[Year 12 IPM] Proxy avoiding web sites and individual useraccounts

[Cameron Bell]

We have decided to move away from charging for net access and fund open
access  to the internet as it is simply too an important resource to
restrict access to. We decided that the hassle teachers had with
students not being able to access websites was restricting take-up of
ICT in the classroom. Teachers were fed up with students not being able
access websites without prior submission to the education channel -
especially when it restricted free-form investigation and research.
The down side is that students won't have "free" access to computers and
will need to be supervised.
You have to convince the admin that it has to fund the internet as a
core component to education. It is used across all KLA's and is an
essential tool for education. It is not an addon- it is core component. 
I'm not sure many admins can see that just yet.
If the electricity bill is over budget  they can find the money to pay
that, they don't just turn off all power or tell kids they can only use
the lights if they pay a power fee.
There are tools like Packateer ($$  :(  ) that can enable access to be
tailored to a packet by packet basis. You may want to look at something
like that to help keep costs down. If you artificially slow the link or
restrict certain traffic you can keep costs down without removing access
completely.
Fight for free access.
Cheers
Cameron


fiona at balmoralhs.vic.edu.au wrote:
> Do you give the students a starting balance on each account and, if so, how much
>
> thanks 
> Fiona (the other kind of Bain)
> Balmoral
> "Bane, Janet A" <bane.janet.a at edumail.vic.gov.au> on Thu, 14 Dec 2006 10:32:09 +1100 wrote:
>   
>> Hi Kim
>> there is a very simple solution to this problem - start charging the kids for their internet usage!  I think you would find that most schools do.  Our system is called Gaia Print and Net charger.  Not only do we charge for internet usage, we also charge 10c per print out.  Its amazing what "needs" to be accessed and what doesn't when they have to pay for it!
>>
>> regards,
>> Janet Bane
>> Patterson River SC.
>>
>> ________________________________
>>
>> From: ipm-bounces at edulists.com.au on behalf of kgration at myrtlefordsc.vic.edu.au
>> Sent: Wed 13-Dec-06 3:31 PM
>> To: ipm at edulists.com.au
>> Subject: [Year 12 IPM] Proxy avoiding web sites and individual user accounts
>>
>>
>>
>> Dear List,
>>
>> During the last few months our wonderful students have discovered treasure troves of proxy avoiding web sites (e.g. vtunnel, kproxy, flyproxy etc. etc. etc.) with multiple variations of each of these and numerous others as the URL. Most of these sites are secure (i.e. https:// <https:///>  rather than http:// <http:///> ) so are difficult to block or usually totally unblockable using the SINA front end. The Year 10-12 students are particularly notorious for this kind of behaviour. Blocking the source IP address appears to be the only rather fragmented solution to this problem . . . but this essentially amounts to a game of catch up . . . and without a full time tech. usually means a call to Editure . . . who aren't always 100% successful either.
>>
>> Not surprisingly our Internet budget has basically been blown as a result. I am now considering taking away individual user accounts for student Internet use and having Learning Area, Year Level or some other account structure where teachers enter the password for students in their care.
>>
>> Does anyone out there have any gems of wisdom (bright ideas) or perspectivesto share in this area?
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Kim
>>
>> ---
>> Kim Gration
>> ICT Manager
>> Myrtleford Secondary College
>> http://www.myrtlefordsc.vic.edu.au <http://www.myrtlefordsc.vic.edu.au/>
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>
> ---
> fiona at balmoralhs.vic.edu.au
> http://www.balmoralhs.vic.edu.au/
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> IPM Mailing List kindly supported by
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> http://www.vitta.org.au  - VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association Inc
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