Yes 
Hyperlinks are what the Internet is all about.  Without them, we aren't tapping into its true power.  If there are no external links, we miss out on all the great potential for students to document their resources and provide direct linkage to the specific examples that are needed to defend their viewpoints.  For example, this web page has links at the bottom that are used to support the points that I make.  They allow individuals to make further connections that are related to my material.  Without them, this page is simply an opinion. 

I understand the concern over the questionable sites that parents and the community will raise.  However, you must understand the true nature of the Internet in order to realize that a link does not mean that I fully endorse another site.  Every page on the net can (and often does) change without notice.  How can I be held liable for someone else's content that I have no control over? 

We can't protect students from everything. One of our goals should be to teach students how to use the Internet responsibly.  But how effective will this training be if we constantly block everything that we think might be harmful? 
 

What implications does this present for allowing students to publish web pages? 

This might seem strange, but I agree with Sally that this is where the real danger is.  However, what Sally is missing is that this situation also creates the potential for real learning. Some times the best defense is a good offense.  We need to take advantage of the situation to make sure that students are taught how to evaluate information as critical thinkers. 
 
 
Additional Resources: 

A Post-Technocratic Policy Perspective on New Information and Communication 
by Nicholas Burbules and Thomas Callister. Published in Educational Policy, 1999.

Educators need to rethink the way in which they typically frame the issues related to information technology.  They believe that in order to get the maximum benefits from information technolgy, we need some of the "bad" in order to create some of the "good". 
 
 

Should a university ban outside content from student web pages? 
A question from the Computers and Academic Freedom Project

A short question and answer essay dealing with universities and their student web page policies. Provides legal and academic reasons for allowing students to use outside content on their web sites. 
 

SHE SAYS:

No 
Just take a quick look around the Internet.  It has some great web sites, some questionable sites, and also some really disgusting sites. We don't let young kids roam through adult bookstores.  So why would we let them do the same thing electronically? 

Many schools have created special rules for what kids can and can't link to.  I think this just creates a logistical nightmare.  What we need to do is have total control over the situation.  Are links really even necessary?  I think that if we just eliminate all external links on student pages we will not only have control over the situation, but we will also have dealt with the issue as fairly as possible with all students. 

Not only do we need to protect the students from the Net's questionable material, we also need to protect the school district's best interests.  Links that are created from the school server to a questionable site will quickly draw criticism from the community.  Even if the sites are not pornographic, they may still be questionable because of commercialization issues. 
 

What implications does this present for allowing students to publish web pages? 

There is real danger in allowing students to make links to external resources outside your own web server.  It is clear that the dangers of the Internet are growing and growing.  We must protect the interest of the students and the school by eliminating all external links. 
 
 
Additional Resources: 

Keeping it Legal: Questions Arising out of Web Site Management  
by Jamie McKenzie in From Now On, June 1996.

Alerts educators to the serious issues that may arise from involving students in the development of  the school web site.  This article does not fully agree with Sally's point of view.  Instead it promotes clearly defined regulations regarding student web production.