IT Infrastructure & Management

Media

October 03, 2001 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Irresponsible Computing

A middle school boy in overalls tells viewers: “When I go to [the University of Virginia], I want to open e-mail attachments from strangers and get a virus.”

In the video, available on the Web as part of the university’s campaign for responsible computer use, another boy says, “I want to post obscene messages on the Internet.”

Other children, their faces framed by the classical architecture on the university’s Charlottesville, Va., campus, make similarly disturbing pronouncements. "[I want to] commit fraud using someone else’s online identity,” says a girl.

Thousands of new University of Virginia students saw the black-and-white video—a parody of a nationally televised commercial for the job-search company Monster.com—during orientation week this past summer.

University officials said the tongue-in-cheek format effectively conveys the campus policy on responsible computing—and they have made the 60-second video available on the Web for K-12 schools and other colleges and universities to use.

“It’s cute, satirical, it appeals to students, it gets the message across in a short period of time,” said C. Roxanne Chandler, a computer programmer at the university who produced the film last spring for less than $4,000.

Students who enter the University of Virginia from high schools across the country tend to take computer-use issues lightly, said Sandra G. German, a manager in the university’s information technology and communications department, which was responsible for the production. “Students are our hardest audience—they have so much going on,” she said. “It was so important to do something that will catch their attention.”

The actors in the video—middle school students from the Charlottesville area— talk about their plans for other ill-advised activities with computers. Says one boy: “I want to hack into government computers and go to federal prison.”

The text at the end of the video poses the question: “How much trouble can you buy with your computer?”

The video is available on the Web at www.itc.v irginia.edu/pubs/docs/RespComp/videos/home.html.

—Andrew Trotter atrotter@epe.org

Related Tags:

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

IT Infrastructure & Management Why Schools Struggle to Keep Track of Students' Laptops
Districts should be tracking their technology assets as much as they can, but it's easier said than done, experts say.
4 min read
A multi-ethnic group of elementary age children are in the computer lab using laptops. A little boy is watching a video and is listening to music.
FatCamera/Getty
IT Infrastructure & Management Ed. Dept. Outlines How Schools Can Use Federal Funds to Sustain Tech Programs
School districts can use federal funds to support digital learning programs started during the pandemic.
3 min read
Tight shot of diverse, elementary school children using a tablet in class
iStock/Getty Images Plus
IT Infrastructure & Management A Change in Federal Funding May Make the 'Homework Gap' Worse
With the increase in tech use, it’s important that students have sufficient connectivity to access learning materials while at home.
3 min read
Photo of girl working at home on laptop.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
IT Infrastructure & Management Students Are Viewing Porn at School. How Educators Can Stop Them
Nearly a quarter of teenagers said they have viewed pornography at school, new survey shows.
3 min read
Image of a phone and headphones sitting on a stack of books.
iStock/Getty