Hey guys!
Max back here, discussing a very important topic when it comes to children and the exploration of cyberspace. Actually, when it comes to children at all, the most important aspect- first and foremost, their safety. Knowing personally how easy it is to manipulate text and images online, falsify legitimate documents and downloads or unintentionally install harmful software, I feel I can not express how vital it is that the right measures are put in place to be protecting students at all times.
Max back here, discussing a very important topic when it comes to children and the exploration of cyberspace. Actually, when it comes to children at all, the most important aspect- first and foremost, their safety. Knowing personally how easy it is to manipulate text and images online, falsify legitimate documents and downloads or unintentionally install harmful software, I feel I can not express how vital it is that the right measures are put in place to be protecting students at all times.
In this hyper-connected world with all its social networking, instant sharing, downloading, web surfing and multitudes of other activities (which barely existed at the turn of the century!); it's very important to be educated in online etiquette and safety measures.
Thankfully governments and the law, worldwide, are finally catching up in terms of what can and can't be done. As well as encouraging excellent online safety precautions for schools. The Australian government has recently updated it's cyberbullying website which now contains various resources for teachers and brilliant educational games.
These easily engage students, while making sure they are being involved in quality education about online safety covering topics like passwords, cyberbullying, personal information and communicating with others.
I would also recommend further research and resources can be found via The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, (ASCD); an international association encouraging learning by design in the the 21st century. These guys identify balance, safety and security, cyber-bullying, sexting and copyright and plagiarism for what they call "Digital Citizenship" a concept based on the book by Jason. B. Ohler. Essentially the idea involves perceiving technology not as simply just a tool but in its entirety and its impact on society, Educating students in being aware and critical of its effect. This education approach focuses on cultivating the sense of responsibility students should have while online to realise for themselves what is inappropriate communication, what sites pose as threats to them and the hardware, what online behaviour can impact negatively on integrity and self respect. An online environment is not something parents and teachers can constantly supervise, there are so many platforms for online access, it is simply impossible. Therefore teaching, from a young age, the moral implications of online etiquette is essential. Jason Ohler has created a fantastic resource list to encourage this thinking.
Lastly I will leave you with a few statistics on cyberbullying from GEN Y- the millennials. These statistics are specifically about high-school aged children which emphasise just how important it is for teachers to be aware of the online dangers (not just cyberbullying) and instil the importance of safety online to their students.
Lastly I will leave you with a few statistics on cyberbullying from GEN Y- the millennials. These statistics are specifically about high-school aged children which emphasise just how important it is for teachers to be aware of the online dangers (not just cyberbullying) and instil the importance of safety online to their students.