Below we have three questions from week six. Please answer all of the parts of the question that you choose. Please make at least one post by Monday, March 1, 2010.
Q.1 Explore the different websites in article 6.2 and discuss how the information you read can be beneficial to you as a teacher. Please incorporate the link you used.
Good Luck! We look forward to reading your blogs!
Erica Ginley, Meghan Bathke, Faith Callahan, Lindsay Doris, Gina Barcia, Tommy St. Hilarie
Q3. I agree with Blake-Plock when she states, "What I am saying is that there is a tendency in all of human nature to try to filter or block that which makes one uncomfortable. And I am arguing that ultimately – especially in a free society such as ours here in the US – those filters and blocks will produce more headaches than they will relieve in the short term." Filtering is done to all forms of media, which is where most children gain their knowledge. Students who are kept "safe" will only have a one-sided view on controversial issues. A teachers job is to make students think critically, but filtering will not allow this to happen properly. I also agree that it is better that students are discovering new things on the internet under a teacher's supervision rather than at home. If issues come up on the internet then the teacher has the opportunity to reflect on it with the class. I want my students to use blogs in my future classroom. It will hinder a child's learning experience if they can't access this technology at school. I think children can be trusted and if the teacher leads by example then students will also act responsibly when using the internet.
ReplyDeleteQ1. A website I found to be helpful for teachers is http://www.techlearning.com/article/13824, which gives a beginners guide to school security. This website answers a lot of important questions teachers might have about internet security. This website gives clear easy answers to how to keep the students safe and away from things they shouldn’t be seeing while allowing teachers to access important information they might need. This website helps teachers realize it is safe for their students to go online while not having to worry about it. The teachers could then tell the parents that their children are using the computers to the best of their ability while staying away from things they shouldn’t be getting into. Computers are becoming a huge part in students learning and the school system because of this we as teachers need to be aware of the risks they might bring and need to be able to work through those problems.
ReplyDeleteAmber,
ReplyDeleteThat's a really good website. I know most of us as teachers will be pretty advanced in technology compared to some of the teachers we might be working with in the school. As computers become more utilized and important in school, it is a good idea to know how to keep your students safe and away from websites they shouldn't be viewing.
Q2. I think that the most important out of the nine is the third one, Digital Literacy. It is essential for people and students to know how to use certain types of technonlogy. In this society everything is turning to technology to be more advanced and it is getting easier for everybody to use it. I would want to teach my students how to use technonlogy correctly to help them and enhance their learning. Technology can be used incorrectly and inappropiately so if we teach students the right way to use it and what it is really for, it can be very bennificial to the students and their learning career.
ReplyDeleteQ3: I think that it is not ok to block certain things on the internet. I think that people have to right to but what they want online and others should have access to information that they are looking for. AS far the the networking sites, it is a freedom that people can communicate with eachother. With what China is doing is a filtering what the citizens see and I think that is a part of a communist idea. I think that if the government blocks certain websites then it will be a way of manipulating the people beucase they will see what the government wants. There is a lot of freedom of speech on the internet and by filtering that it would take that right away.
ReplyDeleteI do however believe that school should filter many websites including social networking beucase in school, the internet should be used for educational purposes only.
Q2: I think the third element, Digital literacy is the most important. It is important as future educators and for current educators to be well versed in different technologies available for classroom use, assignments, and planning and be able to share that knowledge with students. It is important to know how to use the different programs so that learning is versatile and interesting for students. It is important to know how to learn in a digital society and be proficient.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Heather that elementary and high schools should filter social networking sites. The technology in schools should be used for educational purposes and diverse learning.
ReplyDeleteThank you Heather and Katrina for your responses! I agree with both of you, digitial literacy is really important for all people, especially educators. I also absolutely agree with filtering social networking sites within schools. It gets rid of ay temptations students may have, and keeps them focused on their tasks.
ReplyDeleteHave any of the schools you attended not filtered sites? I would love to hear about your experiences.
