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This link  How Students Bypass School Network Security is the handout provided at the session.  This link  Bypass School Security is an 18 minute video of the presentation.

First of all it is a tough budget year.  I didn’t think we had money to make such a purchase.  Secondly, no furniture was purchased and it appears no thought was given to where the systems would reside, their power needs, and their connectivity needs.  They just came in from “over the wall”.  Maybe the program they were purchased to support is the greatest thing ever…but wouldn’t the software run on systems we already own?  Wouldn’t the programs run in a thin-client environment where the expense, power, and connectivity needs could have been minimized?

There seems to be a process that must be followed when a teacher wants to purchase technology.  There is a bottom up review policy which includes the tech folks, the building administrators, and the curriculum supervisors and ultimately, central office.  But the process does not apply when started at the top.  Oh well, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth you say?  Were all the licenses purchased for these systems?  Can they be used for other purposes?  Are the teachers onboard - the ones that will have to use this program?

Well, maybe.  But surely this isn’t the best way to implement programs.

All schools and businesses have some type of an Authorized user Policy when it comes to utilizing their computer networks. Yet, people continue to ignore the policy and these resources for reasons that are outside their intended use. When confronted on AUP violations, the user most likely will shrug it off and continue on with the abuse. It is almost a “no harm no foul” mentatility.

You could argue, that using computer networks supplied by schools and business is no different than using the telephone to make personal phone calls. But I think the those who argue that point probably have never owned a business or never have been responsible for a P&L cost center.

I read recently a point of view that espouses that it is no big deal to have students circumvent network security or to otherwise abuse technology resources. They argue, if a student wrote in a textbook, you wouldn’t take away the text book – they need it for school. I say, “Nice Try!”

First of all students can be made to pay for damaged books. And if they damage a book, it only affects themselves or at most a limited amount of people. That is not true of internet abuse. Crimes can be committed and students can put themselves and the network at risk. I think it is a big deal when students and workers abuse the system And if you think otherwise, then I would say to you that you are weak on your ethical positions. So let’s stop making excuses for technology resource abuses. Let’s expect more from our students – the future resources who will abuse work environment technology resources.

But I have a more important reason to encourage the enforcement of AUP’s. I want students to be able to use the iPhones and whatever is coming down the pike at school. These are more than just phones. Cameras, audio, internet access, messaging – they connect the student. Currently, the zeitgeist is to ban them. The Virginia Department of Education is currently offering a competition to develop apps for students to use on their iPhones. So at the state level, there is an indication that we should prepare to embrace this technology.

So, let’s start to really enforce the AUP’s and send the message the we expect students to do the right thing. uWA-WA (use Where Appropriate – When Appropriate). Let’s step up the discussion of ethics. Let’s embrace the technologies.

Parents need to be aware of these programs. If one thinks that Norton and McAfee are limiting their child from surfing, they are suffering from a proxy-bypass false sense of security. Their child can be surfing anywhere, and I mean anywhere.

The types of internet security bypass that I have seen are:

Anonymizer – These are executable files that subvert all security. These programs can exist on USB drives, on the hard drive, or in network folders. A common on is Ultra-Surf.exe – it is easily available. This type of program will not leave a trail on your security systems.

YADT – “Yet Another Desktop” – Another type of “anonymizer” program. It allows the user to set up a “parallel universe” to the one visible on the monitor. The user can quickly keystroke from one to the other and never leave a trail.

Proxy Bypass – These are websites that grow over night. Users are informed by email of their existence. (I am on the email list and I get notified.) Often times, these are easier for network administrators to detect and block. Typically they are compound word like www.porkfire.com – so keep a watch for websites with similar names.

Being aware of these security bypass programs now makes you as knowledgeable as your students or children. Make sure they understand that you know about these tools. Make sure that you work with them to make good choices when using the internet. The alternative is to ban access to the internet and no one wants that.

