When Curtis Bonk’s new book, The World Is Open: How Web Technology Is Revolutionizing Education, came out last year, it created a sensation among those interested in the field of educational technology.  Many of us had been clamoring for just such a work to be undertaken by someone, anyone, and finally after years of yearning we were given that rare gift – a book that covers a topic even better most experts could do themselves, and has a compelling point of view that everyone in the field must grapple with. There’s no question that web-enabled education is a revolutionary force, perhaps the greatest development in the education field since blackboards were invented.

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The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) was passed by Congress because many issues caused by the internet with regards to things like protecting underage kids from harmful material available online. School and library computers are often used by children in unsupervised settings, so protective measures were called for in order to prevent them from accessing pornography and other inappropriate content. Schools and libraries now have financial incentives to certify that they are compliant with this law. They need to have an internet safety policy that uses technical protective measures to block obscene web sites. This is a requirement for any library or school that gets money for internet access or internal connectivity via the E-rate program.

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