I've embedded Shannon's most recent post about digital reputation and safety - it's a great read. Please leave comments on her blog.
big brother is watching....
Question:
"Some people have strong feelings about being in the public domain (meaning their pictures, thoughts, interests... can be potentially accessed by people they don't know). Explain your feelings? How do we address these concerns as teachers and role models? How do we teach this?"
Answer:
when i was in my last year of high school, internet was a strange new thing i became aware of and started using slowly - literally dial-up was no fun! not everyone had access to the internet and it seemed rather expensive to get it. i really didn't understand what all the fuss was about. i was much more excited to get a cell phone the size of an encyclopedia.
i also remember reading george orwell's novel 1984 without realizing then the significant impact the internet would have on our private/public lives. similar, in some ways, to the pervasive government surveillance throughout the protagonist winston smith's world. i think people who fear the internet often liken it to this idea of "big brother."
as the internet became more advanced and more public, so have i. and yes, i have had pictures, posts, and emails that i wish had never been uploaded or sent... luckily, i quickly learned my lessons and eventually survived the embarrassment.
throughout this learning process, i never really had anyone guide me. my college and university professors were barely internet literate themselves and it seemed that no one had a chance to keep up with the light speed pace and growing capabilities that the internet allowed.
Now, teachers are facing the challenge of how to teach responsible internet use while guiding students to create public profiles that they will carry with them the rest of their lives. a pretty daunting challenge!
as a teacher, i think it is important to teach kids to be safe and responsible in all situations whether online or not. we should provide students with the tools and skills they will need to be successful in all aspects of their lives. they will make mistakes but hopefully they will be minor and provide opportunities for growth.
how do we this... specifically? as a humanities teacher, i love to sneak learning in when the kids don't notice. so, as we are working on a project, we also learn about a new online application. this then gives me the chance to discuss with my students the various issues surrounding their experiences online. for example, the issues surrounding choosing a username and password, signing-up for e-newsletters, sharing online documents with friends, etc. teaching them useful skills through an authentic learning experience.
there's no point running from the fact that we all have public profiles. the idea is to be smart about what you put out there. big brother is indeed always watching...
"Some people have strong feelings about being in the public domain (meaning their pictures, thoughts, interests... can be potentially accessed by people they don't know). Explain your feelings? How do we address these concerns as teachers and role models? How do we teach this?"
Answer:
when i was in my last year of high school, internet was a strange new thing i became aware of and started using slowly - literally dial-up was no fun! not everyone had access to the internet and it seemed rather expensive to get it. i really didn't understand what all the fuss was about. i was much more excited to get a cell phone the size of an encyclopedia.
i also remember reading george orwell's novel 1984 without realizing then the significant impact the internet would have on our private/public lives. similar, in some ways, to the pervasive government surveillance throughout the protagonist winston smith's world. i think people who fear the internet often liken it to this idea of "big brother."
as the internet became more advanced and more public, so have i. and yes, i have had pictures, posts, and emails that i wish had never been uploaded or sent... luckily, i quickly learned my lessons and eventually survived the embarrassment.
throughout this learning process, i never really had anyone guide me. my college and university professors were barely internet literate themselves and it seemed that no one had a chance to keep up with the light speed pace and growing capabilities that the internet allowed.
Now, teachers are facing the challenge of how to teach responsible internet use while guiding students to create public profiles that they will carry with them the rest of their lives. a pretty daunting challenge!
as a teacher, i think it is important to teach kids to be safe and responsible in all situations whether online or not. we should provide students with the tools and skills they will need to be successful in all aspects of their lives. they will make mistakes but hopefully they will be minor and provide opportunities for growth.
how do we this... specifically? as a humanities teacher, i love to sneak learning in when the kids don't notice. so, as we are working on a project, we also learn about a new online application. this then gives me the chance to discuss with my students the various issues surrounding their experiences online. for example, the issues surrounding choosing a username and password, signing-up for e-newsletters, sharing online documents with friends, etc. teaching them useful skills through an authentic learning experience.
there's no point running from the fact that we all have public profiles. the idea is to be smart about what you put out there. big brother is indeed always watching...
1 comments:
- Paul McKenzie said...
- I like how you said, "sneak learning in when kids don't notice," with reference to new online applications. This is how it should be. These tools are just tools. They augment learning and are in fact well-supported by learning theory - from cognitivism and contructivism to social constructionism and connectivism. Hey, at least they all start with a "C". When students can learn to use these tools without taking their focus off the ultimate goal of constructing and reconstructing knowledge, then we have REAL technology integration. Thanks for sharing.
- April 8, 2010 10:37 AM
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