After 20+ years, why are schools still scared of the Internet?

A friend recently e-mailed me a question asking what to do about a staff member who refuses to sign her school board's Internet Acceptable Use Policy. Whaaaa????

My response:

Is your AUP board-adopted policy? If so, she does not have to sign it to be bound by it. When one signs a teaching contract (or any employment contract) one is agreeing to abide by school board policy. Why are teachers required to sign the AUP and not every board policy? I would ask. 

If this is some document the tech department has created, she probably doesn't have to sign it. I suppose you could take away her Internet privileges, if she doesn't. ;-)

As my friend suggested, the requirement that the Acceptable Use Policy be signed separately is a "a holdover from the 'technology is a spooky new dangerous entity for which we need special rules and regulations' days."

So just how long will it take before schools stop seeing the Internet as a threat rather than an asset? A a permanent part of our world, our culture, our education?

But then again we still have to have Banned Books Week since some adults in schools are still afraid of print. And that's been around a lot longer than the Internet.

Sigh...

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Comments

[Alicia Duell]

It sounds like your friend has her work cut out for her! It certainly has made me think a lot about why we are still requiring the additional piece of paper, which makes technology seem like some sort of additional "add-on" to the educational program. Also, she can at least rest easy being assured that the staff member is still bound by policy even without the additional signature. Thanks for the post!!

[Doug Johnson]

HI Alicia,

This friend is a pretty sharp cookie and I am sure she will resolve all issues to everyone's satisfaction. And I suspect she may not be the only one having similar problems so I shared.

Thanks for the comment,

Doug