Week+6+(February+22,+2010)

Wikipedia tells us that "Content-control software" is a software that controls what is permitted to a reader on the internet. It can be used by a government for an entire country, a private company, for a particular IP address or for a school (and many more, I'm sure). The article outlines different aspects of censorship and highlights problems that could be linked with it, such as:
 * Filtering doesn't conform with freedom of speech laws
 * It tends to routinely block unobjectionable sites
 * Sites that are blocked for children cannot be accessed by adults either

Personally, I believe that sites should never be blocked, not even in schools. In reading the arguments in " ISTE Leading and Learning with Technology ", I tend to side with the idea that the world should not be hidden from children, but rather they should be given the necessary tools to confront all the information that is available. While Juan Camilo Rozo Osuna argues against this because:
 * we underestimate the type of information available
 * the internet is filled with hate pages and sites that promote detrimental lifestyles (e.g.: anorexia)

I am compelled to side with Christopher Johnson, who states that censorship should not be allowed because:
 * instead of hiding sites we should teach students to safely and ethically navigate the web
 * the internet is an excellent site for primary resources.

Johnson expands on this idea by suggesting that **teachers should understand their role as leaders of a digital generation**. They should be trained on how to model safe use of the internet so that our students may know how to protect themselves and how to act as good digital citizens. I agree wholeheartedly. I believe that our society shelters our children way too much. The only way we are going to raise strong, informed individuals is to show them what this world has to offer and guide them through it.

Here is a hilarious video that parodies censorship on TV. Although it doesn't discuss students on the internet, it pokes fun at unnecessary censorship using our beloved children's show, Sesame Street. In this case, censorship not only hides the true meaning of the text, but it is the actual cause of what we would deem "unacceptable" for TV. media type="youtube" key="D8Vh9_Hi1kY" height="344" width="425" This article has also made me curious about "pro anorexia" sites, which I have never visited. I checked a few of them out and they surprised me. The 4 that I looked at stated on each Homepage, **We are not advocating eating disorders. Rather, this is a site where people who deal with eating disorders can share stories, thoughts and ideas with others** (check out PrettyThin.com). I read a few entries that were posted by different members, and one girl (from the blog: http://anaregzig.blogspot.com/) talked about being motivated to lose weight by the book, //Wasted//, by Marya Hornbacher. I went on Amazon and read a few pages from the memoir. It blew me away. The author wrote about how all-encompassing the disease is and how, for her, it began with her parents, who were health and anti-sugar nuts. I was so blown away by I read that I bought it.

. ..

The question that was asked this week was: How are you going to deal with students who do not respect copyright issues?
Honestly, **I'm not sure.** I would like to believe that if I talk to them about the importance of copyright and the severity of stealing material, they will understand what is acceptable in my class. I will show them where to access free material and how to site sources properly. However, how **can you really know what has been "borrowed" illegally from another person**? This is something that I would like to discuss in class. Is citing sources enough, or should students do more to prove that the material they use is legal?