The Internet can deliver pictures from Jupiter and Mars into your classroom, and it can bring nudes and other inappropriate photos. You can download great works of literature and documents such as the Declaration of Independence into your classroom computer, and you can just as easily get instructions on how to build pipe bombs or mix chemical explosives. Consequently, there are very few rules governing what kinds of things you'll find online. The positive and educational information far outweighs the negative or harmful material. As an educator, however, you should be aware of some of the potential problems you might encounter when you connect your classroom computer to the Net.
Inappropriate material can be a tough issue.
While there are some things that most people agree are not right for school children, sexually explicit material, for example, other areas are less clear cut. For example, in some school districts, certain religious materials or texts might be considered objectionable to some members of the community. In other towns, political tracts might cause controversy. Many districts are developing online guidelines to handle such issues. The guidelines often include rules for the types of online materials that can be downloaded into classrooms, as well as how that material should be presented.