-What were the most important things I learned from the readings?
I loved the talk about finding and sharing online. I love how involved the church is in regards to the internet. They encourage us as Latter-Day Saints, to post our feelings about the gospel. I loved that it warned people from posting private information, pictures and other things. It also reminded me to be respectful to other people's blogs and work they post online.
-How will what I have read influence my actions as a parent and/or teacher of children and youth?
I have heard that it is a great idea to put the computer in high traffic areas, and I really believe that is true. Hopefully, I will have a open relationship with my children so they feel safe coming to me when they encounter things on the internet that are pornographic or otherwise inappropriate. It is so important to always teach your children internet safety and to not make them feel bad if they have made a mistake or something. Having them feel emotionally safe is the key.
I will also set limits on time spent on the internet. Moderation in all things! There is a line that must not be crossed however. That includes letting your child learn and grow with guidelines, and not being overbearing or annoying interested in everything you do. You don't have to monitor every little thing and hopefully you have a relationship where your children can come to you with any questions or concerns.
-How can I use what I have learned from the reading to have a positive influence on family and friends?
I think that when I have a family I need to stand up and talk a lot about the internet. Having so much technology in the world puts responsibilities on the parents. We must take action and educate ourselves on what is out there and then do everything we can to protect and educate our own children.
I have a personal blog and sometimes I get worried about saying things about the church, mostly because I don't want people to think it's cliché or not understand things I'm saying. I shouldn't! I should be bold in word and deed and stand up for what I say. I love a blog called nieniedialogues. “Nie” does a fantastic job at combining her testimony with everyday things. She often references Mormon.org or lds.org, talks and other church related things. I have heard that over 1,000 baptisms have been linked to her blog and her started out members on their conversion journey.
-Am I aware of the benefits and dangers children face when online with cyber bullying and online predators? Do I know how to prevent cyberbullying?
I don't know that there are any benefits with online cyber bullying. I know that there runs a risk of emotional problems and those effects can be long lasting. Just like bullying in real life, the abuse is real and harmful. It's important to limit time on the internet, sites your children can and can not visit. It is also good to set limits involving pictures they can post, privacy with chat rooms as well as personal information.
-Where can I go for information and resources that can be used to teach internet safety?
I think it's a great idea to surf the net, look at talks and other things. I think it would also be good to look at the library for resources. Asking a librarian may also be helpful! I'm saving some of the documents I have read on my Diigo because I know I will need them later in life. It would be great to get in touch with school counselors as well.
-What internet safety issues am I likely to face as a teacher and how will I address them?
I love the quote from the article, Understanding Cyberbullying from the inside out. Boyd says, “we need [education and] interventions that focus on building empathy, identifying escalation [of drama or bad feeling, whether malicious or mistaken, pranks or retaliation, I'd add], and techniques for stopping the cycles of abuse. We need to create environments [home and school] where young people don’t get validated for negative attention and where they don’t see relationship drama as part of normal adult life. The issues here are systemic”. Truly we have to teach our students in a way that is inclusive of everyday life and internet activities. Those two things are inseparable at this point.
Just like we talked about in the voicethread, we may encounter situations involving addictive behavior to internet sites, pornography problems and cyberbullying. Classroom safety is not enough. We have to educate students. I think it would be great to have students read an article at the beginning of the term and have them write a response. I would love to hold a conversation involving the class, just so everyone could see that their peers feel similarly about the internet, cyberbullying and social networking.
-How can I leverage the power of the Internet so students can learn, but in a safe way?
I can teach students the correct way to use search engines, such as using “, and, or, but etc. I would also help students learn to identify a reliable source and internet sites that may be harmful.
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