Entertainment in the lab?
Imua 'Iolani File Photo
September 28, 2009 • Guthrie Angeles
Filed under Features
Computer abuse at `Iolani remains a significant problem, especially with the exponential growth of Internet use in the past few years. Often students find themselves walking into a computer lab filled with people playing games, listening to music, or just wasting time on the computers.
According to computer support specialist Mr. Ricky Okazaki, the amount of computer misuse has remained steady over the years.
“We see most of the game-playing and abuse from eighth and ninth graders,” Mr. Okazaki said, offering no explanation as to why. “Halo, the Demo Version, and Linerider have been some of the most common games to have popped up.”
As stated in the `Iolani Catalog, and in the rules read at the start of every year, “any student who violates a rule may be punished by penalties ranging from loss of computer privileges to probation or expulsion, depending on the severity of the violation.”
“When we find repeating offenders, it’s then that we turn them into the dean,” Mr. Okazaki said. “Usually, they get something like disciplinary study hall and lose computer privileges for a determined period of time.”
Some students have claimed that they have been caught when their accounts were searched for information. However, Mr. Okazaki said catching culprits requires no such intrigue. Usually, when a teacher walks into a lab, students playing games make it a point to leave quickly. In their haste, they usually forget to log off their accounts, making it easy to find out names.
“While we don’t intentionally search people’s accounts for incriminating information, but if we wanted to, we easily could,” he says.
Preventive measures such as SurfControl and blockers are set up to keep students from accessing inappropriate sites, but have their weaknesses. The blockers are categorical, but still let through certain sites. Some people use proxies to get through to sites such as Facebook and Myspace. However, says Mr. Okazaki, “It’s not the blockers, it’s really the students’ judgment that should guide them in their actions.”
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