<tony.kemper@depaulschool.org>wrote:
> What is your advice relative to student usage of USB drives? What have
> your schools implemented in terms of policies and practices in order to
> safeguard your respective networks from security threats and
> inappropriate content? Thanks and best wishes to all for restful Labor
> Day weekends...
>
You're kidding, right? A policy on USB drives? Back in the "old days" did we
have policies on floppy disks?
We *sell* USB drives in our Campus Shop, along with blank DVDs, blank CDs,
and that old dinosaur I've already referred to - floppy disks.
From my first day at Manlius Pebble Hill, 16 years ago, we *required*
students to buy three floppy disks: one for their work and two to back the
first one up onto. And this was back in the days of the Apple II and 5.25
inch disks. Later, when a consultant came in with this new thing called
Citrix, which he said would enable us to avoid disk-borne viruses by having
everyone work off a central server, I laughed. He apparently hadn't thought
of the Internet.
Inappropriate content on USB drives? What about inappropriate content in the
kid's three-ring binder or stuffed in the bottom of the backpack? Kids who
want to will always find some way to bring the stuff in.
If you're going to teach the kids how to use the technology properly, then
you need to teach them how to use it the way it's *designed* to be used,
while also teaching them what they ought not to do. USB drives and all sorts
of other portable storage devices are part of the equation of how the
technology is designed to be used. But enough here. Let me insert here what
I said in our official newsletter to parents, "The Icebox:"
This spring, Brian Lee, director of information services, and I visited a
local school district to see how they handled maintenance and set-up of that
district's thousands of computers, which include the machines in computer
labs, as well as the laptops given to teachers.
We were obviously impressed by (and a tad envious of) the district's
resources. But we were also able to see that we have something they don't,
and it's a fundamental difference between MPH and many of the public schools
in the area. What we have is trust in those who are using our computers.
As we watched their technicians set up the computers, we became aware of how
many limitations they put on the computers, of how many things they don't
allow their users to do. CD burning is disabled, for instance, because
someone *might* make an illegal copy of a music CD. Even the ability to play
music was disabled on many computers, because, we were told, "You don't need
to do that when you're supposed to be studying."
"Parental Controls" were set for all the computers. Even the computers given
to faculty members had these limitations. When I mentioned in passing that I
used my own personal laptop at MPH, one of the technicians asked why MPH
would even allow a machine we didn't control to be on our network.
The trust we have in our users and the freedom we give them make us more
like a small college than a Pre-k through 12 school. We trust our users to
use our technology wisely and appropriately. While we know there will always
be a few who push the limits, we see those students as exceptions and don't
use them as a reason to disable every cool feature our computers have. Quite
the contrary, we encourage our students to explore, to innovate, to try new
things with our computers. I want my students to teach *me* stuff, and they
often do. For that to happen, I have to trust them to use the technology we
provide to its full capacity. I have to give them the freedom to engage in
uses that some people might consider frivolous.
When the occasional misuse of that freedom and trust occurs, MPH chooses to
use those "incidents" as teachable moments, dealing with them not by
revoking freedom and trust, but by further educating students on the safe
and appropriate use of technology.
This trust, this freedom, and this constant using of the teachable moment
are among the reasons I love MPH, both as a teacher and as a parent.
And as Stan Lee used to say, 'nuff said.
--
keg
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Keith E Gatling - Computer Instructor
Manlius Pebble Hill School
5300 Jamesville Rd
DeWitt, NY 13214
315.446.2452
http://www.gatling.us/keith
Some teachers teach subjects. Others teach people.
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