Accessing Inappropriate Content on an iPad

[Sam Gliksman]

 

I recently received an email from a school administrator that is eager to bring iPads into his school but is also extremely concerned that it could grant students easy access to inappropriate material.

 

My response to his questions are listed below: 

 

 

“Can an iPad be locked down so students can’t change certain network settings”

It all depends on what you want to secure and how secure you need it to be.

1. You don't give iPads any access to your internal network. They get internet access only.

2. You can use the built-in restrictions to prevent access to many administrative options.

3. You obviously provide web access but it should run through a web filter that can moderate access and report on any individual's web usage.

4. You create and distribute a "Responsible Use Policy" that is signed by student and parent.

"A UK school can be closed if a child is allowed to access inappropriate material on school equipment."

The key word there is "allowed". Your school should be able to demonstrate that it took reasonable measures to minimize access to inappropriate content. iPads accessing the internet with a wireless connection are no different than any other computer on campus with web access. The only difference is that you can't have someone sitting there monitoring everyone's computer screen - which would not be a very productive approach in the first place.

Students are smart ... as fast as you can come up with a way to secure their access they'll likely come up with ways to work around it. Try Googling "ways to get around school web filters" - it's an impressive collection of alternatives. In any case, by their teens most have access to smartphones that can bypass any measures you put in place. Such is life in the 21st century. You can't reasonably expect to keep them in a bubble.

The bottom line is that you can't "guarantee" that they will never access inappropriate material - at school, at home or frankly anywhere they have a connection to the internet. It's actually a great opportunity to have a meeting with the parent community and discuss responsible use and options for monitoring web access at home. 

The keys are as follows:

- Put security measures in place.

- Keep expectations reasonable.

- Empower students to explore and grow through the use of technology. Don't choke them with a school "big brother" approach that monitors and restricts their every move.

- Communicate openly with the school community. This is an important learning moment for everyone.

- Importantly, stress the amazing educational opportunities that web access and connection to the world outside school enables. Yes, you could get hit by a bus if you left your house but would that keep you from walking outside?

************************************************************************************************

 

How would you have responded?

Sam Gliksman

[e-mail]

Twitter: @samgliksman

 

 

[Randy Rivers]

I'm an ex-coach and am an adherent to the adage KISS (Keep It Simple S...).  What I'm getting at is that using technology to manage user access may not be the best course.  It may have been in the early years of networks and enterprises.  We need to focus on the decentralization of IT management.  We need to focus on teaching our users to be their own IT managers.  If we set that expectation we'll eventually get there.  Sure, there may be some hiccups, but progress is not made without taking some level of risk.  

I agree, some good conversation!  RR

[Michael Plotsker]

We are in agreement that we need to filter the internet. so I don't understand the following quote from your first post:

"One-size-fits-all (IT Department) censorship is counter-intuitive to tablet technology and Web 2.0."

We are in agreement that the ipads need to be managed in class. Teachers barely have time to just hand out the ipads, log onto the web site needed, explain the assignment to the student and get the project going in my school. When will they have time to micro-manage what is on every ipad screen? so I don't agree with the following quote:

 "The best filtering and management solution is a good teacher in the classroom assigning meaningful work for the students using the technology."

my teachers chafed at the notion of the time required to unlock 30 ipads at the beginning of each class.

I am placing blame of this on apple's very weak restrictions on the ipad. every move they have made in the few months or so is to penetrate the lucrative edu market. what is lacking however are the tools to manage the ipads effectively in the classroom. 

when I see some serious policy management tools (like windows group policy management tools) I will jump all in head first. 

for now our school uses it only in english class for expository writing. however, next year we are piloting a hebrew language ipad program. 

thank you again for listening and commenting

Michael

ps don't get me started about ip address management and wifi management of hundreds of student used ipads. its a potential nightmare. that however is not apples fault, just the nature of the networking beast.

[Randy Rivers]

CIPA requires us to filter and porn should be.  As long as my IT people are managing the filter in good faith, I'm right behind them.  I understand the nature of the Internet and the possibility that even the best filter might not catch everything.  Once again, it comes down to the administrator's courage to make decisions that put access to learning resources ahead of the fear of a difficult situation that must be handled delicately and individually.

