It’s art class and you’re not quite sure what you want your next project to be about. All the best ideas seem to be found on Pinterest so you type it in only for that dreaded black and blue screen to come up. “This website has been blocked by your administrator,” it reads. Meanwhile, the classmate in front of you is watching Netflix. At LHS, students have long struggled with the school’s blocking system when it comes to Chromebooks. The way websites are being blocked is often seen as puzzling.
“Not being able to use Pinterest and sites like it at school sucks when I’m on my school account because when I was planning the gala for BSU, I would take little breaks I have during class to brainstorm and talk to other people to get my community involved,” said Senior, Chase Merril. “So it’s hard to show them my inspiration and what I’m thinking if I can’t access stuff.”
The goal of these restrictions is meant to ensure that students use chromebooks for educational purposes. However, it often seems more sporadic than that.
Like Pinterest, a website used by millions to explore ideas, organize projects and jumpstart creativity, is completely blocked. Yet, at the same time, movie streaming services can be opened and explored just fine. If we can access Netflix and Hulu, why can’t we access a site like Pinterest, which can be utilized as a great tool for research or inspiration in classes like art and design?
Even more confusing is the fact that ChatGPT is readily available and yet, you can’t even type the word “snake” into the search bar without it getting flagged by the system. Harmless and classic games like ‘snake’ are made impossible, while ChatGPT is simply waiting to infringe on assignments. Students are left wondering how that could possibly make sense.
It’s as if there was no real thought put into what should and shouldn’t be accessible. A good blocking system should support education and creativity, not hinder it by overblocking harmless entertainment and useful tools while leaving plagiarism sites like Chatgpt and time suckers like movies lying in wait.
“I think there should be a more precise moderating system within school computers,” said LHS Senior, Sydney Smith.
Reevaluating the way websites are restricted at LHS seems like it could be extremely beneficial. Blocking taking a more balanced and strategic approach in order to ensure students have the tools they need to succeed seems an idea worth considering.
