In order to successfully integrate the Internet into the classroom setting, teachers need to be aware of the necessary precautions that will keep their students safe. The Internet can be a very frugal place to enrich students' learning experience. It offers endless possibilities for students, who most likely will be staying in the classroom for an entire school year. Allowing students to use the Internet will help them understand that the world around them is diverse, unique, and a resplendent place to live in. Unfortunately, the Internet with all of its capabilities, still presents many harms that can invade students' digital safety and privacy. The Digital Safety project, which I completed for ED 271 at the University of Guam, has helped my classmates and I to realize that there are a lot of things to consider when implementing the Internet into the classroom.
The issues regarding cyber safety continue to worsen as technology expediently advances. Bob Sullivan (2011) reports, "Gary LosHuertos parked himself in a New York City cafe last fall and fired up a new tool for snooping on people [...] he had managed to spy on more than a dozen people as they used Facebook." Here, Sullivan reveals just how simple it is to invade someone's Internet privacy. The Digital safety projects done in my ED 271 reveal the necessity to educate and spread the information needed to prevent infiltration of Internet privacy, phishing, cyber bullying, sexting and harassment, and copyright infringement. Each presentation, specifically done on each topic aforementioned, has help me to understand that teachers must now take the initiative to educate their students on Digital Safety.
The efforts to help students be more online smart has been carried out by the Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Dian Schaffhauser (2012) has reported that the CIPA ensures "that all students from grades K through 12 be educated on online behavior and safety and cyberbullying." The need to act and deliver proper forms of online education is a must in all school systems, due to the rampant expansion of technology and the Internet. It is inherent during this age of technological growth that students alongside their teachers be able to support a positive, community friendly online environment. Teachers can take the initiative, as directed by the CIPA, to create educational sites such as this, http://digitaldelta.iconosites.com, in order to support a widespread awareness of digital safety issues.
The educational tools my fellow classmates and I utilized in our presentation involves the web creation site, Iconosites.com, and in addition to that an online web-safety video game, Safety Land (http://www.att.com/Common/images/safety/game.html), by AT&T. Our utilization of such online tools has helped us create an educational space that is creative, helpful, and entertaining for students of all age groups. It is important to create websites with educationally effective tools, because by doing so teachers can accommodate information that is appropriate for students in their respective areas, such as Guam. Overall, this ED 271 project regarding digital safety has proven effective to help shape my mindset on the efficacy of teaching with cyber safety in mind.
Additional Helpful Sources:
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/curriculum/6-8
Additional Helpful Sources:
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/curriculum/6-8
References
Schaffhauser D. (2012). The new CIPA deadline. The Journal. Retrieved from
Sullivan B. (2011). Why should I care about digital
privacy. NBC News: Technology and Science. Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41995926/ns/technology_and_science/t/why-should-i-care-about-digital-privacy/#.UKCGVLS62CG
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