Schools electing to take part in a free Internet service being offered by America Online will be able to provide online services for students, while also keep them from viewing objectionable content.
While the AOL@SCHOOL initiative is free to all K-12 schools in the U.S., offering "age-appropriate" content, e-mail and other services, not everyone is convinced the world's largest online content provider is offering this service for the right reasons, the Associated Press reports.
AOL is offering a number of guarantees. The only advertisement students will see is the AOL logo, and they will not be able to purchase anything online. They will, however, be able to send instant messages and e-mail, and will be encouraged to organize online group activities, make contact with pen pals around the world, and generally make them more Net-savvy.
Some observers, however, believe this is simply a plan to imprint the AOL brand into the minds of young consumers.
"I'm suspicious," Andrew Hagelshaw, executive director of the California-based Center for Commercial-Free Public Education, told AP. "...I would tell school boards: Before you sign up for this, make sure to approve a commercialism policy that lays out what activities are acceptable."
AOL says revenue will be generated through ads directed at administrators and teachers on Web pages that will not be accessible by students.
AOL Chief Executive Officer Steve Case would not reveal the cost of providing the service, but company officials did say the company would not gather any marketing about the students or their Web-surfing habits and will only require them to use their first name for access, AP reports.
"The fact that they have made a decision to keep it clear of ads is good," Alex Molnar, director of the University of Wisconsin's Center for the Analysis of Commercialism in Education, told AP. "But we'll have to keep our eyes on this."
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