As our world continues to change with the newest technology, safety online is a concern for both adults and students. "As students spend more time in online environments--both educational and non-educational studies show a high incidence of attempts by online predators to contact students (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 19)". I know that in schools today teachers and administrators are already taking a stand to try to prevent this from happening. Before students can access the internet their parents have to read an internet policy and sign giving their child permission to be online. According to the WHOA group, "Working to Halt Online Abuse", there are many ways to stay safe online! Here are some examples; do not give out personal information about yourself for any reason, have a personal email address for yourself and only people you trust and one you give out to others do not share your passwords with anyone, block any unwanted users, ego surf, and watch what you say! While online both adults and students should pay close attention to what is happening around them and be safe.
According to our text, "Educators disagree on the proper roles of traditional, teacher directed methods versus student-led, inquiry-based methods (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 17)". I think that this disagreement comes from the unknown that veteran teachers have of the latest educational idea in place. As well as the uncertainty that new teachers have about teaching in general. Both veteran teachers and new teacher could follow the key principals from the article "The Best Practices for Using Technology in the Classroom" and use technology in the way that works best for them and their students. Technology should be used properly and for a purpose. When using technology it should go hand in hand with the standard being taught. It should be used as a reinforcement tool, not used to deliver the main message. Technology should be accessible and useful to students, not just a way to keep them busy. When using technology and following the best practices, students are sure to gain more insight on the content being taught.
School systems have to worry about the digital divide both during the school day and after school hours. "The digital divide is the gap between people who have access to computer technology and who do not" (Carolin, 2000). The digital divide begins typically between the medium and low socioeconomic status. However; race, gender, and location can also play a roll in the digital divide. During the school day, the digital divide can affect the students and teachers because many schools lack technology. Although, when the school does have the technology, some students do not know how to use them at all. Our text states, "Students need access accompanied by systematic, focused instruction in how to make best use of these resources (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 18)". The digital divide continues after school because many of the students have no access to internet. This puts a stop to any type of homework that includes technology. The digital divide is not on the side of a teacher who teaches in a low socioeconomic status school like I do. However; it is the teachers' job to do the best he or she can with what they have.
Check out my Prezi on digital citizenship!
http://prezi.com/ww41ajjlpk5n/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy
Chapter six in our text emphasizes the fact that we live in a world surround by technology. Roblyer & Doering state, "We live in a multimedia world, surrounded by complex images, photographs, video, and audio (p.172)". Now that we have already learned about using best practices and safety online, we now need to learn how to use this abundance of technology around us. In this chapter I was able to learn the definition of multimedia, hypermedia, and hypertext. I was unaware of all the different types of hypermedia available to me. The text explains to us, many ways that educators are already using these technologies. Examples of this are; student created presentations, audio aids for classroom discussions, documentation of school activities, video lectures, virtual field trips, and 3-D models. Being able to use these wonderful new technologies, and use them properly, is going to be a wonderful tool in the education world.
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We should keep our students safe while they use technology. Learn more about digital citizenship today!#ED505UWARAYMore information about digital citizenship found HERE!
— Jessica Owens Taylor (@J_Taylor61811) June 11, 2013
References
Carlin, S. (2000). Caught in the Digital Divide. Retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech041.shtml
Ribble, M. (n.d.). Digital Citizenship. Retrieved from http://www.digitalcitizenship.net.
Roblyer, M., & Doering, A. (2010). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching Fifth Edition. Boston: Allyn & Bacon
UMC Web Team. (n.d.). Best Practices for Using Technology in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.cidde.pitt.edu/ta-handbook/teaching-technology-1.
WHOA: (n.d.). Working to Halt Online Abuse. Retrieved from http://www.haltabuse.org/resources/online.shtml.
Hi Jessica, I enjoyed your blog. I read chapter six and I have to say teachers have to very careful when allowing student create videos, presentations and surfing the internet to assure that what students are searching and present is appropriate and what they post don't get out because of privacy. Some educational game are not all they say they are.
ReplyDeleteGreat information Jessica! I enjoyed it, but I'm wondering if parents and students actually read the internet policy forms? Or do they take it serious? I know that at the high school, the students will sign their parents name or not even bother to take them home. If they were aware of the bad things that go on thru internet use, such as sexual predators, or underage kids who meet older guys online and sometimes end up being killed. Imagine something that can be very educational for our children, yet so harmful if not used properly!
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