Doug Johnson

Emerging Technologies, Emerging Concerns
Head for the Edge, Technology Connection, December 1995

Dear School Board Member:

The superintendent shared with me your letter of concern regarding various stories in the popular press which have highlighted the availability of pornography on the Internet.

There are no definitive studies which show the amount of pornography on the Internet. The most credible studies show that less than 1.5% of 12,000 newsgroups and .08% of World Wide Web sites contain pornographic materials (Electronic School, September 1995, p A7.) However, most users of the Internet will readily attest that the percentage of materials which are inaccurate, biased, or just plain tasteless is much higher.

We can even expect the percentage of pornographic materials on the Internet to decrease. Gerard Van Der Leun, in “Twilight Zone of the Id,”(Time Special Issue, Spring 1995, p 36.), observes:

“As with all other new mediums, on-line draws its energy from the same two timeless topics: radical politics and sexual fantasy. They are the first uses made of any new means of communication when it becomes popular, widespread and affordable, and they recede as the medium matures. The printing press has a long history of revolutionary tracts, such as Tom Paine’s The Rights of Man and Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence - along with what are now erotic classics, such as the Marquis de Sade’s The 120 Days of Sodom.”

He further reports that photographs, telephones, motion pictures and videotapes have all been used for pornographic purposes soon after their use had become popular.

Educators are aware that the Internet is very much an unregulated communication environment, and that there certainly are resources which we do not want students to access. There may be individuals using the Internet from whom we need to protect children. The schools in our district have three main methods for doing this:

1. All computers which allow Internet access are in supervised areas - classrooms or media centers. An adult is to be in the room at all times when students are using the equipment. The adult monitors student computer use, and will take action if the resources are used inappropriately.
2. Our connection to the Internet is through our own Internet server. This means we can choose which newsgroups (the major source of concern many articles mention) our Internet users have direct access to. This does not prevent the knowledgeable student from accessing newsgroups or files from remote computers, but it does mean that encountering unsuitable material is a conscious choice on the part of the user, not something which is accidentally found.
3. We have an Internet policy in place and enforced which stresses that:

• students are trained in the appropriate and safe use of Internet resources
• students are responsible for their own on-line activities and behaviors
• the Internet is to be used for curriculum support
• parents and teachers are informed of issues regarding the Internet
• staff development efforts on Internet use stress suitability and safety issues.

Our building media specialists are careful to document the training given to students about the acceptable use of the Internet. Students must demonstrate that they understand the principals before they are allowed to use school computers for that purpose.

The Internet is a new resource for our district, and our district is something of a pioneer in its use in a K-12 environment. Just as pioneers on the Oregon Trail encountered some bears and bandits, so I am anticipating we will encounter some problems on the “Information Highway.” However, the potential problems should not keep our district from providing this valuable resource to our staff and students. As a parent, I certainly want my 3rd grader to have the information technology skills, including accessing information from the Internet, which will help make him competitive in school and in the work force.

I have attached our working Internet policy for your review. If you would like to further discuss the concerns the news articles raise, I would be happy to meet with you.

Sincerely,

Doug