Journal 7

"Should Schools Regulate Offsite Online Behavior?" By Nancy Willard and Lynn Wietecha

This sort of goes along with the cyberbullying topic of journal 5, in that prevention of it can have some very positive effects, and monitoring online activity can stop possible shooting at the most extreme, or help self-esteem of the individual if it's caught and adressed. There are many advocates for it, and in school it's not impossible, but when the students get home they are left to their own devices, and it's difficult to say the school should have any say then, especially since students aren't the only ones who use the home computers. If things are reported BY students and the actions they're taking and they feel unsafe, then perhaps the school should act and do something. As far as monitoring on their own, it's difficult, and technically, a breach of privacy. There are advocates against such an idea as well, one mother stating that safety is not the primary goal of a school, rather, it's education. It's a difficult subject that seems to be becoming more and more prevalent as violence and tension rises in school, from bomb threats to hate crimes, school shootings and beyond. All people can really do is be mindful and observant, and speak up if they feel something is drastically wrong.

Q1: How do you keep track?
A: I think if it were up to schools, administrators would have to have a system in place. Teachers could watch in computer labs or in class use, but beyond that, it becomes the responsibility of admin, and most importantly, parents.

Q2: What can parents do?
Just keep an eye on their children at home, and while it's impossible to know everything a child does online, if something is suspicious, take the proper steps to ensure it's nothing and not something serious.