I'm very, very sad...

[Chel]

Hello. I unfortunately discovered yesterday that the Kerbal Space Program Forums are now blocked at school. Luckily, this block only is from 8:30 am to 3pm (school hours), but it means that I will no longer be able to browse through memes during lunchtime or participate in debates and all that good stuff. So I will only be on very rarely (as I usually play Xbox when I get home), so just letting y'all know. 

[StrandedonEarth]

Did they give any reason / Have you asked why? These forums should be an exception as they are well moderated and likely to be educational or at least STEM oriented. But like all forums, I suppose, the potential of wasted time is quite high...

Sometimes I think it would be easier if schools just created a list of allowed sites, although I'm sure it would end up quite short.

[Guest]

Use a VPN

Also remember to blast "Straight outta Compton" while doing it, be it from the computer, phone, whatever is available

[Gargamel]

You know what.  

Approach the principal to unblock the forums.   This is a great STEM site and an argument can be made that this is more educational than recreational.    If you dig up some stuff that NASA has used KSP for, and the other great demo's on orbital mechanics and spaceflight, plus there's even a KSP EDU section of the forums,  then you might have a good chance of getting it unblocked. 

You never know, maybe talking to a science teacher, you might be able to finagle an independent study credit out of this. 

That'd look Hella good on a college resume/application:  3 Credit hours in Orbital Mechanics and Advanced Spaceflight. 

If that fails.... VPN. 

And I doubt we'll miss you..... no not like that.... but because you won't be able to stay away.... KSP > XBOX

Edited May 14, 2018 by Gargamel

[LordFerret]

This might be a great STEM site, and it might be very educational, but while you're in school - you're there to learn a number of different things, not just STEM oriented stuff. Discipline yourself. Focus. Learn to do that and you'll be one step ahead come college.

[Bill Phil]

12 minutes ago, LordFerret said:

This might be a great STEM site, and it might be very educational, but while you're in school - you're there to learn a number of different things, not just STEM oriented stuff. Discipline yourself. Focus. Learn to do that and you'll be one step ahead come college.

Well, to be honest, schools aren't exactly the smartest cookies, and have been known to ban their own websites from time to time, albeit on accident.

You should focus and learn in school, but a school banning this site is utterly pointless. Probably not even done specifically for this website, but to a large number of websites, many of which they may never have heard the names of. Perhaps the mention of "game" is what banned it. Or something else. Bottom line, it doesn't really help anything.

[LordFerret]

4 minutes ago, Bill Phil said:

a school banning this site is utterly pointless

I have to disagree. If a student is playing KSP or here browsing and posting in the forums whilst sitting in a class that pertains to anything not STEM related and/or is not paying any attention to the teacher/instructor, then there definitely is a point.

There's a similar debate that was previously going on about this related subject elsewhere in the lounge just last week. Same argument.
https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/174325-a-whole-family-in-the-living-room-watching-tv/

 

[Bill Phil]

Just now, LordFerret said:

I have to disagree. If a student is playing KSP or here browsing and posting in the forums whilst sitting in a class that pertains to anything not STEM related and/or is not paying any attention to the teacher/instructor, then there definitely is a point.

There's a similar debate that was previously going on about this related subject elsewhere in the lounge just last week. Same argument.
https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/174325-a-whole-family-in-the-living-room-watching-tv/

 

If the student is on this site or playing KSP then the lesson is failing to hold their attention. If the student is using any device during a lesson the lesson is failing, irregardless of the website they visit. If you're worried about that, ban phone use or something. But when there is no lesson and the teacher is giving them time to slack off (happens sometimes), then banning this site is pointless. Especially since, in many cases, students can just use their network data and bypass the wifi, or use a VPN. Pointless.

There are certain sites that make sense to ban since there are situations where students are on-line, using school wifi, during lesson activites and there are sites that have major issues, but this site? No. Not at all. This site is only problematic as a distraction, and an educational distraction at that. 

[YNM]

6 hours ago, The_Cat_In_Space said:

... or participate in debates and all that good stuff. ...

Not a strong one that in this forum, from my perspective. Hope you can find a real-life replacement. 

 

39 minutes ago, Bill Phil said:

If the student is on this site or playing KSP then the lesson is failing to hold their attention. If the student is using any device during a lesson the lesson is failing, irregardless of the website they visit.

Have you gave the peas a chance ?

[LordFerret]

5 minutes ago, Bill Phil said:

If you're worried about that, ban phone use or something. But when there is no lesson and the teacher is giving them time to slack off (happens sometimes),

This pretty much is my point from the start (again, refer to that other discussion in the link I posted). As for slack off time, it used to be called "study hall"... its purpose was to give you additional time to study.

 

11 minutes ago, Bill Phil said:

... there are sites that have major issues, but this site? No. Not at all. This site is only problematic as a distraction, and an educational distraction at that.

I would think that's a determination best left to the school administrator to answer, as to why. Perhaps @The_Cat_In_Spacewill make an inquiry and share the reply they get on the issue. For administration to single out one student and one site?... that sounds a bit far fetched.

