Why Educators May Be Tempted to Say No to Web 2.0
In the face of the rapid changes on the Internet and the increased risks they bring, many schools, especially in the K-12 grades, have taken polar approaches to managing Web 2.0 within their schools. Some have opened the doors to these new opportunities, believing that their students and faculty should embrace these innovative applications in an effort to expand learning through online collaboration and sharing, while others have been quick to shut the door due to the potential costs and risks they may pose to younger students. In K-12 grades, the consensus seems to be to block these sites in order to protect students and their privacy from child predators and the potentially objectionable content that these real-time, dynamic sites may host.

Universities and research organizations appear more open to embracing Web 2.0 technology in hopes of providing an academic environment that fosters learning through collaboration. But in so doing, they are encountering challenges. For example, universities have to balance the ability to provide open access with the need to control rising bandwidth costs and ensure network performance. While bandwidth has become less expensive in most parts of the world, new rich content, video, streaming media, and large downloads can quickly bog down even the most robust university networks. In addition, due to growing compliance concerns, higher education is challenged to provide the right level of security against the very real threats of data loss for students, employees, and even student patient records.

All these concerns are understandable, and educational organizations are right to be both eager and cautious about bringing Web 2.0 tools into their academic environments. Denying access to powerful Web 2.0 applications because they might present risks to students or educators cuts students off from the new world of communication that fosters creativity and goes beyond just having students read static content. Today’s generation communicates by building profile pages, uploading photos, sharing research, and commenting on world events, rather than being passive participants.

Therein lies the dilemma—how to manage both ends of the extreme and find the reasonable middle ground that serves individual schools and universities well, empowers students and administrators, and provides the right balance between academic freedom and a safe and flexible learning environment. The following sections describe in detail how Websense can help you solve this dilemma and enable Web 2.0 within schools and higher education environments, with a content-based approach that addresses the risks of the new dynamic Web.

Download pdf Securing Web 2.0 for K-12 & Higher Education