This book, Security vs. Access, addresses the need for educators to balance having a safe and secure environment in the classroom with also an area that is productive and creative. This balance, in my opinion, is almost impossible for a beginning educator to find. When I get my own classroom, I will probably choose the side of caution rather than trying to push the boundaries of educational technology. This book does help beginning educators like myself, as well as experienced teachers, with overcoming this challenge of seeming to perform a balancing act on a tight rope. Also, copyright issues always seem prevalent within modern American culture. A heightened sense of security, especially post 9-11, has caused more people, including myself, to be caution driven instead of exploratory driven.
This book is about ways to use the new security measures to enhance rather than detract from the use of technology for learning. Of course the authors (and myself) believe the security of our students to be a top priority, that almost goes without saying, but technology should not be viewed as something evil or untrustworthy, though this attitude has developed among many veteran teachers. This has probably, as the book states, helped slow the process of full integration of technology into teaching and learning. Despite the belief that technology is evil, schools have spent billions of dollars making their buildings resemble a twenty-first century structure. The irony here really is extraordinary.
A few concerns for educators are of course copyright issues because the amount of illegally downloaded music and movies is astronomical. Another issue (a negative connotation, ha ha), is cypersecurity, but this still seems to be taking second place to copyright laws. Teachers do not have one problem using a picture of Scooby Doo on a bulletin board, but the same teachers become weary and hesitate when viewing the same picture on a webpage. This type of fear, as the book states and which I agree, is beginning to have a negative impact on students.
The rest of the book examines eight different security threats in detail to give educators a sense of understanding. Also, they should remove most of the fear for educators that are associated with using technology in the classroom, a complete integration in all subject areas. The eight threats are: inappropriate content, predators or ensnarement, misuse of mobile communication devices, cyberbullying, network security inappropriate network use, copyright infringement, data and identity theft. With an understanding that all of these things are legitimate threats to teachers and students, people in the field of education cannot dismiss technology because these threats exist. Rather, educators should embrace technology because they know how to prevent these threats from happening through an understanding of technology.
This chapter relates well to Standard 6, which discusses safe and ethical uses of technology. Not surprisingly, ISTE is the publisher of both the standards and this particular book. Teachers, Administrators, parents, and students all should practice safe and ethical procedures when using the internet. Despite the negative issues, however, this should not detract or delay full integration of technology into the classroom. This will require teachers learning about many new ideas, but on the bright side, this gives teachers an opportunity to model a love for learning and a willingness to adapt with the ever changing culture. These two skills are crucial for young men and women who want to be successful in society in the twenty-first century.
Good thoughts!
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