Filter or no filter

This week I visited a library media center at a rural school. Now I know how some people believe that rural schools are more reluctant change, especially in the area of technology, but this one truly impressed me. Their computere were literally filter free. Teachers and students actively took part in blogs and wikis for discussions, collaberation, instruction, you name it. It was the first school I had ever been in that allowed the filters to be almost completely turned off. Another great thing about this school was that they had policies that kept all of this organized and understandable. All questions I asked about technology rules, web use, copyright, etc., was all answered with handouts about thier polished school policies. Even their school board was on base with these policies. I was pretty impressed. Not only did they have a dynamic set of rules and regulations for school and library issues, but they had it done tactfully and they were easy to access and understand. Yes oh yes, it can be done. I was very thankful for this educators time and knowledge.