[Chel]

1 hour ago, Gargamel said:

Approach the principal to unblock the forums.   This is a great STEM site and an argument can be made that this is more educational than recreational

"Looks at post" "Looks at 'KSP Memes Megathread' *Smiles*

[Gargamel]

4 minutes ago, The_Cat_In_Space said:

"Looks at post" "Looks at 'KSP Memes Megathread' *Smiles*

Well, don't tell them what you ACTUALLY do here!

[kerbiloid]

And don't tell your forum nickname to anybody, or they will trace when you are posting.

P.S.
And btw. That's why they say "Per aspera ad astra".

Edited May 14, 2018 by kerbiloid

[Piatzin]

10 minutes ago, kerbiloid said:

And don't tell your forum nickname to anybody, or they will trace when you are posting.

PARANOIA MODE ACTIVATED

[kerbiloid]

38 minutes ago, Earthlinger said:

PARANOIA MODE ACTIVATED

Were you really "doing school thingies" 36 minutes ago, when you posted this?

[Piatzin]

2 minutes ago, kerbiloid said:

Were you really "doing school thingies" 36 minutes ago, when you posted this?

Shh.....

[NSEP]

Our school watches everything we are doing using something they call "a special program"

I wonder why they would ban the KSP forums. Its not like its content of it is mature or damaging to students in some way. I know that the goal of some school IT is to ban every single website in existence, expect for the educational ones the school uses, so that might be the case.

Also, please tell me they banned Fortnite.

[kerbiloid]

2 hours ago, NSEP said:

Its not like its content of it is mature or damaging to students in some way. 

And this unusual strangeness alarms them.

[Dman979]

As a former student, who used these forums extensively during a STEM class...

they should be blocked during school hours. It was fun, but I could have learned a lot more by actually paying attention in class.

[YNM]

6 hours ago, NSEP said:

I know that the goal of some school IT is to ban every single website in existence, expect for the educational ones the school uses, so that might be the case.

I'm not sure, but for a while back the wi-fi in my campus blocked access to GOV.UK (I sometimes visit Highways England site, along with other roads-related sites). Perhaps due to my requests (which I can only assume not much looked previously !), they decide to block it first, then after (presumably) some review they cleared it again. I have to admit though, it may have some relevance to security as well.

A complete reverse is my student uni's wi-fi : only allows social medias ! XD

Edited May 14, 2018 by YNM

[LordFerret]

5 hours ago, NSEP said:

Its not like its content of it is mature or damaging to students in some way.

The content is not the issue; The matter of it being a distraction is.

Schools allow the phones and tablets with the idea they'll be used as learning aids, referencing online resources, a dictionary / encyclopedia / library resource at your fingertips. Playing games or posting in forums, these or any other, are not why they're permitted. Banning and blocking certain sites should serve as a message to the student; You're being monitored, as such a teacher / instructor would and should do normally, and this hint is to redirect your attention and focus... otherwise they could just outright ban the use altogether, which I believe is prudent.

[NSEP]

55 minutes ago, LordFerret said:

The content is not the issue; The matter of it being a distraction is.

Schools allow the phones and tablets with the idea they'll be used as learning aids, referencing online resources, a dictionary / encyclopedia / library resource at your fingertips. Playing games or posting in forums, these or any other, are not why they're permitted. Banning and blocking certain sites should serve as a message to the student; You're being monitored, as such a teacher / instructor would and should do normally, and this hint is to redirect your attention and focus... otherwise they could just outright ban the use altogether, which I believe is prudent.

I actually agree. Our school uses Ipads and Laptops as learning devices, but they are very distracting in class, wich i think is the main problem with using these devices in school. The easy fix is for the teacher to stand in the back of the classroom, so he/she can check if anyone is playing video-games. The KSP forums just so happends to look bland and boring, like any other educational website, so it probably only works with videogames.

However, then there are the peeps that use VPN to get around the rules, or people who do other things on educational sites, like Wikipedia, and still get entertained. Its nearly impossible to stop distraction on these devices, unless you ban the whole thing.

"Replacing books with Ipads" isn't as easy as it sounds, and definitely doesn't work with the 'modern' school system. I learned it the hard way.

[Kerbinchaser]

@The_Cat_In_Space

This block is like that ridiculous detention you got. Like @Gargamel said, talk to your principal about un-blocking it. I assume that someone found out that you were browsing the forums and they locked it down, but I'm my opinion there is no point to. Get a VPN app (If on mobile) and then the forums will think you're in another place. I use proxies all the time. Mainly for security. 

If all that fails, just let it be. You can still get on here from time to time.  

[DAL59]

15 hours ago, Bill Phil said:

nd have been known to ban their own websites from time to time, albeit on accident.

My school once banned their own website.  Multiple times.  (It was fixed quickly though)

[Delay]

40 minutes ago, DAL59 said:

My school once banned their own website.  Multiple times

Find the mistake?

Anyways; I'm not sure whether this is bad or not , however I do tend towards "not bad", since I can imagine the forums to be quite distracting. The forums are a great place, don't get me wrong, but they're not good while trying to focus on other, at that time more important, work.

Edited May 14, 2018 by Delay