Just to review, the Virginia General Assembly placed into law effective July 1, 2006, a mandate that all schools include a component of Internet Safety into the K-12 curriculum as part of the same legislation that required Acceptable Use Policies and filtering technologies. A complete guide to the legislation is included in the Guidelines for Internet Safety available for download at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/Technology/OET/internet-safety-guidelines.shtml  I encourage each of you to read the guidelines and to become familiar with the recomendations.  I would also suggest that you identify who in your division has been charged with creating the Internet Safety program. 

As librarians, we are constantly charged with ensuring that students are informed and ethical users of information.  This legislation provides us with another opportunity to teach both students and faculty how to be safe online.  It is also another opportunity to teach alternate search strategies that do not involve open Internet searches.  The databases provided by the Library of Virginia are an excellent alternative to guide students and staff to for quality information.

But, it is important to remember that while at school, our students are protected from accessing unfiltered information, we also need to teach them what to do when faced with situations such as requests for personal information and cyber bullying.  The educational value of Internet 2.0 and other emerging technologies must not get lost in the fears of what might happen. 

School divisions are facing a giant disconnect in the area of technology.  Students are used to controlling the technology and making it fit their life style and learning demands.  School technology leaders are trying to ensure maximum network efficiency while at the same time working to determine how best to incorporate new technologies into the system.  No easy job for either the technology advernturers in the instructional realm or for the persons charged with maintaining a robust and secure network environment. 

Your thought?

Last year, Gail Dickinson from ODU wrote a wonderful explanation of the difference.  I am going to ask her for permission to reprint it.  And Carrie Gardner from Catholic University serves on the Intellectual Freedom committee for ALA.  I hope that she will give us some insight as well. 

One of the interesting points that was raised during the discussion was that librarians thought they were being censors if they removed materials they had found and felt were inappropriate. 

Here is your opportunity to sound off!

Watch the Halyard for details as this project progresses.

Charlie

Thanks