Lounge

Article about Gaggle ... not Google.  ISD's in a private Regional Network did use Gaggle.   In USA/Texas filtering is required.  Gaggle tracked Jrs and Srs who were given ISD EMail domain addresses to use for communicating with colleges/universities.   Students were informed their email/surfing the web was not private ... but there are always some youngsters who are still not mature enough ... BTW, the same is true or young teachers!

In one case, Technology Director tracked only one Sr. male for surfing.  Young man just couldn't stay away from porn.  Once a week, searched gaggle/other filtering logs for that user.  Usually collected URL's that were porn and not blocked.  Sr. male often seen in a lab or library with a few buddies all looking at his latest 'finds'.   Day latter, after Tech Directory submitted latest finds to Gaggle, those were blocked.  Sr. male never did figure it out.  Tech Director got rep with filtering companies for being the 'smut lady'! :|

Another case ... ISD just connected to internet ... maybe 1 day prior to a teacher/admin session for 3 neighboring ISD's in which I was asked to 'show them internet'.   No filtering etc.   A young teacher, sitting right beside an Admin level person from a guest ISD at the session also had an interest in 'porn'.

As I was walking around the lab helping beginners with browsers, etc. couldn't help but see the porn on that young man's screen.  Broke for lunch.   Went to that workstation, cleared out history/etc. and ... unplugged the ethernet cable at the drop for that workstation.  When users returned from lunch, short verbal session/reminder on a teachers (and also admins) responsibility to monitor student use of Internet.  In one ear and out the other.  Young man went back to porn surfing and discovered nothing worked.  Asked for assistance ... when I asked him to repeat what he was surfing for ... url ... he tried again (what an idiot!).  It failed of course ... this time a 1 to 2 quite/polite reminder about usage ... admin right next to him said nothing!!!!

Eventually, young man grew angry ... told me what I should be doing and how terrible a presenter I was ... and then left.

The admin from that ISD then apologized for behavior and comments ... then told me they would deal with him upon returning to their ISD.

Heard from Tech Director in that ISD about a year later when they finally got a direct connect to the internet.  Young man still surfing for porn.  It took a month or so, but that ISD finally let the young man go ... ie, fired him.

A year later ... happened to see in local newspaper that user was a person of interest in a murder of a female student.

While the majority of students and teachers will honor there are always a 'few bad apples in the barrell' ... and it's those few 'bad apples' that will ruin it for all the rest when Admin has a knee jerk re-action and applies something to all. :|

Just sayin' ...

'SoS', Ken