This is, without a doubt,
a book that every high school student should read. Children of all ages are accessing the
internet and reading, listening to, and positing about anything and everything
they see online. I see this everyday with
my high school students. I am constantly
telling them to be careful about what they do online, because, as this book
emphasizes, everything is public and permanent.
They claim they understand, but do they truly understand how public and
permanent it really is? It is so quick
and easy for students to post things online, that it is very likely they are
not taking the time to think about what they are posting and the effects it can
have. Matt Ivester, the author, explains
how when he talks with college students, almost all of them admit to having
posted something online they wish they had not, and unfortunately, when
something is online and public, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible to
take back.
In my opinion, high school
and college students do not realize the dangers that can come with posting
things online. High school students,
especially, are too young and immature to realize that what they post online
and on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter can affect and harm
them in years to come. They do not
realize that one day, colleges, universities, and possible employers could be
checking out these sites. Many students
do not think anything of it, because they are not thinking that far into the
future. What they post is more
accessible than they think, and they do not realize how once something is
online, they no longer have total, if any, control over the content. I could not believe the stories about the
girl at Duke who sent out the detailed powerpoint presentation of her sexual
encounters or the UCLA student who ranted about "Asians in the
Library" on youtube. These
incidents have ruined their reputations.
They did not mean for these things to go viral, but it just goes to show
how quickly things can be spread on the web and how people need to be aware of
what they are posting. Incidents like
these are not going to go away; in fact, they will only become more prevalent
as technology continues to advance.
How students portray
themselves online may not be who they really are, but it is people's first
impressions of them, and it is always hard to change a first impression. People believe what they see online. I tell my students repeatedly that they will
be judged by what they put online, and they say they do not care what people
think. I cannot wait to tell them how I read
that 70% of recruiters admit to having rejected a candidate based on information
they found online or inform them of the new social background checks performed
by colleges and companies. These are
things that students do not consider!
Although I think teachers
are burdened with enough as it is, I think it is important that we inform students
of these dangers, teach them about digital citizenship and provide them with
information regarding how to use the internet and technology appropriately and
responsibly. One way I thought to do
this in the high school is at the very beginning of the year, teachers in each
content area could teach students different elements of digital
citizenship. For example, in Health
class, students may learn about Digital Health and Wellness. In Social Studies classes, students might
learn about Digital Law and in English, Digital Communication, and so on. This way, students are provided with this
crucial information and are aware of both the opportunities and the risks that
come with the internet and technology.
Students can then create projects or produce posters to post around the
school, especially in the library and computer labs, so everyone can have
access to this information and at all times.
If we want our students to be informed digital citizens, we need to
provide them with the information that will allow them to become so. Rather than use scare tactics of what can
happen, we should be creating lessons that teach students to use it
appropriately and responsibly. With this
information and awareness, students will, as Ivester emphasizes, be aware of
what they are reading, researching and posting.
Students are using
technology and the internet more and more in school, especially now that the
CCSS state that students need to be able to research and integrate multiple
sources of information presented in diverse formats and media. This is more reason for students to be more
informed about what they do, use and find online. Students need to know how to appropriately go
about gathering, evaluating and using the information they find. In order to prepare students to meet the
standards, we need to guide our students in how to use technology and the
internet appropriately. We need to teach
what it means to communicate effectively, work collaboratively, and explain to
students what it means to use digital tools to perform research, and why these
digital tools are so important. Once
students have this knowledge, they can then acquire the 21st century skills
they will need to become creative, collaborative, and critical thinkers.
8 comments:
I teach fourth graders that have access to multiple sources of technology. At this age, most of them are not interested in social media - Facebook, Twitter, etc... However, they do use technology in and outside of school for academic reasons. I agree that it is essential that we teach students, of all ages, that whatever they are doing online can be tracked and can affect them for the rest of their social and professional lives. Even though the 9 and 10 year olds that I teach are not currently interested in the social media, I am sure they soon will be. As the use of technology in the classrooms continues to improve and grow the children will be exposed at earlier ages to all of the facets of the social media. That said, we must be proactive in teaching them the proper uses of technology (both academically and socially) and the possible repercussions if used improperly. The social aspect of technology and the use of social media could arguably be a conversation for parents to have with their children. However, as with so many other things, some parents are ignorant to the possible negative impacts of socials media and others don’t take the time to inform their children. We need to do our best to help educate the students. We can only hope that they take the information and use it to make an informed and proper decision.
