"Ooh! They have the Internet on computers now!" - Homer Simpson
"Won't someone please think of the children?!" - Helen Lovejoy
The Internet is one of the greatest resources education has ever had access to. You can find information on literally everything. You can research the habitats of cats, buy a cat, or find videos of cats dressed up as a celebrity. But on the flip side, everything is accessible on the Internet - beyond just cats. There are many philosophies on addressing the available content, and here at Allendale Columbia School we have chosen to implement a filter which prevents certain websites from being accessed through our Internet connection. Faculty still has the ability to override the filter for educational content that may be accidentally blocked (or legitimately blocked, but still contains educational value).
There are 16 categories of web traffic that are prohibited through our 'net connection. But did you know that you too can have this same level of protection, across all of the Internet-connected devices in your home? Yes you can!
Our filtering provider, OpenDNS, offers a home service called OpenDNS Home for free, with a premium edition available for $20/year. It offers simple setup instructions with a video guide. Once configured on your wireless or wired router (the appliance that shares your Internet connection with all the devices in your home), protection is immediate. The VIP premium version will also provide usage statistics, so you have an idea where your young Internet crusaders are browsing. Hopefully this opens a nice, healthy dialog about the positives and pitfalls web usage.
Here's some other resources for protecting your resources...
Stay Safe Online
Google's Guide to Online Safety
Microsoft's Family Safety Tips
Safe Kids
Scholastic.com
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