I had always believed that filtering of websites in schools, and in homes was necessary and important. However after reading article 6.4 I am begining to look at it differently. I am leaning toward Blake-Plock's opinion on how blocking and filtering. He makes a great point, "Our students are going to get the information one way or another. So why do we go out of our way to put them in a position where they can only do it beyond our field of vision?" This is an excellent point because as teachers our job is to educate our students. Children are children and are natuarally curious. If they want to look at something that they probably shouldn't be..they will. They will find a way. However, if they did so (in an unfiltered room) the teacher could see this and teach the student about responsible ways of using resources such as the internet. We as educators can teach children, as well as give them power to make correct and responsible decisions. I also liked his point where he said that filtering shows that we distrust students, as well as teachers. If you limit the sites that are accessible it does seem to send a message of distrust. I have gone on computers where I cant access a site because it is blocked but it is a good site but it may have a key word or age level that is above the suggested level. It was not a bad site but it was treated like one, and then it limited my resources for my project at that time until I was able to access it on a different computer. (Which goes back to my first point-i still accessed it blocked or not). I can honestly say there was some eye opening points made in this article that changed the way I thought.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Katrina and Heather and believe that Digital Litereacy was the most important in article 6.3. I believe as an educator you need to know how to work multiple resources and types of technology as well as use these diverse aspects in the classroom. Teachers in a sense need to be one step ahead of the students in order to ensure learning and growing of the student. If we dont teach children how to use technology, and teach them how to use it appropriately they will never move forward. I hope to become more familiar with different technological resources (because I know I am not very technological diverse) and create a change in the classroom and in my students.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post Amanda. Blake-Plock's opinion was definetly an "eye-opener." I also like how you quoted the material from the article. Everyone is doing a great job with these questions so far! Keep up the good work :)
ReplyDelete*Amber- I agree with Tom that you chose a great website that can help us when we are future teachers!
When i was doing the wiki project i stummbled upon this video. Instead of talking about blocking programs, it shows a different side of how children do not know that a post/ what they put on a social network could do if they are not responsible and careful. Just thought I'd throw it up here.
ReplyDeletehttp://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=660&title=Think_Before_You_Post
Thanks for the additional site Amanda! Everyone should look at it, it is only 1 minute long and it can demonstrates the idea of "thinking before you post." Thanks again!
ReplyDelete*If anyone comes across any other sites that would be beneficial, you can post them as well!
The high school I want to filtered sites. We were allowed to go on the myspace or facebook or aol or anything related to social networking or email. I think that that was good because if we had free time we had to something that was educational, although when you get to be a senior maybe you have have a little more freedom. I am observing in Randall School and I have not been on the computer yet to explore but I am guessing that they are filtered.
ReplyDeleteAmanda,
ReplyDeleteThat video was great. I saw something on the news the other day that a group of kids got suspended from school for posting derogatory comments about their teacher on facebook. Kids have to realize that once something goes on the internet for even a second, someone else could see it at that exact moment.
Here's one news result I found while searching on google:
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/school-suspends-20-over-facebook-bully-groups-20100225-p55h.html
Heather, I definitely agree that schools should filter out social networking sites. It’s a great point that should be stressed throughout schools.
ReplyDeleteTom, I agree with what you’re saying about teachers and students interacting on facebook. There needs to be a limit and boundaries set between the relationship teachers and students have.
