In an article published today for ISTE Connects, Wes Fryer talks about some of the common reasons given by administrators for blocking websites. At the end of the article Mr. Fryer shares a link to project he started called Unmasking the Digital Truth. Unmasking the Digital Truth is a wiki built to share information and dispel common misconceptions about CIPA, FERPA, and e-Discovery, and other reasons commonly used for justifying web censorship. The wiki is clear in all of its explanations.

Applications for Education
The more I talk with teachers around the world the more I hear horror stories of teachers not being able to access basic web tools like wikis and blogs. It seems that sometimes schools are blocking websites out of fear and sometimes out of misunderstandings. Whatever the reason for blocking is, teachers shouldn’t sit idly by and be denied access to the tools they need to prepare their students to participate in the global community. To that end, a site like Unmasking the Digital Truth is a great resource for teachers who would like to gather information that they can use in discussions with their administrators about unblocking websites.