Internet Safety
Schools and teachers need to take a proactive role to keep students safe on the internet. Teachers need to first begin by having serious conversations about appropriate technology use and digital citizenship. The conversation should begin by making students aware of, and sign their school’s usage policy. The Cobb County Internet Usage policies found in the Student Handbook and Parent Information Guide, is a great place to start. If your school does not have an internet usage policy, The Nation Center for Educational Statistics offers a great sample policy that covers many aspects of digital age computer usage.
Along with usage policies, students also need to be aware of their privacy rights. Students are often do not know that everything that they do on the internet is collected and archived. According an online article published in the Edudemic entitled Online safety: A teacher’s guide to dealing with cyberbullying, sexting, and student privacy, “Your students might be whizzes with Instragram and Snapchat, but they do not know how these apps collect and store data?” (Muhler, 2015). As educators and concerned adults, we cannot assume that just because students know how to use a digital device that they understand the risks associated. The federal government has also gotten involved by creating strict guidelines protecting the privacy and security of students. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) enacted in 1998, is a policy enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to protect the safety and security of minors. The policy requires that parents be notified of any information collected from a child under the age of 13.
Just like with privacy issues and cyberbullying, teachers and schools need to be proactive. Schools need to create a mission statement that includes a student bill of rights (Muthler, 2014). The mission statement needs to include a positive expectations for technology use. Students also need to be aware of and know how to spot and identify bullying as it happens. Apps such as KnowBullying (available on iOS and Android) can help to protect students by offering warnings and tips to prevent bullying. The KnowBullying app was created by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an authority on mental health and bullying issues. SAMSHA offers a wealth of information on bullying and how to help parents and educators address the issues associated with it. |
The digital age has changed the way we communicate with others. As educators, parents and citizens we need to be proactive in how we address these issues and protect the safety and well being of our children and students. It requires the entire community to come together to address the issues of digital citizenship and protect others from online abuses.
Web 3.0 Technology and Education
The new Web 3.0 will have a drastic impact on teaching and learning in the future. According to Tim O’Reilly “the web is in the midst of an evolutionary cycle that’s likely to spark profound changes in education” (as cited in Delaney, 2012). Although most everyone agrees that a change is coming, the next question is, "what is it going to look it?" According to Shelly Blake-Plock the co-executive director of Digital Harbor Foundation, “Eventually, all machines will be internet-connected, and the ‘education’ piece will be in the way teachers use the digital world to foster learning” (as cited in Delaney, 2012). The use of Web 3.0 in education will be defined by how teachers utilize its new enhance features.
The internet has changed the way we view learning and sharing of content, especially videos. According to O’Reilly, “videos are the inversion of the learning paradigm, from one in which teacher lectures in class and assigns homework to one where the student watched the lecture at home and then does what used to be homework in class, which makes more sense" (as cited in Delaney, 2012). How educational content is presented and consumed, needs to change. Teachers can no longer just present information, students need to be producing content. Students need to create their own dynamic learning experience with the teacher serving as guide.
As the internet and how we use technology evolves, so must the classroom. The classroom must become a more engaging environment where students are active participants in their learning. The internet allows students to have all of the resources they need at their fingertips to create complex projects. Teachers must transition from a giver of knowledge to a tutor of knowledge. The teacher needs to utilize the internet and embrace Web 3.0 enhancements to guide students through their education. The students of the Web 3.0 classroom will be active participants in their own education.
Tech Tool of the Future
One technology tool found in chapter 11 of the Solomon and Schrum text is Lino (2014, p. 276). Lino is a free web based tool that allows users to create sticky notes that are posted to an online canvas. The notes can consist of text, photos, links and videos. |
This tool allows students who normally wouldn’t share their thoughts in class to participate online. For students with diverse needs, they now have the ability to participate with class and interact on their terms. Diverse students don’t need to worry about speaking out in front of the class. Lino allows the teacher to flip the classroom and share ideas and concepts outside of the classroom. Using Lino students now have the power to share back, creating an environment where students can collaborate their ideas freely. Students are not just bound to a few words, they can include videos, links and photos of their thoughts. Canvas tools such as Lino allow teachers the opportunity to offer their students the ability to create and display their ideas in a dynamic way.
References
Delaney, M. (2012). What is web 3.0, really, and what does It mean for education? Retrieved from http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2012/10/what-web-30-really-and-what-does-it-mean-education
Federal Trade Commision (March 20, 2015). Complying with COPPA: frequently asked questions. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2016, from https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/complying-coppa-frequently-asked-questions
Muthler, S. (2014, April 4). Online Safety: A teacher's guide to dealing with cyberbullying, sexting, and student privacy. Retrieved November 11, 2016, from http://www.edudemic.com/the-teachers-guide-to-keeping-students-safe-online/
Powers, K. (2014). What is web 3.0 and how might it affect education? Retrieved from
https://ed4online.com/blog/what-web-30-and-how-might-it-affect-education
Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2014). Web 2.0: How-to for educators (2nd ed.). Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.