Q3. I disagree with Blake-Plock when she states, "What I am saying is that there is a tendency in all of human nature to try to filter or block that which makes one uncomfortable. And I am arguing that ultimately – especially in a free society such as ours here in the US – those filters and blocks will produce more headaches than they will relieve in the short term." I also disagree with Nicole about the media. Yes some media only presents one side of an issue, FOX leans to the right,CNN leans to the left, MSNBC is as far left as you can go but those are pundits(opinion shows) there are also straight up reporting of news by anchormen and anchorwomen on the 3 networks I mentioned. What about Porn? Theres all kinds of porn and I myself use Blockers because I dont want to see pop ups of sexual acts much less explain to a child what that women is doing to that animal.....That may seem like a funny or smart ass remark but without filters and censorship, thats what we as future educators would be opening ourselves up to.Nicole, do you really want to discuss beastiality with your class? Are discussions like that even appropriate in the classroom? They wont be in my classroom regardless of grade level. What about children and networking sites? Has anyone who's posted so far seen "To Catch a Predator" on NBC? Their are a lot of bad people who wish to do harm to children, and without filters and even censorship we may actually be putting kids in harms way. Maybe it's my background, Maybe it's the 100's of arrests I've made, maybe it's the years of Real World Experience I have, whatever the reason it's my opinion that filters, blocks, or censorship if you want to call it that, are needed more now than ever to keep children safe. That's just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteQ3: Before I read article 6.4, I was completely for filtering and blocking websites. I felt that students should not be exposed to the inappropriate materials that the internet provides. As we all know, children will find a way around to get around the various types of blocks and privacy settings that their parents/teachers have set up. Article 6.4 has changed my perspective on this issue. I now feel that filtering and blocking websites may not be the best idea. By not filtering websites, it will allow children to mature and use their own discretion about what is appropriate for them to view and what is not. In the classroom, for example, I believe that this will really create a trusting relationship between the teacher and students. However, if students fail to use technology in the classroom for educational puposes, then the teacher may be forced to intervene and set up privacy settings. I think it is very important to encourage students to be independent thinkers and good decision makers, and not filtering websites would be a great way to do just this.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Heather, Katrina, and Amanda Z as well. I feel that teachers must be well-education and be very familiar with the many uses of technology in the classroom. This will definitely enhance students learning by providing various educational tools. Technology gives us teachers many options and different ways to effectively reach our students. I believe that teachers should incorporate technology into the classroom, not only to benefit themselves, but more importanly the students.
ReplyDeleteTom, I actually seen that on the news as well. Students have to be much more aware of what they are saying on doing on the computer because even though they might not think so many people can probably see it. When you become a college student like us you really have to pay close attention to what you say and put on the internet because one day it might make you lose your chance at a job you wanted. As a teacher you have even more of an "public eye" on you, where people judge you for every little thing you do. You don't want to make a mistake by putting something inappropriate on the internet.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAmanda and Alica, I really liked how you both are open to new ideas and were willing to switch your point of view after reading article 6.4. You both picked up on the main issue and that is the ability to guide children’s natural curiosity. Like you, I believe that websites should not be blocked; however, the teacher should install rules and teach the student’s about harms on the internet. You got exactly what we wanted you to out of the reading. Keep up the great work!!
ReplyDeleteQ1. The website I found that would be useful to me as a teacher is http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs21-children.htm. Even though the title of this article is "A Resource Guide for Parents" this is a great website for teachers as well. I think that teachers and parents have a very similar responsibility with children, which is why this article is interchangeable. Young children should not be have free reign over the internet. Teachers need to monitor what their students are reading or looking at. One tip the website listed how to protect your children is" Read the privacy policy statements on the web sites visited by your children" This tip is necessary for students to learn because of plagerism. It is teachers jobs to explain to students about plagerism and how to use and cite information found on the internet. Another great tip I found was "Set family rules for online computer use" In a classroom, the teacher can set classroom rules for online computer use. There is so much information on the internet that is SO innapropriate for young eyes. This set of classroom online rules will keep them from going to such websites. This article is very useful for teachers in this century because we have to be very careful about what our students can see and cannot see on the internet. This article opened my eyes to a plethora of information that I didn't know would affect my classroom so much.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 3: Until I sat down to read article 6.4, I did not even think that filtering and blocking websites in a classroom would be debatable. I thought that there should absolutely be filters on certain websites as sometimes children can stumble across inappropriate things, whether or not it is on purpose, it still does happen. After I read this article and truly thought about it, I may not think that blocking and filtering the websites are such a wonderful idea. Blake-Plock states that, "Our students are going to get the information one way or another. So why do we go out of our way to put them in a position where they can only do it beyond our field of vision?" I agree with this statement greatly as students are going to stumble across this information whether or not it's in the classroom. It could provide the teacher and the student with a learning experience and explain why a particular website may not be such a great idea to go on. Some children are more computer savvy then others and those who are not can definitely learn from these experiences. It could also creates a bond of trust between the students and the teacher as they can be on the honor system not to go on inappropriate or non-school related websites while they are learning. They are able to use their own judgement to see what is appropriate and what is not. It will help the students to become independent workers and set up morals as well. I think the teacher would have to reiterate to the class that they will need to be on a certain website while they are working and make rules that the children understand if they are not complying to them. This will help for everyone to be at an understanding of what is expected of them in the classroom and during the time they will have on the computers.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Heather on your answer to question 3. I think that the students should not be on networking sites during class time. I also think that what China is doing is definitely a part of the communist idea and I do not agree with it. Children and people are free to do what they want and this obviously goes against it. The fact that students (especially in the secondary grades) could use their school computers for Facebook and Myspace is understandable that the school would block these specific sites. There is clearly no education reason for students to be on these networking sites during class time.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Heather that social networking sites should be blocked in schools. Schools are meant to be a learning enviornment, and if schools do not filter websites such as facebook, myspace, twitter, etc. then students will only be focused on going onto those websites. I know this personally because at my job (I am a dragon dialer, I call alumni and ask them for contributions to the college) we sit in cubicles with computers and websites such as facebook and myspace are blocked. Even though it is annoying to not be able to go on, it is a very smart idea because then the callers are not focused on facebook, and they are focused on calling the alumni. My job is to call alumni, not play on facebook. This relates to schools because students' jobs in school is to learn, not use social networking sites. (I think this relates :) )
ReplyDeleteThank you for continuing to post everyone.
