Last week, a student at Big Spring High School in Newville, Pennsylvania was given detention for using Firefox on a school computer. Quoted below is the key explanation from the official detention writeup: Posted on 12/17/2007 11:41:53 AM PST by twntaipan
Last week, a student at Big Spring High School in Newville, Pennsylvania was given detention for using Firefox on a school computer. Quoted below is the key explanation from the official detention writeup:
“Today in class [name] had a program launched called Foxfire.exe. I had told [name] to close the program and to resume work but he told me that is was just a different browser and that he was doing his work. I had given him two warnings but he insisted that it was just a ‘better’ browser and he wasn’t doing anything wrong. I had then issued his detention.”
I’m sure whether I should laugh or cry. It says so much about the state of technical education, respect for authority, what passes for civil disobedience and–of course–the all-consuming corporate hegemony of Microsoft. We live in a strange world.
Once again, hat tip to my buddy Lizard for the heads up.
Can’t you run Firefox from a jump drive? That way you can take your Bookmarks, etc. with you?
Zero tolerance wont allow that.
BTW, you can download a kit from Microsoft and brand IE however you like yourself. It’s pretty easy, and makes an installer for you when you’re done. Free Republic version!
But on Firefox all it would take is an extension.
Yep, looks like we got caught. OTOH, it has made for some good discussion.
He will just start his own business.That is what I had to do because I kept getting fired and I needed to stay working.
“I’m sure whether I should laugh or cry. It says so much about the state of technical education, respect for authority, what passes for civil disobedience and–of course–the all-consuming corporate hegemony of Microsoft. We live in a strange world.”
It speaks poorly for this kid! I hate IE as much as anyone but if its the schools policy to use it then use it. Obey at the time and come back after class so you’re not challenging the teachers authority and explain why you need to use FF..
Show them the plugins you like, mention teh fact its a touch more secure, whatever.. Its just a piece of software!
Mark,
There is, fortunately, a tap extension that allows
me to choose to display any particular page in IE
format. So I do that. But I was wondering if anyone
else noticed a difference in quality between Firefox
graphic rendering and IE?
The computers are not the property of the student, they are the property of the school. Security is set up through IE as is the firewall. Not to mention, the student was given a reasonable request (not something obscene or profane) and he refused 3 separate times. That's defiance and that's why he earned a detention
Right. He was doing the work. But he was doing it using unauthorized software. He was told to close Firefox and do his work using authorized software. He refused multiple requests to do so. If I did that at work I’d be lucky not to be fired. At school, if a teacher tells you to do something (absent obvious “jump out the window” examples), you do it. Or get detentions.
What size drives did you have? I’m surprised you could reimage between classes.
Therefore, it is also a Rorshach test.
I find it very interesting.
Some folks see a bratty little kid, who won't follow the rules and must be punished.
Some folks see a clueless and possibly jealous teacher who inflicts his ignorance on his pupils.
Sort of like my story. I didn't keep getting fired, but when you're an outsider, people seem to judge you on relevant criteria, instead of where you went to school, how many hours a day you suck up, etc. They just want to pay their money and get a product that works as advertised. Some of the same companies that sucked to work for, are actually great customers. Go figure.
Excellent post. Others have suggested so much as the kid seeking out and trying to argue his defiance directly with school administrators, with a half baked plan to attack and insult the teacher for following what is probably school policy. They probably think that would work too LOL.
Could a case be made...that it's actually not the "school's computer" but the tax-payer's?
>> Therefore, it is also a Rorshach test.
I find it very interesting.
Some folks see a bratty little kid, who won’t follow the rules and must be punished.
Some folks see a clueless and possibly jealous teacher who inflicts his ignorance on his pupils.<<
Hmmm what does that say if I saw so many possibilities and no way to be sure I decided not to post at all - schizophrenic?
You should upgrade to one or the other, as they both contain a lot of security fixes compared to the last Netscape version.
Yes, funny about that.My deal is very similar.
ping...
Response to Internet Hoax
December 17, 2007
Recently, a file was uploaded to the Internet purporting to be a copy of a letter from Big Spring High School to a student regarding a two hour detention. The uploaded letter was an altered version of a detention letter sent to a student. Unfortunately, privacy concerns prevent the School District from giving a full explanation of the nature and source of the letter’s alteration at this time. The Big Spring School District does have confirmation that the discipline letter was altered.
The reports, blogs and other sources on the Internet indicating that a Big Spring student was assigned detention for using the Firefox internet browser instead of Internet Explorer are untrue and were based on the fake letter. Detention is assigned in our schools after appropriate warnings are given, if students continue to engage in non-academic activities or fail to follow a teacher’s directive during class time discipline can and will be assigned.
Sincerely yours,
John C. Scudder
High School Principal
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