The Internet can be empowering in schools The scene: a high
school classroom. Students gaze into their laptops. They might
be taking notes like good little boys and girls. Or they might
be passing the time on MySpace, quietly playing a Web game while
their teacher thinks she has their undivided attention. It looks
like a teacher's worst nightmare. But it's the future. If we're
smart. The best thing about the Internet is the power it gives.
Power to have a voice in civic government, power to learn on our
own terms, power to share our lives. But that power isn't
allowed in the classroom. Not yet. And that's a mistake. Schools
all over the country lock their computers away in a lab or a
library. That's the situation at Garfield High School, where the
district's Web filter blocks access to sites like MySpace and
YouTube and occasionally some blogs teachers want to use in
class. The filter saves everyone a lot of trouble and worry.
Students are curious and schools are scared. Filters are the
easiest way to stop yo