One benefit of the internet is the possibilities it holds for publishing and sharing original content. Anyone can create original work and share it with others and comment on other’s work. However, it is in this realm of possibility that holds its dangers: anyone can publish, view, or comment on things posted on the web and no one can deny that this fact is scary. It’s enough to make any teacher hesitant to test the waters of these publishing tools.
So how does a teacher who is considering the value of these tools in their classroom to proceed? The key is balance and preparation. Don’t let the scary stuff deter you from allowing students to have an incredible, engaging learning experience. No teacher is to step blindly into this without first considering the following things:
1. Administration Preparation: Have a discussion with your administrators about what it is you want to do and why you want to do it. Administrators and technology leaders can advise you about what filters are in place and what sites will likely be blocked. They will also be able to provide you assistance if certain software needs to be downloaded and is blocked by a firewall. For more information on firewalls and why they exist in education settings, visit Internet Safety and Security: What Teachers Need to Know, which explains how firewalls protect the privacy of you and your students.
2. Student Preparation: Chances are, all firewalls and filters are not going to protect your students from every possible inappropriate thing they see on the internet. Heather Walport-Garwon states in her blog The Importance of Internet Safety that rather than denying students use because we know they will run into this situation, educate them on how to respond. It’s of vital importance that students understand that once on the internet, the walls of protection surrounding the student have fallen and they must know how to conduct themselves properly and how to protect themselves.
3. Parent Preparation: Teachers should also be open and honest with parents about how students will be using the internet for learning and publishing content. Schools should also communicate the same idea as above with parents: it is inevitable that students will use the internet and therefore we must teach them proper use in order for them to protect themselves.
4. Teacher Preparation: The best possible way for students to conduct themselves safely and properly on the internet is for teachers to model ethical and safe use themselves. In addition, Vicki Davis points out in her blog A Guidebook for Social Media in the Classroom that teachers can harness the power of certain types of publishing while still having barriers by using alternate websites like Fakebook or Edmodo. It is the responsibility of any teacher using the internet in their classroom to be well educated on the safe and responsible internet use of their students.
There are many resources available to teach internet safety to students, but one of my favorites is Common Sense Media. Common Sense Media provides many resources for educators who want specific lessons to use in their classroom.
So how does a teacher who is considering the value of these tools in their classroom to proceed? The key is balance and preparation. Don’t let the scary stuff deter you from allowing students to have an incredible, engaging learning experience. No teacher is to step blindly into this without first considering the following things:
1. Administration Preparation: Have a discussion with your administrators about what it is you want to do and why you want to do it. Administrators and technology leaders can advise you about what filters are in place and what sites will likely be blocked. They will also be able to provide you assistance if certain software needs to be downloaded and is blocked by a firewall. For more information on firewalls and why they exist in education settings, visit Internet Safety and Security: What Teachers Need to Know, which explains how firewalls protect the privacy of you and your students.
2. Student Preparation: Chances are, all firewalls and filters are not going to protect your students from every possible inappropriate thing they see on the internet. Heather Walport-Garwon states in her blog The Importance of Internet Safety that rather than denying students use because we know they will run into this situation, educate them on how to respond. It’s of vital importance that students understand that once on the internet, the walls of protection surrounding the student have fallen and they must know how to conduct themselves properly and how to protect themselves.
3. Parent Preparation: Teachers should also be open and honest with parents about how students will be using the internet for learning and publishing content. Schools should also communicate the same idea as above with parents: it is inevitable that students will use the internet and therefore we must teach them proper use in order for them to protect themselves.
4. Teacher Preparation: The best possible way for students to conduct themselves safely and properly on the internet is for teachers to model ethical and safe use themselves. In addition, Vicki Davis points out in her blog A Guidebook for Social Media in the Classroom that teachers can harness the power of certain types of publishing while still having barriers by using alternate websites like Fakebook or Edmodo. It is the responsibility of any teacher using the internet in their classroom to be well educated on the safe and responsible internet use of their students.
There are many resources available to teach internet safety to students, but one of my favorites is Common Sense Media. Common Sense Media provides many resources for educators who want specific lessons to use in their classroom.