Jacob Sanchez
Graphics Editor

At one time or another, almost everyone has tried going to a website and an Austin ISD page loads up instead telling you that the website is blocked.

Now that would be fine if you were trying to go to an inappropriate website but not if you were trying to do some research for a class project. With so many sites blocked I wouldn’t doubt if Austin ISD had a whitelist instead of a blacklist. You can literally take 10 random websites, type them into your web browser and more than half of them will be blocked.

I understand that the Internet has many distractions so they block sites so students can focus on what they need to do. Teachers spend a lot of time creating new innovative ways to teach their students using resources on the internet but it’s disappointing when they take everyone to a computer lab and find out the website they had been planning to use is blocked. The teacher then has not only wasted time making the assignment but also wasted class time.

A website like Twitter isn’t completely necessary to have unblocked because almost everyone has it on their cell phone. Although I would appreciate if they did unblock it due to students getting important updates through school related Twitter accounts such as the journalism account. However, a website like Dropbox is very useful for students who work on something at home such as a PowerPoint. Austin ISD should carefully see what each website has to offer and then act.

Adelina Sithammavong 
Staff Reporter

Honestly, everyone needs to stop complaining about the school blocking websites. The school has every reason and right to put the blocks up.

This is a place of learning, not a place where we can browse the web and mess around.

The school has blocks implemented to make certain that students have a proper learning environment. Honestly, there is no reason to be on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media site during school hours. Also websites with relations to drugs and pornography are blocked for obvious reasons.

Those sites will only distract students; also there’s so many vulgar and inappropriate material on those sites that it’s best to just keep them separate.

Of course not all students are going to be distracted by what is going on in the Internet, but it only takes a couple bad apples to ruin the whole bunch. There is always going to be that one student that ruins it for everybody because he/she can’t stop scrolling on their news feeds.

Some say social media sites can be used for educational purposes; to be able to see assignments the teachers post. However what you’re doing cannot be monitored.

If it’s that much of an issue to you, talk to your teacher about setting up an Edmodo account for the class to stay connected outside school. It’s school friendly and you can keep up with assignments when you are not in school.

We are in a public school. All our funds come from taxpayers, and I’m sure they don’t want their money being wasted on Facebook.

Uncle Sam takes a nice chunk out of my paycheck every week. The public schools sure better do what they can so that students are learning right. Not getting distracted.

If you are so adamant on getting on anything that is blocked in school and you don’t have Internet access at home, just go to your public library down the road.

At school though, sorry just deal with the blocks.