net/csessums/weblog/330651.html
Labels: filters
posted by Rich Levine | 4:11 PM
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