[Michael Plotsker]

No disrespect intended. I just wanted to know where you were coming from.

I still stand by my experiences. If a kid managed to get some porn on the open ipad, what would you do to your IT guy? would he have a job the next day? What if a kid told his/her parent and that parent demanded that you fire the IT guy, would you fire him?

As an IT guy/consultant with over 17 years experience in tech and over 7 years as tech director in schools I would demand that the school have school-wide filtering. Just what I would do. 

do you remember that poor school teacher who was tried in court for having a computer in her classroom that didn't have antivirus and was infected and experienced a porn storm that the students witnessed? (she was tried, the it manager of the district was not tried) the same could happen with an ipad.

Thanks

Michael

[Randy Rivers]

I'm a district superintendent with 30 years experience.  I started out as computer science teacher in 1982.  Have worked with this stuff for years.  Some teachers as well as some students do not step up to our expectations, but we must maintain high expectations of both students and teachers.  Principals and superintendents must have the courage to defend the "open-source" philosophy and handle isolated incidents of misuse as teachable moments. 

[Michael Plotsker]

That is a very optimistic attitude. Do you work in a school?

It is true that kids like to express their individuality. However, they will digitally mark up an ipad with pictures of their favorite sports stars, movie stars, celebrities, etc... to express their individuality. If they manage to put up some thing inappropriate, the pricipals of that school will not applaud the filtering of a good teacher, they will call for the head of the IT guy on a platter for not implementing a school-wide filtering solution. 

In addition, if you give a wide open ipad to any normal well adjusted child, he/she (he more than she in my travels) will not stay on task. It's just too much of a distraction.

This is my experience not a fact but every colleague I've spoken too about this agrees with me for the most part.

Thanks 

[Randy Rivers]

The best filtering and management solution is a good teacher in the classroom assigning meaningful work for the students using the technology.  This technology is about individualization of learning.  One-size-fits-all (IT Department) censorship is counter-intuitive to tablet technology and Web 2.0.

[Michael Plotsker]

iPads are not easily restricted. If you give an unlocked iPad to a student they can put their own pass code on it. Then you must wipe it clean and reload the iOS. I tried the restrictions on the ipad itself and the iPhone configurator. These aren't like a laptop on an windows server network locked down with group policies where you can lock down almost anything. Apple is deluding itself that thevipad education solution as it is today is a workable solution. For it staffers it's a major PITA!
The iPad config tool that recently came out in he Mac app store seems like a way to sell os x upgrades as it is only available for the latest os x version.
This is exactly the lack of forethought that is indicative of apple half hearted forays into enterprise support. (yes I consider edu support part of enterprise support. Those of you who don't are settling for much less)

In direct response to the question, use whatever weak restriction apple gives you now. Apply them using the iPhone configurator. Get internet content filtering at your ingress and egress points (router) and wait until apple get serious about iPads in education the proper way and hope for the best or don't use iPads in the classroom for students. Document your processes to lock these iPads down to CYA.

I welcome any and all comments/criticisms.

Thanks
Michael p

[Jenny Ashby]

We have set restrictions on the iPads. We've turned off YouTube, unfortunately because the most viewed button leads to terrible stuff by accident. We turn on the restrictions and add age appropriate ratings 4+ so inappropriate apps can't be loaded if they are age rated properly. Sometimes we will turn off cameras if used inappropriately or erasing of apps or app purchasing.  Depends on the user. Students know what's possible and so want to have features.

In an ideal world I would have no restrictions but I live in the real world and as I tell our students the iPads are owned by the school so everything on it can be viewed by everyone at school.

[Rachel Vartanian]

I don't know all of the in's and out's but it seemed very simple to have Safari on the iPads use the same filter that our computers use for the web.  Also, we were able to easily turn off things like YouTube and Twitter.  We have had more issues with appropriate content within apps.  For example, a word magnet app for poetry had an entire category of "inuendos" that were really inappropriate.  The age ratings from the iTunes store don't seem helpful.