Laptop Initiative Help

[Replies: 1]

So my school is starting a program where incoming freshmen need to have a laptop either paid for by the family or loaned out through the school. The idea is so that students can be able to do research in class, take notes, do projects and experiments all from their own laptops. And as an executive in the Tech Club I was a major part of setting it up. We did the usual: wifi throughout the school, filtering software to make sure that students don't do things like im or watch videos during school that doesn't pertain to learning. We also have a contract that says that they will do nothing illegal or bad while at school.

So the other day we had an open house for students so they can see what clubs and sports there are and sign up as prospects. I was there for the Tech Club and my teacher was there to tell about the new laptop campaign. He had to leave for a few minutes so I was watching over. So this women comes in and starts to ask me about the laptops.

She says how she doesn't allow her children to go onto Myspace and other social networking sites and watches their internet usage and was wondering if she could make it so her children couldn't get on there. I told her how the school blocks all that to prevent them from getting on and it applies to everyone. She seemed happy with that and, after a little more conversation, went on her way.

Now I felt something wasn't right. Kind of the way that you feel that someone didn't quite understand what you just told them or took it the wrong way. After some thinking I thought that maybe she thought that we were also blocking them from using their laptops to go on to Myspace at home.

Now I am wondering how can I allow parents who most likely know very little about how computers work to monitor their children's usage at home. I thought about telling them to put software filters on but there are a couple of problems. 1) It may conflict with our filtering software and not work properly. And I am sure the school doesn't want to be fixing computer problems. 2) It most likely will conflict with the schools protection program. All student laptops will have it on there to make sure no viruses go across the network. 3) Students aren't really allowed to install programs on school owned laptops.

So anyone have an idea for helping out these parents who don't allow kids to have their own computer in their room from being able to use their laptops to access the internet and do whatever they want?

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Last Post Jan 23, 2007 10:10 AM by: Anne

Anne

Posts: 507

Registered: 6/26/06

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Re: Laptop Initiative Help

Jan 23, 2007 10:10 AM

Interesting dilemma, Demexii. I hope others join in. What occurred as I read your post is that the school should have a laptop-program introductory meeting with parents (somehow really encourage them to attend, because I know meetings like this usually aren't well attended). Maybe students don't get laptops (or continued laptop use) if parents don't come to the meeting? In the meeting, the school should probably level with parents about the implications of the laptop program, including what you said about conflicting filters, etc. But there might also need to be some education, for example about how filtering isn't usually a total solution, especially with a Web that can be accessed in a growing number of places on an increasing number of devices. The meeting could include discussion, maybe facillitated by you and involving some students who use social-networking sites, who could explain how they use them and show parents what they look like (only if that's a key concern). Hope something in this is helpful,
Anne
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Anne Collier
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Demexii

Posts: 16

From: Hell

Registered: 10/27/06

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