ReplyDeleteAmber, I visited your website and think it is a great resource. I like how you integrated your findings for question one into the content of article 6.4 in question three. We can all benefit from learning how to deal with internet security in the school setting.
Based on the article you chose, I would be interested to know if you think internet sites should be blocked and if so which ones?
Q.3) After reading the Blake-Ploke article, I would have to agree that placing restrictions and blocking the internet will cause more damage than trusting our students with this freedom. The internet has so much to offer us, literally a whole world at our fingerprints. The blocking of internet sites is just one “quick fix” that we so often see, but what does this show our students? I completely agree with Blake-Ploke when she says “Filtering and blocking suggest that we don’t trust students.” I remember feeling this exact way when I was in high school as my friends and I would try to find ways around the filters. If we block these sites we are just giving the students more incentive to find ways around the filters. Computers are amazing resources and students need to learn how to take advantage of them. Nicole made some really good points in her post that I agree with including “A teacher’s job is to make students think critically, but filtering will not allow this to happen properly”. Students need to look at issues from many different perspectives, and computers are the perfect tools to use for this.
ReplyDeleteSo far, everyone agrees with Blake that children should be trusted with no restrictions on websites and guided how to appropriately use them. Does anyone have any suggestions for teh other side of the debate?
ReplyDeleteI do! There is so many innapropriate things on the internet that students (and I am talking about elementary age students) should not have access to. Students could be on the computers doing school work in the library and venture off to websites with content that young children should not see. Restrictions on certain websites need to happen in schools for appropriate learning to happen.
ReplyDeleteQ3) I agree with Sam that certain websites should be blocked in schools. There is so much on the internet that would be inappropriate for young children to be exposed to. The internet should be used for informational research and other school related activities. If inappropriate websites are blocked, then students will be able to focus on the tasks at hand and be able to learn what they are suppose to.
ReplyDeleteQ3. Before reading the article, “What Does Internet Blocking Suggest to Students,” written by Shelly Blake-Plock, I did not consider internet blocking in educational facilities a controversy. I felt that children should not be exposed to inappropriate material, therefore believing that filtering and blocking websites was a necessary action to execute in schools. Article 6.4 has allowed me to think differently, enabling me to change my perspective regarding this issue. Perhaps filtering and blocking websites is not the most effective way to protect students from the threats of the digital media. Blake-Plock states, “Our students are going to get the information one way or another. So why do we go out of our way to put them in a position where they can only do it beyond our field of vision?” While reading several of the responses of my classmates, I agree that children are naturally curious and often wonder about the fascinating world in which we live. I feel as though filtering and blocking implies distrust among student learners, as well as distrust among teachers. Blake-Plock also explains, “What I am saying is that there is a tendency in all of human nature to try to filter or block that which makes one uncomfortable. And I am arguing that ultimately– especially in a free society such as ours here in the US– those filters and blocks will produce more headaches than they will relieve in the short term.” Because young children gain much of their knowledge from online resources, teachers must implement rules that inform students of the many dangers of the internet. By creating computer regulations, teachers are able to provide students with the power to make responsible decisions independently. Through building a trusting teacher-student relationship, all individuals involved in the learning process will understand the expectations when actively participating in the use of technology within the classroom.
