Many studies are conducted about the use of the Internet and the lives of high school students. There are three popular main areas of study involving Internet use and students.
- First area – level of safety and an effective school environment for Internet users.
- Second area – school use of online software that monitors information when students browse for inappropriate sites and filters pornography.
- Third area – effectiveness of school chat rooms for student interaction.
Students involved in offensive language and behavior online.
When student computers are tapped and monitored to check their activity, the results are very surprising and completely unexpected. Many students are involved in using offensive language in chat rooms on email and on message boards. This is just on the public side of the Internet. On the private front, students are involved in the same offensive behavior in instant messaging their own friends. Students violate all school rights and access pornographic sites.
Online behavior can be dangerous to students.
There have also been serious cases where students are involved in racism and bullying (cyber bullying) of other students in their school. This is very negative behavior that is found in some students these days. Especially, with the introduction of blogs and public opinion sites, students use this chance to make their bullying and racist remarks even more prominent.
No level of filtration seems to work. Students are smart enough to find their way out of it and get past the school’s firewalls. If only students used this same intelligence in more creative issues, the Internet and society would be a better place.
All of this behavior can be put to a stop.
Schools decide unanimously to make their students agree and accept an Internet policy of acceptable use. The students check a box that is displayed when they start up their computers. After they agree to the policy, they are allowed access to the computer. Students are monitored and every time they violate the school policy, the computer is shut off! Authorities then take severe actions against the students which may include expulsion from school.
This is an effective way to make students understand to use school property for school purposes only, not for negative purposes.
