This conversation took place on October 26, 2009. This conversation jumped out at me because of the topic: online safety and trust. As educators it is our responsiblity to be sure of the safety of the students while using technology in the classroom or at home. We cannot introduce them to this technology without providing them with the tools and information to be safe online.
Before I respond to the conversation I would like to just say that I really enjoy the casual, laidback nature of this webcast. I feel like I am chatting in the breakroom with colleagues before we get into the nitty gritty. Keep it up ladies.
One thing that jumped out at me in this conversation was a quick conversation about substitute teachers. Since I am a substitute teacher and I absolutely love my job and take it very seriously I was curious when this topic came up. One of the women was saying that some subsititutes only care about the kids being silent and sitting still and how that wasn't what their "program" was about and it seemed to bother her. I just have to say that as a substitute it is very difficult to sub for a class when the teacher isn't disciplined. It is completely different subbing for a teacher who implements structure in the classroom and has very strict rules and one who is more free-spririted and not as structured. I know education is moving in a new and exciting direction but one thing that is missing from these student's lives is discipline and holding them to high standards. We need to be strict on time management. I am sure this is not at every school. Just an observation that I wanted to vent about.
The conversation pointed out dangers related to children using the internet. One of the speakers had a great analogy of internet use and swimming. Most parents don't allow children to swim by themselves but we still teach them how to swim and the basics of water safety. We cannot block all content on the internet we need to TEACH them how to handle dangerous situations because they will most likely encounter it. We cannot shield them from the dangers found on the internet but we need to give them the skills to identify the dangers and teach them to protect themselves.
I think it is silly when people say that children shouldn't use the internet because it is dangerous. If we all didn't do dangerous things we would not have become the advanced society that we are today. As an Insurance major I learned a lot about risk management. We must teach students to identify possible risks (i.e. Myspace predators) and teach them how to mitigate the chance of this risk becoming harmful to them (i.e. Never give out your address or personal information).
When I was in elementary school we would have "Stranger Danger" assemblies and we would sing a song as a school. The lyrics to the song were "You've got to say NO NO NO, I won't get into your car. NO NO NO, I don't care who you are. You should never go with anyone without first asking dad or mom". It helps innocent children be aware of the danger that predators are out there without traumatizing them. It's put into a fun little song. We should implement programs like this into our schools specifically for online safety.
The internet is a powerful resource and we cannot exclude children from the amazing benefits of supplementing their "textbook" education with online resources.
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What an interesting point of view. I find the analogy to swimming a perfect explanation to the potential dangers of the internet. I honestly don't think that parents, teachers and administrators really know how to handle the use of the internet. It's here to stay, and most certainly become a more integral part of all of our lives. Of course children should use the internet. It's going to be an inevitable part of their lives, unlike any adult that grew up before the internet took over. Parents are with our children a lot more than at school. First, it's the responsibility of parents to show the safeties of surfing the web. Most young children have restrictions on television and movies, as the internet must and should follow the same rules. The work entailed to "sensor" internet use requires more skills, time and patience by parents and schools. I think it is a subject very important, and unfortunately, just emerging as an issue for children in school and at home.
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