ReplyDeleteToday, in practicum, I was helping a girl with her research project. We typed into Google Jeff Gordon’s wife because we wanted to find out facts about her. Unfortunately, I found out that she was a swim suit model and the first thing that popped up was pictures. The boy next to me commented on how “sexy” she was and I quickly closed it. Therefore, I realized that Randall does not block access to those kinds of things and that the students had open access to everything.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your opinion on this situation?
Before reading this article I always believe that it was so important to block off websites that were inappropriate for young children. We wouldn't want children to see inappropriate pictures or comments on the computer. I remember when I was in school a lot of websites were blocked and we had to us certain web searches that were geared towards children with the information they bring up. After read this article though my ideas and opinions changed, the idea that if you hide something from children they will try and find it anyways or if you tell someone not to do something the first thing they do will be that. The quote that Blake-Plock states, “Our students are going to get the information one way or another. So why do we go out of our way to put them in a position where they can only do it beyond our field of vision?” is so true. By having these issues present themselves with the teacher knowing it brings on teachable moments in the classroom. It will allow you to take something that is wrong and talk about why its wrong and why its on the computer. After reading responses of my peers it seems that we are all on the same page when it comes to not blocking things on the computer. With Meghan's last comment about her situation in the classroom could have been turned into an important lesson for the children.
ReplyDeleteQ.3 According to Blake-Plock in article 6.4, what is your position on this issue? Meaning, are you for blocking the Internet or against it? Give 2-3 valid reasons why you feel that way.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Sammie & Amy G about some websites being blocked for elementary children. Although it is crucial for them to not be held back and explore on their own, it is still inappropriate for them to be on social websites or looking up pictures of things that should not be in school. When the children are on the computers they are usually doing work for a project or looking up information that will help them complete their work. The limited time they have on the computers should be strictly used for educational purposes rather than them searching the net and finding other things. However, I do not think it is a good idea to block the students from everything but there should be limits on what and where they can search for information. In the article, Blake-Plock stated that teachers look at sex, drugs, etc as a threat and that why shouldn't we educate our students about these which I believe to be a valid point. Although we should be able to answer their questions and help those to grow and mature there are some things where I believe we do not have place to discuss with them. No matter what is blocked or what is held from children they will eventually stumble upon things that are inappropriate and eventually need to be discussed. I do not however believe that it will damage the students if they are blocked from certain websites. I don't feel as if the students will think that we do not trust them but may just think those pages do not work on school computers. Meghan, since I was with you today during this occurrence (haha) I was thinking that it would be very difficult to block things that come up on Google. Being that Google is such a popular used site to look up information for children the only way that could be avoided is to find an educational site that will keep out pictures such as those. Banning Google from school computers will not be beneficial to the children since they are so used to working with it.
Q2. I think digital communication is incredibly important. Everyone needs others. Interaction is crucial to learning. Others can be resources, references, instructors or just supportive friends. Through the development of technology, people have been able expand their capabilities of communication. With recent advancement, communication can be constant and instant. With cell phones, instant messengers, and email, the number of people using technology has increased greatly. It is not as expensive as in the past and has become a part of everyday life for many. This has really changed since the last century when means of communicating were limited. I think this has made the biggest difference in people's lives and will continue to do so.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Megan's experience at practicum, I think that's a tough situation. If you don't block the site, the children are exposed to crude material and respond to sites as the boy did. However, if you do block the site, you would be limiting the resources that are available to your students. The information you were looking for would be unavailable and I think that is more devastating then seeing girls in bikinis. While I do think barely dressed girls is inappropriate, knowledge is power and important too.
ReplyDeleteChelsea,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you admitted that the article changed your opinion. It’s good to see the strong examples you used from the article. I agree with you that students should not be on social networking sites because they cannot gain any education from it.
Samantha H, I like how you related the article to your own life. You have strong reasons to back up your belief. I know that when I am at the library I go onto facebook a few times! It can be very distracting.
