Week 14: Becoming Informed

I was really fascinated by all of the sources I read and watched about internet safety. It really helped me reinforce the importance of teaching children internet safety as we teach them to look both ways before they cross the street. This is something that needs to be taught from a young age. I decided to post my top three favorite sources I viewed to kind of give an idea of what I learned.


Here is the link to the PBS/FRONTLINE documentary on the problems with not monitoring children and their use of the internet. I remember being in high school and junior high and finding freedom in MSN chat and myspace and other social websites, but I can see that the generation coming after me is consumed by it. It is no longer adding additional benefit to their lives--it is their lives. I hope that since I grew up with technology I will be able to monitor it a little better because I have a better understanding of technology than my parents had. The very last clip of this shows a boy who figured out the parental filters and was able to manipulate them to his advantage. I think that is a very important thing to remember--technology is not reliable and there are ways around filters. I think as a parent I will never have a computer in child's room and I will never allow my children under the age of 16 (and maybe not even until they graduate) have a smartphone with access to the internet. Also, time limits for personal computer, and monitoring of children when they are writing papers. I don't intend to sit right next to them the entire time they write their essay, but walking in and out on a consistent basis to make sure that they are writin their paper and not just surfing the internet.

http://www.ikeepsafe.org/assets/videos/?vid=fauxpaw_video

Here is a clip made by BYU to help kids understand the dangers of the internet--specifically chat rooms. I think this would be a useful video to show as a teacher--probably only to grades 8 or under because it is a little childish, but it is useful to show kids that the internet is a place where crime takes place.


Last here is a link to a talk given by Elder Bednar in a CES fireside last year. I had not heard this talk before, and was quite surprised at the bold statements Elder Bednar declares about the evils of letting technology take over our lives. I had never associated that wasting my life on line in a cyber world and not using my actual body would be offensive to the Lord. Neither had I known about the idea of living in another reality such as Second Life and creating an avatar or pseudonym that I am denying myself who I truly am and to be able to devlop. I think this is an article I would share with my children if I felt that they were wasting their life away obsessing on the internet. It is a powerful talk. Also, it discusses the benefits of the internet which is a nice way of showing our children that there are many wonderful blessings of living in an age of technology.