Unfortunately, there is some “bad” associated with these devices. Recent news about “sexting” and students using cell phones to cheat on tests has alarmed many of us. Many of us have responded emotionally by wanting to ban the tools that students are using to accomplish these undesirable behaviors. Well, we can try that. But do we really want to be “technology police”? I suggest we want to embrace these devices and capture their potential. We want to understand the devices and the pitfalls and make sure we position ourselves to leverage the good and minimize the potential harm. We need to validate that these devices are part of our culture and in fact part of the world culture.

So let’s focus on what we do want rather than what we don’t want. We would like students to have these devices and “uWA-WA” – use Where Appropriate – When Appropriate”. To achieve this, it takes time, patience, and practice.

It helps me to think of these devices the same way we think about cars and driving. We understand that driving a car is both advantageous and dangerous. Our culture embraces driving and we set out at an early age to teach kids the rules of the road because we know they are the drivers of the future. When a child is old enough to get a learners permit, the parent will ride with the child to help them better understand how to make good decisions. The approach to learning to drive a car is pretty much the approach technology leaders and parents should take to make sure our students understand uWA-WA.

Let’s move more towards the development of better ethics. Let’s bring back honor codes. Let’s set the expectation bar higher with regards to students using these tools. And, they are still young. They do not understand that they might be breaking laws or participating in actions that might cause long term harm, since the internet is forever. They need our coaching. They need to make mistakes under our supervision. Driving the devices “underground” will not be effective and it reflects our lack of understanding of the evolution of our technology

Cell Phones conjure visions ranging from extreme evil to extreme usefulness.  Cell phones have evolved over the years and will continue to evolve.  When I say “cell phone”, I am not referring to the original notion of a cell phone - one that makes and receives phone calls.  I am referring to the cell phone that bundles a lot of new technology over and beyond the ability to talk on the device.

Cell phones (iPhones) now have internet access and, therefore, access to the world knowledge that is “out there”.  Really, when I think about it, why would we want to block or prohibit the use of cell phones in our schools?

A student came to me in a panic last week.  She needed a citation to complete her term paper.  The citation was for a video on Youtube. We block access to YouTube in my school division.  So I called my son on my cell phone.  Being outside our school, he would be able to access to Youtube.  Then I would have the information!   I was pleased with myself for this solution.  But … not so fast …. another student with an iPhone, overheard what was going on and quickly offered an alternative solution.  She could access YouTube using her iPhone and the information would be  quickly available - task accomplished.  Now…Why wouldn’t we want our students to be able to do that?  That is what happens now in the “real” world.

On the flip side, we have all seen an adult (maybe we are one ourselves) who while at a movie, has their cell phone ring and then not hang up!  In fact they engage the person in conversation - oblivious to us who are watching the movie.  Should we ban cell phones for adults?  Of course not.  The answer is using the instrument where it is appropriate and WHEN it is appropriate - uWA-WA.  This is the skill we should be teaching our students.

We can jam - we can ban - we can limit.  But really we want our students to be highly effective and efficient with the 21st century tools.  So my job, I think, is to create the Safety Net that students can utilize 21st century tools responsibly and approriately.  My workmates are tired of me using this analogy/metaphor but I think it works.  That is Driver’s Education.  We teach our students to drive a 1 ton vehicle - hey, they could really be killed out there.  We don’t ban cars or driving.  rather we embrace the notion of preparing our students to be responsible drivers.  Do they make mistakes?  Get tickets? Sure they do.  But over time, they are better for our efforts to train them to be responsible drivers.

I believe this approach applies here with Cell Phones in our schools.  Let’s see what you think.

NComputing has a document that explains the licensing relationship between Microsoft and NComputing.  Up until now, licensing in the thin client environment has been a bit of a mystery.  This document clears most of the mystery and introduces you to the vocabulary you will need to dicuss licensing for the Thin Client environment.  Click  Windows 2003 Server Licensing to see the full document.

“NComputing, the leading provider of ultra low-cost computing, today announced that Dougherty County School System (DCSS) in Georgia has launched an aggressive program to expand computer access for its 16,000 students. DCSS is using NComputing virtual desktops connected to low-cost PCs running the Microsoft Windows Server operating system.”

Read the article

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