some help needed getting around my school computer

[99sei]

I've just been given a school laptop but obviously i cant get onto things like facebook.Now there use to be a tool where you could get on to other sites through another site but they have also blocked this. Anyone know of any other ways around this?

Thanks for any help in advance

 

[custard]

buy your own laptop

 

[Papa P]

They've put restrictions on what you can do on the laptop for a reason. Stop trying to circumvent the security settings. If you want to access things like Facebook, get your own laptop.

What you may not realise is that organisations like schools have had to put security in place on their IT equipment because the bulk of users of their equipment are dont care what they connect to, what they run on the equipment, or what they plug in to the equipment. This leaves the machines AND the network they connect to vulnerable to virus infection, or worse...left vulnerable to attack.

How happy would you be if you accessed whatever sites you wanted on your laptop, and then tomorrow your laptop was responsible for introducing the Conficker virus to your schools network which will cost thousands to clean up and fix? Thats money from tax payers pockets...my pocket included.

Sorry, rant over, but if you want to access something you cant on your schools laptop, use your own.

 

[udtrev]

They've put restrictions on what you can do on the laptop for a reason. Stop trying to circumvent the security settings. If you want to access things like Facebook, get your own laptop.

What you may not realise is that organisations like schools have had to put security in place on their IT equipment because the bulk of users of their equipment are dont care what they connect to, what they run on the equipment, or what they plug in to the equipment. This leaves the machines AND the network they connect to vulnerable to virus infection, or worse...left vulnerable to attack.

How happy would you be if you accessed whatever sites you wanted on your laptop, and then tomorrow your laptop was responsible for introducing the Conficker virus to your schools network which will cost thousands to clean up and fix? Thats money from tax payers pockets...my pocket included.

Sorry, rant over, but if you want to access something you cant on your schools laptop, use your own.

well said, and a justified rant.

 

[99sei]

First of all i have my own pc to use for personal use but you'll find when using school laptops with restrictions certain sites cant be accessed which are actually educational and would help further the learning of my class. Yes some of it would be for my own use as i can be arsed to go boot up my computer, but im not going to be downloading things.
Oh and my school is funded by the archdiocese so its techniqually it’s not your money that i would be using . Also seen as im asking a question about using a school laptop that would mean im in employment too, making it my money being spent on things like that too!

 

[karbineftw]

http://www.peacefire.org/

Works everytime and our school is strict

 

[SeanW]

First of all i have my own pc to use for personal use but you'll find when using school laptops with restrictions certain sites cant be accessed which are actually educational and would help further the learning of my class. Yes some of it would be for my own use as i can be arsed to go boot up my computer, but im not going to be downloading things.
Oh and my school is funded by the archdiocese so its techniqually it’s not your money that i would be using . Also seen as im asking a question about using a school laptop that would mean im in employment too, making it my money being spent on things like that too!

If you find you cannot access a site you need to, speak to your school techies!! At school we had a few sites unblocked for educational purposes.

Failing that, use your own PC to access the site

 

[99sei]

thats for the response

 

[99sei]

We are a primary school so only have a techie in one day a week for half a day. Some websites cant be unblocked as they are blocked by the names (they block everything with 'porn' in kinda thing even if the word is half way through the name and not actually anything sexual)

 

[bludvl_x19]

Wait, do I read this correctly, and assume that you are a teacher at this school?

 

[99sei]

that would be correct

 

[udtrev]

Wait, do I read this correctly, and assume that you are a teacher at this school?

that would be correct

In which case I apologise for thinking that you were a student out to circumvent the system.


[off to hide in the cornder, hope I don't get lines]

 

[jenks69]

So let me get this right. You are a teacher who we as a nation trust to provide our children with a decent up bringing knowing the moral right and wrong. But you want to get arround a security system put in place to protect the systems and data they contain???

I think that's very irisponsible - especially as the only reason you want to get round it is becuase you are too lazy to go and turn on your own PC.

:bang:

 

[arc]

school internet is normally handled via local colleges, for one teacher to get one site opened up is a nightmare.

a friend of mine is a teacher, proposed doing a computer games design course, the school purchased all the Steam accounts needed for the class - then found that the ports were closed off. They ask the network admins to open the ports (nothing risky at all), and it was refused. The coursed was canned, and the money wasted.

 

[306maxi]

So let me get this right. You are a teacher who we as a nation trust to provide our children with a decent up bringing knowing the moral right and wrong. But you want to get arround a security system put in place to protect the systems and data they contain???

I think that's very irisponsible - especially as the only reason you want to get round it is becuase you are too lazy to go and turn on your own PC.

:bang:

Get off the soapbox

My wife is a teacher and the county blocks some sites which are VERY useful as teaching aids and resources.

99sei, all I can suggest really is that if something is useful for you then pester your tech people or the tech people higher up.

 

[jenks69]

Get off the soapbox

My wife is a teacher and the county blocks some sites which are VERY useful as teaching aids and resources.

99sei, all I can suggest really is that if something is useful for you then pester your tech people or the tech people higher up.

No chance, I work in IT for a large organisation and 90% of my day is spent picking up the peices from people using "useful websites" or that have the atitude "it makes it easier if I work this way" guidlines and security measures are in place for a very good reason

I agree completely that if a site is fit for purpose then get it added to the safe list via the appropriate channels.

But trying to get round security measures put in place is ridiculous, irisponsible and completely stupid.

To the OP does your school have a computer usage or internet usage policy - might be worth double checking that before you persue by-pasing the measures already in place. Many organisations have very strict usage guidelines and circumventing these can lead to serious bollockings or in many cases termination of employment.

 

[306maxi]

LOL I've done IT support too.

I'm talking about sites which are specifically there to service teachers and which are in some cases run by the Govt or the BBC. My wife's kids can't for instance go on the BBC site and play maths games because all games are banned. Then there are reputable sites which dispense free teaching resources which are blocked and then they also block all video sites so teachers can't view streaming videos even though integrating all sorts of media into everyday teaching (pictures, video and sounds) is part of the curriculum

I know less restrictive internet access causes problems but any decent IT dept will be able to deal with it. I know just how bad it was from temping @ a highschool for a month back in Nov/Dec because I'd get conficker on my flash drive 10 times a day because the county wouldn't let us do anything with one half of the network in terms of AV but the half I was in charge of operated efficiently and properly.

The internet is such an integral part of work everywhere that to filter out huge chunks of it is counterproductive. If it were me running the show I'd say no pr0n, no nudity, no illegal filesharing, no racist material etc etc everything else allowed with everyone signing an agreement to say they won't view any objectionable content or spend huge amounts of time on the net.

 

[arc]

No chance, I work in IT for a large organisation and 90% of my day is spent picking up the peices from people using "useful websites" or that have the atitude "it makes it easier if I work this way" guidlines and security measures are in place for a very good reason

so in effect, people doing this keep you in work?

 

[jenks69]

so in effect, people doing this keep you in work?

LOL not at all - people doing this make my working life hell, meaning there's not enough time in the day to keep on top of the "day job".

 

[herpsuk]

Proxys? alot fo them will be restricted but all you need to do is find a few, or join a proxy google/yahoo group which emails out new and updated proxys on a daily basis for you to get round the security.......

if kids can do it so can you....

or you can do what i did and found all the security floors and unsecure user accounts on the network relating to administrative stuff. The network we had was rm and i have about 10 admin accounts with passwords they knew nothing about..... the admin guy looked like peter kay and always tried to catch us. But he was to slow

p.s. im an IT administratorthingymagig now along with many other rolls in a business and i understand the problems of security etc etc before you have a go at me.....