Growing Up Online

Here is an online video by PBS FRONTLINE about what it's like to grow up online: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/.

I view the internet as an eye-opening tool that can help amplify education. Anyone with an internet connection has a tremendous advantage over someone who is not connected. We can learn everything and anything we want (even things we don’t want to find out) online. The internet has both positive and negative effects on children, and I feel this video helped show both sides of the argument. On the one hand, we have sexual predators, stalkers, cyberbullies and other threats to worry about. On the other, we have a world of possibilities – tools to connect students to others just like them all over the world, to make learning more fun, and even to prevent plagiarism!

Jeff (http://jmudrock.blogspot.com/) pointed out that there are arguments on both sides of many issues. The internet can be a wonderful tool to help further a student’s education, but it can also be a great source for students to cheat. All teachers should be aware of this fact and do something to prevent it from playing a role in their classrooms. For example, as a future math teacher, Jeff will require that students show all their work in detail and he will require them to complete many in-class assignments so they are not given the opportunity to just copy answers from a friend or a website. The internet has millions of videos that can make a classroom lesson more interesting, but it also has negative videos that can prevent a student from getting a future job (such as the fight that got put on Youtube and made students “famous.” Their names will come up in search engines and potential future employers will not be happy with their search results.

Rachel (http://rsister2.blogspot.com/) pointed out that the internet has become an intricate part of kids’ lives these days, and both parents and teachers need to realize this. Many parents have no idea what their kids are doing online, but they should take some measures such as talking to their children about predators and other dangers of the internet. Teachers also need to take an interest in what their students are doing online, and they need to find a way to similarly entertain their students in the classroom. Rachel pointed out that a teacher lecturing with a monotone voice and a chalkboard no longer works – which will be very difficult for us math teaches, since the traditional math lesson (at least for me) has always been a teacher, chalk, and a chalkboard. Teachers just stand at the board and systematically write out examples. As future math teachers, we must make technology our friend, or I’m afraid we’ll lose the interest and enthusiasm of our students.

Jenny (http://atejenniper.blogspot.com/) expressed her concern for the internet’s impact on today’s kids. Many kids don’t know how to monitor and control themselves. Kids need to realize that the internet is very open and anyone can see what we write and post. Jenny used the story about Jess AKA “Autumn” as an example. She posted what some consider provocative pictures online, and people in the school community found them. I think what we need to do is talk with our children about what is internet appropriate and what isn’t. That is all we really can do, short of invading our children’s privacy and taking all of their passwords . . . which I think is out of line for a parent.

The internet is an amazing invention – there is no doubt about that. It has had a tremendous impact not only on my life, but on the world. The internet has positive and negative impacts on children, but I think overall the internet has a positive impact on the world. We need to teach the youth of our nation how to use the internet to their advantage, and how to use the internet for the right reasons.