Internet Resources for You!

Hey everyone, this site about Internet Uses in the Classroom has some great technology resources for any type of teacher (or person for that matter). I decided to explore virtual field trips because the concept interests me. This website has various trips with teacher resources, different aspects of topics you can cover, and then the tour. If you wanted to have a submission you would need to pay for one...but you can take a few trial runs. I feel that this is a good technological tool to use in classrooms because of the opportunities for learning it provides. I'm from Washington and I remember that growing up we went on lots of field trips and learned through hands-on activities. However, today funds and policies don't permit students to have these activities. Through the media and technology available to us, we can reconstruct to a certain extent a learning opportunity that students may not have experienced. Granted, it's not the same as going out into the world, but there is something to be said for the various multimedias incorporated into one site. I hope you will take a look and enjoy it!

Internet Safety in my Family

So I decided to call my family and discuss with them the importance of internet safety. Some of my siblings have recently created Facebook accounts and my mom expressed with my concern over their naive character. They didn't know what was appropriate and not appropriate to put on their pages - even when they're blocked. I discussed the different concepts we were taught in class (the dos and donts and why not to). Then I had them watch the first clip mentioned in my previous blog. I felt that this clip was extremely powerful in portraying the importance of internet safety. Afterwards, I asked my family if they had any questions and we discussed various things.

Overall, doing this activity has made me truly realize how important it is that we guard ourselves. I would hate for something as viewed in the clips to happen to my family members or anyone I may know.

Creepy Stalkers!

Oh my goodness! Talk about a creepy realization!!! This clip doesn't have a real name, but it shows how giving out personal information can be extremely dangerous. Children may not realize when it is or isn't appropriate to share information - especially online. They need to be taught how to use the internet safely. Something that my Mom does is she has a password to log onto the computer and my younger brothers have to have her log in. That way she knows when they're online and she can check up on them.

Another show I watched was called "Internet Safety for Children". It pretty much illustrates the same message. Kids are naive and need us as adults to supervise their internet use. They innocently give out information to people they may not know, trusting that everyone would tell the truth. When we teach out kids to be honest, they expect that everyone else is honest as well.

The third clip I watched was "Internet Safety: A Cautionary Tale". I found this to be a much more professional looking clip. It was recorded in a documentary style, telling the tale of a young girl that put her life in danger because she used IM - even though she thought she had been careful about the information she shared online. She didn't give out boyfriend info, age, nothing. But through using her IM name (not even connected to her true identity) an older man, who claimed to be 16 years old, was able to google search her information and get her phone number and address. After which he began to stalk her. He continued to contact her online and she began to freak out and shared with her friends her concerns that she might be being stalked. Her concerns drove her to trust her predator. Overall, this film was very effective in demonstrating what can happen to unsuspecting individuals. Even if you're being careful about what you say, be cautious about what you post at all times.

This clip was way too brief, but it said the basics of how just knowing a person's name can reveal much about their identity. I guess this would demonstrate to kids, and adults, how important it is to be careful where you post your info.

"Think Before You Post 2" is a follow up to the clip we watched on the voice clip. It's not anything new, just reinforcing that we should all think before we post. When you put something online you never know who will view that information or where it will get sent. It can be taken and passed on through other people, eventually reaching an audience you didn't even know existed.

Watching all these clips has just made me think of the questions we should ask prior to doing things online. How protected is your facebook? Do you really know who you're talking to? What could they do with this information? Are you in any way providing information that could be damaging to yourself or another?

Internet Safety in Literature

The article I read was "Let Our Voices Be Heard" by Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve. This article was a call to action for every member. Elder Ballard discussed the increasingly negative influences of the media today and how it is focused on destroying the family unit - whether inadvertently or not. He calls for members to look for the good medias available to them and utilize media and technology as an uplifting and edifying opportunity. I love the seven suggestions he gives to parents in order to help alleviate the negative affects and influences of media. They are:

1. Hold family councils and decide media standards

2. Spend quality time with your kids so that you are a main influence in their lives.

3. Make good media choices ourselves as exemplars

4. Have a time limit on media exposure per day

5. Use Internet filters and TV programming locks

6. Have TVs and computers in common rooms, not in a bedroom or private place.

7. Watch appropriate media with our kids and discuss it.

I believe that if we were to incorporate the above suggestions into our own lives and families that media would not be so damaging to the family unit. People would be spared pain and years of regret.

Technology in the Form of Internet Use

I found a most interesting article titled "Integrating Technology in the Classroom" and thought that you all might want to take a look at it. A few weeks ago we discussed the use of the internet and the benefits it can provide students in a classroom setting...I felt that this article further explores that topic. Granted, I don't agree with everything said. For instance, it starts out right away stating that "research is the number one reason to use the internet in education." I think this is soooo sad that that is the extent of his initial reaction to internet use within the classroom. There is much more potential for learning and technology than just research! And it's somewhat depressing to think that many teachers may limit students' exposure to such a tedious use of technology.