Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Tool #10 - Knowledge is Power

I want to make sure my kids understand that EVERYTHING they put out there on the internet can be found again even if it is deleted.  Etiquette on the computer is just as important as in face-to-face conversations, if not more so.  When conversing online, most of the time, you cannot see the other people and body language can play such an important part in understanding what someone is meaning to say.  When that person cannot be seen, they need to make sure their intentions and what they mean to say must be very clear.  I also want my kids to understand that the internet, blogs and chat rooms can be places where a wealth of information is found.  At the same time, less than honest people are still out there.  They may no longer be lurking at the neighborhood park, but now lurk in those chat rooms or on blogs.  We cannot always believe everything we read from one source, just like we can’t always believe everything we hear from one source.  Information must be verified.

I like the way the videos on Brainpop present the information.  I know they run into the problem of possibly being too childish for high school but what they say is quality so I’ll probably use them the most.   I will also make sure I post and review the district’s technology policy and the district’s blog policy.  Vicki Davis’s questions she posed in this article also gave me more to think about.

Convincing many of the parents I teach that sending their kid out into the digital world, even if on a small scale, may be the biggest hurdle I face.  Due to the maturity level and innocence of many of the kids I teach many parents are (understandably) wary to let their kids have any sort of computer access.  I still have students who's parents have denied them the right to have an email address through the district.  For these few parents, a direct one-on-one explanation of why the access will help their child will be necessary.  This will also help me to understand their fears and then we can work together to create a plan that will make the parent feel more at ease and still allow the child to fully participate in class.

Another article to check out:

1 comment:

  1. There is no doubt that today's students are growing up in and living in an online society. For some parents, this is a scary thing and they are reluctant to let their kids have access. I don't see it going away therefore digital citizenship and online ethics are critical. You are smart to engage your parents in this to help share the responsibility. I am glad to read your reference to BrainPOP, and I encourage you to use the videos with the HS students. The leading web 2.0 tools for creating online are those with options for comic characters. Good job!

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