Schools use the net to eavesdrop on students (1 Viewer)

[Lentern]

I agree in a sense, but I think the emphasis within any school should be on education. Even if we accept the fact that any expression through these mediums isn't private, teachers still have no authority to begin dictacting the do's and dont's of a students life. They are ultimately there to educate. The fact that they are permitted to use disciplinary action is nothing more than a tool used to maintain order in the classroom.

If on the other hand there are things like personal attacks and defamation happening within the school through the likes of Facebook and Twitter or whatever, then I think the school has sufficient grounds to get involved.

I would probably argue schools long since ceased to be purely institutions of education and are now concerned with preparing children for adult life. Most schools have counsellors, fitness programs, social events, mentoring and peer support programs, dare I say ethics classes. The days of the three r's are well and truly in the past.

 

[cosmo kramer]

i believe kids should be taught the four rs reading writing aRithmatic and RACISM

 

[Lentern]

i believe kids should be taught the four rs reading writing aRithmatic and RACISM

I like how you capitalized the r in arithmetic, as though you weren't sure if people would get how arithmetic falls in the three(or four) r's.

 

[cosmo kramer]

thats why i have a picture of julius evola in my avatar lentern

absolute disdain for the masses

 

[cem]

I can understand where you are coming from in getting upset about the idea of monitoring your sites but...

things like bullying and harassment in all its forms tend to cross the lines between happening at schools and outside schools. Schools are accountable for any of these things happening at school and rightly so you say but... if it also carries on outside school the school needs to be able to know that.

Imagine this scenario:

Student A is bullied at school by Student B. Student A's parents bring the bullying to the attention of the school who get involved, do the counselling etc. So the bullying stops - at school - but Student B decides to get even by publishing nasty comment and other bullying information on their facebook page from home and outside school hours. What is the school's position? Legally the school is still involved because the bullying is connected to the school so even though it is taking place outside school hours and off school premises the school is still accountable as the link between the two students and having been dealing with the situation directly to begin with.

It would be a wonderful world if this wasn't necessary but unfortunately the situation is getting more and more blurred between school's and when their responsibility and accountability begins and ends with increasingly society demanding that the schools solve all the problems that the students have.

 

[Phoenix Fury]

But surely Student A can inform the school and they can deal with it without monitoring everyone.

 

[Lolsmith]

Well that duty of care is incredibly stupid

There are an incredible amount of resources at students' fingertips to avoid shit like cyber bullying. If you're getting teased, use the "block" button. Or better yet, don't have Facebook. The same goes for shit sent to your phone, you can delete it and stop having the emotional fortitude of a puddle of piss.

If there's any physical altercations there is the police.

 

[TorMental]

I really don't understand cyber-bullying. People, you have a red button on the top of the web browser, consider using it. In todays world, you must be discreet and learn to ignore the words printed on the internet which are aimed to demean you.

 

[Funky Monk]

it should be noted that blocking a cunt who is circulating rumours about you will have no impact on their ability to continue circulating rumours

 

[Azure]

I can understand where you are coming from in getting upset about the idea of monitoring your sites but...

things like bullying and harassment in all its forms tend to cross the lines between happening at schools and outside schools. Schools are accountable for any of these things happening at school and rightly so you say but... if it also carries on outside school the school needs to be able to know that.

Imagine this scenario:

Student A is bullied at school by Student B. Student A's parents bring the bullying to the attention of the school who get involved, do the counselling etc. So the bullying stops - at school - but Student B decides to get even by publishing nasty comment and other bullying information on their facebook page from home and outside school hours. What is the school's position? Legally the school is still involved because the bullying is connected to the school so even though it is taking place outside school hours and off school premises the school is still accountable as the link between the two students and having been dealing with the situation directly to begin with.

It would be a wonderful world if this wasn't necessary but unfortunately the situation is getting more and more blurred between school's and when their responsibility and accountability begins and ends with increasingly society demanding that the schools solve all the problems that the students have.

Okay but how is constant monitoring of students going to fix this? If the student wanted the school to be aware of the situation then surely he/she would show them the offending material.

 

[MrBrightside]

it should be noted that blocking a cunt who is circulating rumours about you will have no impact on their ability to continue circulating rumours

True, but at least it can be minimised on a particular site. It's kinda like software piracy, while it can't be completely stopped, steps can be taken to minimise it. e.g. licence keys to register software. but in this case, Fb accounts can be deleted by contacting FB personally. (If they even get your message).

 

[Lolsmith]

it should be noted that blocking a cunt who is circulating rumours about you will have no impact on their ability to continue circulating rumours

And neither will anything else

 

[funkshen]

And neither will anything else

An injunction will.

Let's get these kids into the litigious mindset early on.

 

[cem]

Okay but how is constant monitoring of students going to fix this? If the student wanted the school to be aware of the situation then surely he/she would show them the offending material.

Constant monitoring would help to a) prevent bullying from continuing and more importantly starting and b) educate all students about appropriate internet behaviour.

Unfortunately many parents don't do the job any more and society is putting more and more of this sort of thing onto schools so they have to take up the baton. When I started teaching, for instance, I taught the academic stuff and left the socialising stuff to Mums and Dads but these days 50% of my time is taken up with teaching kids appropriate ways to behave and to socialise with their peers rather than the academic stuff I was teaching 30 years ago. This idea of monitoring is just the next step - unfortunate of course and I wish it wasn't happening but it is - because society expects schools to fix the ills of society.