Andrew Lewis Middle School has a rule that prohibits students from accessing any kind of game website on their school-issued computer. This rule is enforced by many different apps, applications, and spyware, such as “GoGuardian”, “NetRef”, and “Cisco Umbrella”. I do not agree with this rule fully, however, I do agree with some of the rules.
One of the main reasons for this rule is that schools want to prevent distractions and ensure students stay focused on academics. Another reason is that some schools may be required by law to restrict access to certain websites or content. The last reason is that schools may block game websites to prevent network congestion because games consume a lot of bandwidth, which could slow down the entire school network.
Next, the reasons why I disagree with some of these rules. First, blocking all games for the whole school to prevent distractions can be frustrating for students at lunch, during free periods, or during free time at the end of class. However, I agree with this rule, as it prevents students currently learning or studying in the classroom from getting off-task and not paying attention.
One more reason blocking all of the websites isn’t a good idea (excluding big gaming websites; ex. Roblox) is because it doesn’t work, and students will always find an alternative or a way to bypass the filter. By blocking all gaming websites students may try to find alternative websites that could contain viruses or malware, and they wouldn’t even be aware of it. There are also thousands, maybe millions, of different websites that help students get on games, so it is almost impossible to block every game. Each time a school blocks one website, a student could have already found 5 more. This rule that the school system has made up is good in some ways, and also bad in some ways.
Because I find some of these rules to be ineffective, I have made up some solutions to make these rules better. First, teachers could unblock games or websites for students during free periods or free time after finishing their work (if possible). The school could also set up a system where you can put in a request to an IT for a website to be unblocked (ex. Which Website? What Time? Reason?).
Lastly, according to iberdrola.com (1), games can boost motivation inside of school because I know a lot of students who go to school (Not all students, but some) are bored unless they can play games. So, in a way, games inside schools can be beneficial and harmful at the same time.
In conclusion, this rule that Andrew Lewis Middle School has made up is good and bad. Schools should change this rule some, but not fully because some of it is still effective. Teachers also should change their rules to allow students to play games during free time, during a free period, or after ALL classwork and missing work has been completed.