I agree and both disagree with the article 6.4 about blocking the internet for students because it hinders the students but it can also be beneficial. By blocking internet sites, students may become more curious as to what they are being blocked from and they might strive to find out. I think that it hinders their competence in computers when they are blocked from certain spots such as blogs, chats, and videos. When students are monitored on the internet, the article argues that the children feel as if we do not trust them. I agree with the article that students should have the freedom to search things to become more knowledgeable. However, sometimes I think it may be appropriate to block or restrict some sites. For example students can easily find something with vulgar language, something sexual, something violent or something unpleasant online. Yes, I think that eventually they will find out, but some things they need to find out on their own. I think that children can understand why they are sometimes restricted from some sites.
ReplyDeleteQ3. I agree with the article. Blocking websites do make students either curious more or scared. Why should we block thier education? We as teachers should explore the internet for the appropriate sites to give to our students to work off of not the other way around. I believe if students come across sites that are not useful or danergous it is our job to explain why to them. How would they know or understand if we just block sites? One statement in the article that I really like was " Filtering and blocking suggest one thing: you are not to be trusted." I think this is very true. Trust in the classroom is very important wheather it invovles student teacher or student to student. Filtering or blocking sites says to children that even if they did not do anything wrong they are still not trusted. I as teacher would not want that mind set in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Meghan’s post concerning her practicum experience, I agree with Melissa’s thoughts of the occurrence. Although the website was accessed for educational purposes, the source unfortunately presented inappropriate content. The inappropriate content did cause the young boy to comment aloud; however, blocking the website would limit the information available to student learners. Also, Google is considered a very popular search engine used by individuals of all ages throughout the world. Because the students did, in fact, gain knowledge from researching this topic of interest, I do not believe that prohibiting children from viewing the page is a beneficial approach in attempting to protect against the potential dangers and threats of the digital media. I feel as though under pressure, I would have handled the situation as Meghan had by immediately closing the link. Could anyone else share other suggestions or possible solutions?
ReplyDeleteIn response to Meghan's post, I think that is a really hard situation. You can't help that the picture showed up, but you can make the embarrassing moment into a good learning experience for the student. A teacher can explain why calling women ,"sexy" is inappropriate and can offend people. Also, although blocking sites can prevent that situation from happening it will also hinder students from accessing other valuable information on the web. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer on the debate over blocking websites.
ReplyDeleteFor anyone, who in their future career might be considering not using filters and blocks. Not only do you run the risk of being fired, allowing children to view certain material online because you don't believe in restricting their education could get you prosecuted and thrown in jail. Regardless of what you may think, there are things that are never appropriate for a child to see.
ReplyDeleteQ1. The site Amber put up in the beginning of the posts is a great source of appropriate behavior when using the internet. Students can be trusted using the internet if they know how to search information responsibly. A link that I found and really like was http://twaterman.pbworks.com/Digital_Citizenship. It gives a basic definition of what digital citizenship and the elements it encompasses. Each of the elements are broken down and have links to search for more information. I think the mix of youtube videos and links of information are great resources to teach students to be safe on the computer. Once students understand the importance of safety on the web, they will be able to access it more freely in the future.
ReplyDeleteBlock 602 is doing a great job posting! I feel like everyone is going above and beyond what they are expected, by sharing specific websites or even personal experiences...
ReplyDelete*As for Meghan's experience at Randall, personally I feel that these sites should be blocked when the children are at school. It serves as a distraction to the learning environment. I understand that children are going to see the material anyway. However, I feel that school is not the right place for things to just pop up out of nowhere.
Keep up the good work everyone! :)
It is very difficult to filter out and catch everything that may be inappropriate for children. So as teachers we should always be positive role models and answer their questions honestly. Although we can block certain things from their view, we cannot stop them from encountering such experiences as the one that happened today with Meghan.
ReplyDeleteSince some have suggested not using blocks, filters,etc...because they changed their views after reading the article.
ReplyDeleteHow would you explain this video? Couldn't this do serious Psychological damage to a child?
Do you think there might be serious legal ramifications if it were watched in your classroom?
****Please Note*****
***This is Extremely Horrific****
It's as bad as the Daniel Pearl video but after reading some of your posts, I do not believe some of you truly understand whats online and that there are things that are innapropriate for children.
http://www.francesfarmersrevenge.com/stuff/archive/oldnews4/nickberg.htm
I think our questions have posed great discussion and everyone's input has provided something to think about.
