Written by David G. Wilson

Background
Over the past few decades, educational institutions have dramatically increased their students’ use of technology and the internet in the classroom (Holloway et al., 2013). While there have been countless benefits to students from the increased use of these technologies, there has also been an increase in the number of risks and dangers to which these students are exposed (Valcke, Wever, Keer, & Schellens, 2011). In light of these inherent risks and dangers that go hand in hand with the use of technology and the internet by students, it is incumbent on schools, now more than ever, to develop, communicate, and enforce technology and internet use policies for their institutions.

The risks and dangers students face in online environments range from accessing inappropriate content, either intentionally or unintentionally, to harmful or inappropriate relationships with online contacts. Equipped with just a basic internet connection, children are only a click or two away from websites that could contain pornographic, violent, racist, or hateful content. In addition to the risks of accessing inappropriate content, children also face the danger of being involved in improper online interactions with other students or individuals. These improper interactions may take the form of threats to their privacy, cyberbullying, or even sexual solicitation (Valcke et al., 2011).

Children who are using the internet at school may also face a number of commercial-type risks. As soon as students click the internet icon on their computers, their screens are immediately flooded with websites and advertisements that covertly try to obtain their personal information. With a simple click, companies and individuals gain access to usage data that may be used to target advertising toward the students, even though most of them are not legally old enough to purchase their products online (Valcke et al., 2011).

Solutions
Based on the multitude of psychological, physical, and spiritual risks to students that are involved with the use of technology and the internet, Lutheran elementary school (LES) leaders must develop technology and internet use policies for their students. They also need to educate not only the students, but also their parents, about safe technology and internet usage. Finally, they must enforce their policies by effectively monitoring their students’ use of technology and ensuring that the policies are being consistently followed.

Crafting policies that work is the first step in providing students a safe online environment in which to learn and interact with others. Before leaders begin crafting technology and internet use policies, they must first understand their school’s goals and objectives for technology and internet use (Bruder, 2014). School leaders must also be aware of and fully understand the risks and dangers that their students face through the use of technology and the internet in their classrooms. Finally, leaders must ensure that the policies that are developed are clear, but that they also incorporate a level of flexibility that allows for a degree of teacher discretion as they are enforced. Zero-tolerance policies are often too inflexible to deal with the huge range of potential student violations of the policy (Stewart, 2002).

Once a clear policy has been written, it must be clearly communicated to both students and their parents. Schools should require that both students and their parents sign the policy, acknowledging that they understand the policy, that they agree to abide by it, and that they are aware of the consequences if they choose to violate it. By involving parents in this process, schools are able not only to inform them about the potential dangers that are involved, but they are also able to help parents create safer online environments for their children at home (Stewart, 2002; Bruder, 2014).

Finally, these policies must be regularly and consistently monitored and enforced in order for them to be effective. Teachers should use active mediation techniques to monitor students’ technology and internet use in the classroom. Active mediation techniques include monitoring students by circulating throughout the classroom, practicing proximity control, checking browser histories, and discussing specific internet usage details with students. Schools should also bolster their monitoring capabilities by purchasing special equipment from programs such as Dell’s SonicWall, Smoothwall, Barracuda, or Untangle (Madhusudan, 2015). These companies provide content-filtering devices that block websites with questionable and/or inappropriate content. For a reasonable subscription fee, these companies will also provide automatic daily updates of blocked or blacklisted sites. Schools can even purchase monitoring and filtering add-ons from their internet service providers, such as Comcast’s WiFi Pro.

While technology and internet use have proven to be a great blessing to students and teachers in the classroom, there are a number of risks and dangers that can be involved with their use in schools. In order to provide a safe, productive on-line environment for their students, schools must develop clear acceptable-use policies, communicate them effectively to students and parents, and ensure that the policies are being regularly and consistently enforced.

David G.Wilson (’96) serves as principal and teaches seventh and eighth grade at Immanuel-Manitowoc WI. David is also enrolled in MLC’s Master of Science in Education program with an emphasis in leadership.

References

Bruder, P. (2014, November). Gadgets go to school: The benefits and risks of BYOD (bring your own device). NJEA Review, 15-18.

Madhusudan, B. (2015, October 13). 5 reasons why k-12 schools are abandoning web filtering appliances. Retrieved July 28, 2016, from Securlync: https://blog.securly.com/2015/10/13/five-reasons-why-k12-schools-are-abandoning-web-filtering-appliances/

Stewart, F. (n.d.). Internet acceptable use policies: Navigating the management, legal, and technical issues. Retrieved July 29, 2016, from Netsense: http://www.netsense.info/downloads/ Internet_Acceptable_Use_Policies.pdf

Valcke, M., Wever, B. D., Keer, H. V., & Schellens, T. (2011). Long-term study of safe internet use of young children. Computers & Education, 1292-1305.