I teach fourth graders that have access to multiple sources of technology. At this age, most of them are not interested in social media - Facebook, Twitter, etc... However, they do use technology in and outside of school for academic reasons. I agree that it is essential that we teach students, of all ages, that whatever they are doing online can be tracked and can affect them for the rest of their social and professional lives. Even though the 9 and 10 year olds that I teach are not currently interested in the social media, I am sure they soon will be. As the use of technology in the classrooms continues to improve and grow the children will be exposed at earlier ages to all of the facets of the social media. That said, we must be proactive in teaching them the proper uses of technology (both academically and socially) and the possible repercussions if used improperly. The social aspect of technology and the use of social media could arguably be a conversation for parents to have with their children. However, as with so many other things, some parents are ignorant to the possible negative impacts of socials media and others don’t take the time to inform their children. We need to do our best to help educate the students. We can only hope that they take the information and use it to make an informed and proper decision.
Nicole, I totally agree that without a doubt every child and even adult should read this book. I don't think that children realize that everything that they post will be online for everyone to read and it will be permanent. Many companies go online to see what they can find out about a person who is applying for a job. Many youngsters today don't realize that they could potentially miss out on an opportunity because of some silly post they made five years ago.
I recently had a former student of mine friend me on Facebook. I declined but I sent a private message, just saying hello and asking how they were doing. I use facebook as tool to communicate and keep in touch with old friends. I know too many teachers and administrators that have lost their jobs because of facebook. Is this blog safe? Just wondering? lol
I agree that students need to hear the same message about putting their thoughts online and understanding the consequences of everything they may put out there. There is a lot of conversation about using common sense and being responsible about what you do online, but the problem for me is that 11 and 12 year olds for the most part are extremely impulsive and easily swayed into doing things in some situations that they might not normally do. Also many have the idea that they are invincible and can do what they want. I agree that teachers will have to play a role in educating young students about the responsibility of using social media. I also feel that some basic concepts should be taught very early. I teach 6th grade and already have a student in trouble for posting derogatory and threatening comments about another student on a social media site. She didn't think anybody she didn't want to read those things could. I would love to see a book like lol...OMG! that was geared to 4-7 grade students which could be used to help these students understand what happens to everything they post "out there".
Ken, I definitely agree with you about digital citizenship being commonsense, and like you point out, Ivester even states this, too, in his introduction. As bad as this is going to sound, when it comes to technology and the web, people sometimes lack common sense. Let's face it- doing things via the web is much quicker that people do not have time to give what they post or email a first thought, let alone a second thought. Also, the web has caused people to become so disconnected, that we think what we write or post will have no effect on us. We do not see how what we write can affect others. I agree with your comments about "juicycampus." People love gossip, and a site like that is only asking for trouble!
Ann-I love your idea about an lol…OMG book for younger students. It is never too early to expose these children to the responsibilities, benefits and consequences of using the web. Children of all ages need the 21st century skills to use technology appropriately and responsibly.
First off, Nicole, some great, valid points! As I commented last week, I think one of the biggest vulnerabilities our students have electronically is their naïveté that what they put online stays private... However, what really drew my attention was the point you and Ken made about the "Juicy Campus" website. This reminds me of another website that seems to work similarly and he already cut a wide swath of destruction. I don't recall the name of the site, but on it, students would make anonymous comments about each other. Most often these comments were very negative and derogatory; but the anonymity was what really seemed to do the most damage... Students were always second guessing themselves and their friends, as they didn't know where the cuts were coming from... This Juicy Campus seems to foster the same type of environment that is ripe for abuse.
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