Students at Southern Lehigh High School received laptops this school year for education purposes and for improving technology skills. They were given these laptops as a privilege by the school board.
“The laptops are a great education advantage the students have. Students in other school districts do not have this opportunity,” Mr. Joseph Breisch, technology coach, said about the laptops. “It could really help with student Mac skills, and it could prepare them for college and the career force. It could also help with integration of technology in the classroom.”
However, some students have been playing games and going on social networking websites when they are not supposed to be going on those websites. Southern Lehigh’s network blocks non-educational websites because they could be a distraction from learning or hold inappropriate content.
Teachers can control their monitoring software for their classrooms to make sure students are not doing anything inappropriate and staying focused on schoolwork.
Teacher Ms. Rose Jacob finds the new monitoring system advantageous. “ I use it to make sure students are on the correct education websites they are supposed to be on,” Jacob said.
Many teachers override the website block to access educational content such as blogs and YouTube videos.
“The system has an option of blocking certain websites or allowing certain websites, depending on what the teacher wants to use it for,” Breisch said.
During class, some students attempt to go on Twitter on their smartphones (iPhones, Androids, etc.), which may serve as a distraction from learning.
If the phones are not on the Southern Lehigh network, then it cannot be blocked,” Breisch said, adding, “If the phones are connected, the same exact rules would apply as the laptops.”
Recently, Twitter was blocked on smartphones. Mr. Breisch said the Carbon-Lehigh Intermediate Unit (CLIU) cannot explain how they blocked Twitter.
Some students feel like they can’t do as much in their free time on the computers.
“I hate the monitoring systems,” senior Tim Rice said. “The teachers use too much power over the systems.”
However, some students feel that it is appropriate to block these websites. “It is appropriate because if you’re not doing any work, you’re not getting educated as much,” freshman Brad Dillman said.
