Students Dig Up Dirt to Learn About Internet Safety

Summary

The article “Students Dig Up Dirt to Learn About Internet Safety” by Jesse Morehouse discusses concerns about internet safety to students.  The main concern was that children divulge too much information on the internet and do not realize the consequences associated with it. Displaying inappropriate information can prevent a person from gaining employment, running for an election, or getting a date in college. Morehouse developed a module to teach students about social media. First, the class reviewed vocabulary and watched a movie. The students then looked up all the possible facts they can find out about Morehouse called data mining. The class reviewed all of the potential facts about him and then student teams conducted another data mining search on a stranger. Each team presented their results and finally the class changed the settings on their Facebook accounts.   

Reflection

I definitely agree with Morehouse’s views about internet safety. The internet is full of predators waiting to take advantage of people. I use to post too many pictures and information on MySpace when I was younger. It was the big craze and I thought it was the greatest thing. I would spend hours on end on that website. I did have a since of “invincibility” attitude. I started to realize as I got older, that future employers could easily look up my profile and not hire me because of foolish actions. Another idea that came to mind was that I could become a victim of identity theft. Now, I am more cautious of the content I put on social networks. I also make sure I change the settings to make my profile limited to people I know. I believe it should be a requirement for students to take a technology class. It should include information regarding:  internet safety, cyber bullying, how to use digital tools, etc. It will help them become better equip for the real world.  

 Morehouse, J. (2011 September/October).  Students Dig up Dirt to Learn about Internet Safety.  L & L, 34-35. Retrieved September 15, 2011 from www.iste.org/Libraries/.../september-2011-learning-connections.sflb.ashx

Social Based-Learning

The article "Unleashing the Future: Educators 'Speak Up' about the use of Emerging Technologies for Learning", reflects on national findings from teachers, administrators, and aspiring teachers. Project tomorrow compiled data and focused on the following types of learning experiences in the classroom: social-based learning, un-tethered learning, and digitally rich learning opportunities. The area I focused on was social learning. The purpose of social-based learning is for students to gain knowledge through the use of technology to communicate and/or collaborate with peers and teachers. Social-based learning is popular because it appeals to large populations in a matter of seconds. Examples include: Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, blogs, and so on. However, teachers still are more likely to communicate with peers. The article does point out a few other drawbacks of social learning (e.g., filters, limited computers, slow internet access.)  

I agree with the article’s reservations about how teachers will use social-based learning. It sounds good in theory, but there are many factors that need to be considered.  It might be difficult to access or reinforce the lessons if students are supposed to complete coursework in their house. Another factor in social-based learning could be ethics. Students could use each other’s login information to complete assignments. Looking at social-based learning at the teacher’s perspective, it might an   inconvenience for teachers to upload and/or create lesson plans online. Teachers spend a tremendous amount time prepping as it is. This could potentially create twice the work.  In the speech-language profession I would use social learning to communicate with parents useful about techniques they can apply, provide handouts or information regarding upcoming events. Another possibility I could use social-based learning is through Telepractice. It is a new way of providing online speech therapy. The speech-language pathologist and student have live face-to-face interaction via the internet.  Telepractice has a potential of being a successful way of therapy in a highly structured environment with motivated students.

Speak Up. (2009). Unleashing the Future: Educators "Speak Up" about the use of Emerging Technologies for Learning. Retrieved September 12th, 2011 from www.tomorrow.org/speakup/pdfs/SU09UnleashingTheFuture.pdf.