In today’s digital age, the internet is one of the most powerful learning tools available to students. Ironically, it’s also one of the things we’re blocked from using. At most schools, web filters are supposed to keep us safe online, but oftentimes they just end up being so restrictive that they get in the way of learning rather than protecting it. It doesn’t help that we do most of our work on Chromebooks, and whether you need an image for a presentation or a source for a research essay, finding one that isn’t blocked is going to be the most time-consuming task.
When it comes to what you need for school, Chromebooks are a must, but what’s the use for them if you can’t find what you need? An issue that many other students and I have faced is overblocking like this, which prevents you from turning in your highest-quality work by preventing access to perfectly fine sites. Many blogs, educational YouTube videos and even news articles end up being blocked because the filter is set to strict. Another example can be seen through the Echo’s design process. All the images that you end up seeing in printed issues are either tediously picked from the hundreds of better but blocked images that are not copyrighted or hand-drawn. A similar issue can be seen in a student trying to watch a video using the Chromebook while studying for an AP exam. This video could explain the topic so well and thoroughly and still end up being blocked. Instead of helping us as students stay focused and on task rather than play games during class, for most students, these filters lead to work being less accurate and less detailed than it could be.
Strict filters also use up class time and make it so much harder for teachers to teach the way they want. When students can’t access a site or an activity, teachers have to scramble to find backup materials and worksheets, which defeats the purpose of Chromebooks in the first place. Instead of exploring topics, following your curiosity or using an interactive site, many students, including myself, are stuck waiting for the teacher to come up with an assignment they were supposed to do a week later. This takes away from real learning and makes class feel more limited and less engaging than it should be.
Another important note is that this also sends the message that students aren’t technologically responsible. In school, we learn about digital citizenship, how to recognize unsafe sites or emails and most importantly, how to think critically. Schools blindly blocking sites does the opposite of what they want to achieve by preventing us from practicing what we learn. If sites are blocked for reasons such as “Not Trustworthy” or “Non-Educational,” how will we, as students, be able to distinguish these sites from regular ones post-high school? A better approach would be to loosen filters on educational sites and videos while focusing on harmful and disruptive sites, teaching students how to use the internet wisely along the way.
Park’s strict web filter may be trying to protect students but they not only end up blocking distractions, it also shuts down learning. Overblocking useful sites and other resources wastes time in class and prevents students from learning how to use the internet responsibly, doing more harm than good. I think that schools adjust their filters so they support learning instead of getting in the way of it. After all, if we’re going to use our Chromebooks all day, we should be able to use the internet as the powerful learning tool it was meant to be.
