What applications appeal to you? Now that you know more about Twitter and Facebook, pay attention to where you hear references to them in the every day world. How do you think you might use these tools?
I love using Facebook although I will admit to losing part of my life last summer to it! It has been a great way to keep in touch with two of my siblings who don't live near me and who both work third shift (most of our calls to each other go right to voice mail). I have also been able to reconnect with high school buddies and see what they're up to through posts and photos. I have a Twitter account but really have not had time to keep up with those that I am following. It just hasn't found a real purpose for me yet.
Why do you think MySpace and other social networking sites are so popular with kids today? What safety tips would you share with your students who are talking about using social networks?
I think online communities are a great way for kids, especially those who tend to be more introverted face-to-face, to meet others who share their interests. I also think kids are able to interact with others and form online friendships. I'm sure, just like any friends, there will be some that parents would approve of and those that they surely would not. Also, online communities are truly not safe for kids to be on without a lot of teaching and supervision. There needs to be real, meaningful discussions about online saftey and, without scaring them, present kids with possible scenarios that could turn out badly if safety is not driving their interactions. For example, I would tell them how easily it is for someone to lie on their profile and use a fake photo to lure kids in. I think adults, too, need to remember online saftey rules because they can just as easily become a victim of online predators.
About Me
- A. Spohn
- I am currently teaching kindergarten at Lenawee Christian School in Adrian, Michigan!
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Sometimes it seems people might be lacking in common sense as to what personal information, but, you make a good case for the meaningful discussions. The fact is, it's something people just never had to think about before. Parents and teachers didn't grow up in an online culture and don't know the benefits and risks. So many kids have just had free reign, they think of it as their own domain and don't like adult supervisory controls over them in this domain. But I think most students will appreciate the dangers and reap more of the benefits if they share in this meaningful discussion and are allowed to think their way through the real issues. They need guidance and good modeling by adults who care. If teachers aren't modeling good use of Facebook, where will they see what's appropriate? (They'll see enough of what's NOT approriate!) It's too late to start this in 6th grade - those conversations need to start very early, before they're off exploring on their own!
ReplyDeleteThere are many good Internet safety sites with student, parent and teacher resources: netsmartz.org, iSafe.org, webwisekids, and more. It would be easy to say "it's not part of my curriculum" but someone has to care enough to do this.
I think that parents and teachers need to know that teaching the dangers and showing students how easily something very out of control could happen is a much better, and more caring way to approach this topic. Older students are always fighting against adult intervention and don't want to be monitored. Teenagers, especially, are keen enough to create multiple accounts and get out of the parent's reach if they feel that the parent is being overbearing.
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