GEM-1

For my GEM track I have been reading the book Security vs. Access: Balancing Safety and Productivity in the Digital School. After reading chapter 1 called "The Threat of Security and Its Effects on Access", I see this chapter directly relating to chapter 6. I think this book will mostly go along with chapter 6 because it about security and access and that goes with "Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues" like from the Williamson text.

This chapter started by presenting a teacher with who ordered bulbs online on a Saturday that he had come in on his own time to do some work at school and was accused with inappropriate use of the internet at school. This teacher then explains how the school does not allow any CDs to be burned on the school computers even simple Powerpoints that the class creates because they have a fear of copyright laws violate. There are many more stories like this teachers' out there of school systems hindering the use of technology in school because of fears. However, technology cannot be fully integrated and students will not get all of the 21st century skills needed if they are stopped from using certain parts of technology. Barriers included in technology integration are "a lack of appropriate hardware and software, a lack of training, insufficient administrative support, and collegial jealousy." There are 8 security threats listed at the end of the chapter that the rest of the book goes through and talks about.

1. Inappropriate content
2. Predators, or ensnarement
3. Misuse of mobile communication devices
4. Cyberbullying
5. Network security
6. Inappropriate network use
7. Copyright infringement
8. Data and identity theft

In this chapter there is a sentence, "Most teachers do not worry about using a picture of Snoopy or Scooby-Doo to brighten a classroom bulletin board, but those same teachers may be genuinely frightened at the prospect of prosecution for using that same picture on a classroom-related web page." This sentence rang so true as I read it. I had never thought of it in those terms, but that is the fear that is present in classrooms today. Teachers should not have to worry that the picture they use in their classroom going up on their website would cause copyright issues.