ReplyDeleteAll of you are doing an outstanding job using quotes from the articles and finding websites and videos that support your claims.
I remember when I was in high school, we had site filtering all the time. However, we found sites that you could use to go around the filtered sites. So basically, the school was just making us work to get around the filtered sites. If I could easily find a way to bypass the 'bad' websites, then what was the point of them filtering them at all?
ReplyDeleteGood work everyone. Walter sweetheart breathe, I am scared to watch that in a public place. We love you anyway. In regarding article 6.4 Amanda Z's quote "If they want to look at something that they probably shouldn't be..they will. They will find a way. However, if they did so (in an unfiltered room) the teacher could see this and teach the student about responsible ways of using resources such as the internet. We as educators can teach children, as well as give them power to make correct and responsible decisions." This sums up my opinion. Many of you agreed with this as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree Tom. Years ago I also spent more time not following directions and finding ways around things that were blocked. If we could not download AIM on a school computer we would discover aim express a program you didn't need to download but still could go online. It's just natural. I wouldn't have spent so much time doing that if it was blocked in the first place. So it is somewhat counter productive at times.
ReplyDeleteWalter, that is a good example however of what we definitely would not want our future students viewing in our classroom with their peers around. It does help me to see more of both sides.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to see everyones true opinions coming through! I really enjoyed reading all of your posts! I hope these questions opened up your eyes to digital citizenship.
ReplyDeleteQ. 2: I feel that of the 9 elements, number 3 Digital Literacy is the most important. New technology is being developed everyday, and students are being exposed to it as it is developed. New technologies are finding their way into both the work place and the school systems. In order to keep up with the times, and keep students attention, the teachers must literate in technology. This could be done by creating a class website. Or simply teaching a lesson using interactive power points. Perhaps allow the students to teach you as their teacher something about technology.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading all the posts and articles there is so much to say on blocking the content on the internet!
ReplyDeleteI hated having websites blocked in high school, mainly because of Myspace. Which I look back and it is probably a good thing! I can not even count how many times I have logged into Facebook while attempting to do homework. I agree with Heather that social networking sites, such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter should be blocked. These sites have little or no educational value. Blake-Ploacks says "Students are going to get the information ons way or another" and as many have said, they do! We all did to some extent in high school. Why would we think our students wont?
To the extent that I would block other sites depends on the students age. I find it hard to believe age has not came up yet! I would block out way more sites for younger students than for fifth or sixth graders. I think first graders can unintentionally come by information they are not looking for and be more devistated by it than curious.
Should blogs be restricted? I know in my school they were. To a certain extent I understand. Anyone can post ANY information! Yet, this can be another lesson. How to find valid and reliable informational sources. Blogs can also be very educational (as we have already learned).
Let's face it; Using the internet is about responsibility and trust. Most of the inappropriate information we speak of is sexual, I would assume (well besides Walter's crazy post). Even though pictures make me nervous, there are a lot of different definitions of what "sexy" is, this could be a lesson on culture. Isn't sexuality part of culture (Judith's class)? This could also be a lesson. I would definately block pornography websites, but there is not really anyway to block pictures. I know I have even come across "inappropriate" pictures when looking for educational information. This would be a good point for teaching responsibility. This is where Sam's source on setting rules would be very appropriate. What would the students be expected to do if they did accidently come across these pictures?
To Amanda S.' post about blocking being a "quick fix". I agree completely, but also think that quick fixes are not always the best idea. We need to teach WHY things are inappropriate and expain how uncomfortable is it for other students.
My last question would be, is trust earned or is it there until it is lost? Should we just give the students free reign until we catch them doing something bad? How often have we gotten away with something that we all knew was bad?
Q2)I agree with Melissa and believe that digital communication is significant in our society today. Communication is vital,and new technology allows us to instantly contact people. Communication technology has increased safety issues. If one of your students has an emergency, you are capable of contacting the parent/caregiver directly and immediately. Through email, teachers can work efficiently with parents. Parent/teacher communication helps children achieve a sense of competence and balance.
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