Like any one of us in IT 443, I can truly say that I check my email everyday and have my phone with me all the time. It is a part of my life, just like it is for many children in the world. We can't change it, but we sure can help educate our students about the Internet and how they should behave when on it. This article, "Keeping Students Safe Online: What Works", was really informative in learning about what schools, educators, parents and really the community need to do to regulate and help youth use the Internet safely.
The article mentioned how schools need to help teachers, parents and student learn the skills in Internet safety, which I think is vital. It is so important to have everyone involved in creating a positive environment and in having expectations for students when they are in the Internet. Students are not just on the Internet when they are at school researching; they are also at home. Therefore, schools and parents need to be on the same page as to what students can and cannot do on the Internet. Students should know their responsibilities when using the Internet in all environments.
I thought it was interesting how the article mentioned how we shouldn't teach it with a 'fear-based curriculum', but rather teaching students about appropriate online behavior and digital media use can help young people see online risks. A fear-based curriculum made me think about how parents or teachers would try to scare children into thinking that if they go on the Internet, someone can steal your information or something bad could happen to you. I agree that it is not the best approach in trying to scare them with facts about what could go wrong, but really teaching them about just the Internet in general and how there are risks. In doing so, I am hopeful that cyberbullying, identity theft, predators, cell phone misuse, and file sharing will diminish. I honestly think that these things are happening because young people don't know about the Internet. You see first graders with an iPod Touch surfing the Internet. Do they really know what they are doing? No! Everyone needs to be educated about the Internet, including what is appropriate and the risks.
When reading the "Four Steps to Change" in the article, I liked the idea of having students use journaling. It made me think about the movie Freedom Writers, and how students would express their thoughts and either leave it in the area where the teacher could read it or leave it in the area where it was private. I think it is important to talk about the risks with students and to hear what they already know and feel about the Internet. The ten tips that are listed in the article are a great list of things that schools, educators, parents, communities and even young people should take into consideration so that we can keep students safe online.
I was also reflecting on the part of the article regarding not teaching students with "fear based Curriculum". I think of it like teaching children fear based curriculum on drug or alcohol safety. If you only teach them to be afraid, they may one day feel you lied to them when they actually experience it. They will then disregard anything you told them even if it was true. The internet can be dangerous, but for the most part students will not encounter those dangers, so it is important to not focus too heavily on them. I liked your reflection on the "4 steps to change'. I agree that journalism is a great way for students to share what their actual experiences are. I think this is a great blog post.
ReplyDeleteI too thought about the whole "scaring tactic" that many use in order to keep children safe. Growing up in a household where nothing was off limits, I can say that installing fear doesn't always make every student fearful of trying things out. When my mom would try to tell me horror stories about the internet and such....I was very weary of using the internet. My sister on the other hand, had the mentality of "it'll never happen to me" and so she went about business as usual. In the classroom, I definitely feel that teachers should try to explain to students the cons of the internet instead of trying to install fear into them. It's not that we don't want students to use technology, we just want them to be cautious. Like you said, the 10 tips at the end of the article would be something that would be extremely for parents, teachers, and just people in general.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your assessment of the fear taught learning curriculum and its flaws. I think giving them facts and showing them how scams and things happen is more important and more beneficial then simply telling them all the horrible things that could happen. But I guess the more I think about it I also think that they should tell the dangers, let them know what could happen when you give information away and things like that but don't use it as a fear or the main point of the lesson.
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