Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Blocked Sites...Blocked No More! (for adults...)

Did you hear the good news?  The Bridge announced this week that high level filter access has been granted for staff.  Any staff member can now access most filtered sites, including YouTube.

Now what?  To whom much is given much is expected, that's what.  This new development raises two new expectations.  One is to continue to use the tools available to meet the needs of students.  If a student learns through a multimedia option, help them do so.  If students need repetition, let them watch the video again and again.  The second expectation is to monitor student activity on the internet.  The best filter is a two fold human filter: educating students around internet expectations and monitoring their activity.  While the filter is still in place for students, staff need to be aware of where they are using their credentials, where they are logging in, and who is on that computer next.

See the full Bridge announcement below:


Information for staff
The Information Technology (IT) Department announces access to blocked websites
The IT Department has enabled a technology measure that will allow SPPS staff to use instructional websites, such as YouTube, which are currently blocked by the district's content filter. When staff encounter a blocked website, log-in with your complete SPPS email address and web mail password to initiate a 90-minute session. All access will be tracked through the filter appliance, and staff use must comply with the district's Technology Use Policy 520 and Guidelines for Acceptable Use. Misuse or abuse of high-level filter access will result in termination of access for the individual. Network performance will be monitored, and on occasion, high-level filter access may be suspended for all users during periods of high network demand, such as online testing.


Three cheers for safely removing barriers to resources!  Hip hip hooray!

No comments:

Post a Comment