If your family is like mine, you explore far off people, places, and time periods with relative ease through the magic of the Internet. Your home computer brings a wealth of educational resources into your homeschool on a daily basis that would be too expensive or too hard to find any other way. We also know that there is a lot of filth in the online world. How can a family safely use the Internet without bringing unwanted content into their home and into the minds of their children?
Surf With a Purpose
Surfing the Internet can be a similar experience. Many times the trouble starts when using the web for a specific purpose turns into mindless browsing. If someone begins clicking on any random page or ad that looks appealing, he is like the surfer who doesn't care where the wave takes him.
Keep the Sharks Away
There are many good filters to choose from, including ones that are free. An effective filter allows complete customization of its features including prohibiting obscene and criminal themes, letting parents allow or disallow specific sites regardless of the content, blocking chat, setting time limits and time of day restrictions, and keeping a history of both allowed sites visited and blocked sites attempted. My favorite filter even blocks "non-productive" activities like gaming.
A Second Set of Eyes
It's important to remember that all software filters have limits. Even when working perfectly, they cannot block every possible threat among billions of websites. Adding a second set of eyes to watch for Internet danger at home is just as valuable. To keep more eyes involved, put the computer in a high-traffic area of the home where it is highly visible. Face the computer screen out so that it is easily seen by others. A good rule of thumb is, if it has a door on it, it's probably not the right room.
The Internet is a powerful tool for good and evil. It can be as unpredictable as the ocean which brings smiles to playful children on one shore and a tidal wave to communities on another. Knowing how to ride the waves carefully can help protect your home from unwanted Internet content and bring you safely to many rewarding destinations.
David Edgecomb
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This article was originally published in the Jan/Feb '07 issue of Home School Enrichment Magazine. For more information, visit http://homeschoolenrichment.com/
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
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