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Home: Help: Filters

Filtering Software

As of January 2001, all schools and libraries are required to "filter" the content of their computers. There are many different ways to accomplish this filtering but most Texas schools accomplish this by contracts through their Education Service Centers. The schools hook into a network at their local E.S.C. which filters the material for the school. Most of the time filtering software works well and does a nice job of blocking only the sites it was intended for, however sometimes this can be a problem. Many of today's web sites use streaming technology for delivering short film clips, animations, or voice, over the Internet. Filters can have a problem dealing with these large, often quickly changing files.The best thing to do if you are having access problems is talk to your library media specialist or technology director and see if your filter allows for an authorized override. This override consists of a password and user name that can be typed in and will temporarily disable the filter. Other possible options include talking about removing the filter from just the computer the teacher uses and having the teacher assume responsibility.

Featured Sites

n2h2.com

http://www.n2h2.com/solutions/

One of the better filters on the market is "Bess" the watchdog program created by n2h2. Bess provides access to most sites, a safe search engine and one of the Internet's best technical support teams. If you have a site you want unblocked "Bess" can usually get it done quickly. N2H2 also has one of the best phone support departments found anywhere.