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Title Slide
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It’s a wonderful thing that our students have more access to technology because, in today’s world, the ability to use technology is necessary for success in school and in work. Students who do not have knowledge and skills on computers, devices and the Internet will be at a disadvantage when they compete for jobs or college acceptance with children who grow up learning to use technology well.
3
Students have more and more access to devices connected to the Internet in schools. Almost every classroom is now 1-to-1, meaning that every child has a Chromebook or iPad to use. Also, more and more students have their own smart phones or tablets that connect with the Internet. Students who do not own their own devices have friends that do, so not letting your child have a phone will not prevent him or her from getting to the Internet.
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But just handing out devices to kids without properly and thoroughly preparing them to use them safely and responsibly is a disaster waiting to happen. In fact, it’s not waiting...many disasters have already occured with children, teenagers, and even young adults who were unprepared to deal with the dangers inherent in the ability to connect and interact with the entire world.
5
I teach my students that the Internet is like a knife . When I first ask them, is a knife bad?..., they usually say YES! But I teach them that a knife doesn’t have a brain, and it isn’t bad. They use knives to cut meat or butter bread. But they are dangerous, so we don’t let babies use them. They aren’t old enough to learn how to use them safely. The Internet is not bad, but it is dangerous too, and we need to learn how to use it in ways that keep us and other people safe.
6
I limit my Kindergarten and 1st grade students to websites like Starfall and NickJr. because I know they are safe. There is no inappropriate content and there is no interaction with other people. Basically, I keep them in a digital playpen because they don’t have the critical thinking skills to evaluate a website and decide if it’s appropriate or realize if someone online is trying to manipulate them. I believe that smartphones and tablets should have parental controls set so young children are limited to apps chosen by parents or teachers for the same reason.
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But keeping children in a Digital Playpen as they grow older will not protect them. There are NO completely foolproof filters or parental controls that will prevent children from accessing inappropriate content or interacting with someone online who would do them harm. Even denying your child use of a computer, tablet, or smartphone will not protect them unless you keep them locked in a room with no windows or doors. Humans find a way, and curiosity is a powerful motivator. Trying to shield children from the Internet often makes them even more determined to find out what they’re missing.
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Kids Can Always Find a Way
Dangers on the Internet:
chatting with strangers
sexting
songs with profanity or explicit lyrics
pornography
cyberbullying
hate speech
violent games
Don't treat the symptom. Teach digital citizenship
9
The best way to keep our children safe on the Internet while also making sure they have access to the skills and knowledge they need to be successful, is to teach them digital skills consistently and thoroughly, and continuing regularly throughout their education. There are many resources available to teach kids about the dangers on the Internet and how to deal with them, and also how they need to behave online to be good digital citizens.
10
John Walsh is the founder of the TV program, America’s Most Wanted. His six-year-old son was kidnapped and killed in 1981, and ever since then, John Walsh has dedicated his life to catching criminals and protecting children. He created a video on stranger danger for children and then he and Julie Clark created this excellent video about the dangers of the Internet. It’s fun and entertaining but also very serious and teaches children what they need to do to stay safe online.
11
Cyberbullying is a serious problem that has caused some children, teenagers, and young adults to harm themselves or kill themselves. The reason cyberbullying is so damaging is because, unlike bullying in real life, things can go viral all over the world, leaving victims feelings hopeless and alone. I give my students an example of being recorded picking my nose and having that spread all over the Internet in Youtube, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
12
Digital Footprint Powtoon - 4:52 https://www.powtoon.com/c/dc1tJBdkCtX/1/m
13
Simply saying to a child, ‘Don’t look up inappropriate things’ does not usually work. Kids as young as 1st grade have search Google for words like sex, porn, and body parts. Many kids listen to songs with explicit lyrics that include sex or profanity. Some earn these words or even get website addresses to porn sites from older siblings or cousins.
What I teach my students is this: If you eat rotten food, you will get sick in your stomach. It’s the same thing with looking at and listening to rotten things, but it will make your brain sick. This is the best way I can explain it to elementary school children. I don’t use words like ‘porn’ or ‘sex’, but I’m hoping that I’m getting my idea across to them and that parents will talk about this subject in more detail.
Research has shown that many teenagers are looking at porn on their own devices that are connected to the Internet, like their phones, and it’s causing life-long psychological damage. For example, they develop an unrealistic, strange, or even violent ideas of what sex means, and when they get older, they are unable to develop normal, healthy relationships.
In addition, kids without any time limits or guidance often become addicted to being online and have problems dealing with people or situations in real life.
In schools we have rules for students to have their phones ‘off and away’, but this doesn’t prevent them from looking at them when they are out of sight, like in bathroom stalls. The school district has filters to catch and block inappropriate words or Google searches, but students usually do NOT connect to the school’s wifi. They just use their own phones 4G network, giving them access to everything that exists on the Internet without any filtering at all.
Kids should learn how to use technology to research, communicate, and create. But they need ongoing instruction and guidance from parents and teachers. They need to be taught to do the right thing and use the Internet in positive, healthy ways, even when they’re alone.
14
Resources
Yes, there is a lot to learn and think about in regard to teaching our children to be safe and responsible on the Internet. It can feel overwhelming because new information and technologies are constantly being added. But there are many resources to help parents, guardians, and teachers provide the guidance children need to be emotionally, physically, academically, and professionally successful in this digital age they are growing up in. I hope this video is helpful, and that you will share it with others.
Title Slide
2
It’s a wonderful thing that our students have more access to technology because, in today’s world, the ability to use technology is necessary for success in school and in work. Students who do not have knowledge and skills on computers, devices and the Internet will be at a disadvantage when they compete for jobs or college acceptance with children who grow up learning to use technology well.
3
Students have more and more access to devices connected to the Internet in schools. Almost every classroom is now 1-to-1, meaning that every child has a Chromebook or iPad to use. Also, more and more students have their own smart phones or tablets that connect with the Internet. Students who do not own their own devices have friends that do, so not letting your child have a phone will not prevent him or her from getting to the Internet.
4
But just handing out devices to kids without properly and thoroughly preparing them to use them safely and responsibly is a disaster waiting to happen. In fact, it’s not waiting...many disasters have already occured with children, teenagers, and even young adults who were unprepared to deal with the dangers inherent in the ability to connect and interact with the entire world.
5
I teach my students that the Internet is like a knife . When I first ask them, is a knife bad?..., they usually say YES! But I teach them that a knife doesn’t have a brain, and it isn’t bad. They use knives to cut meat or butter bread. But they are dangerous, so we don’t let babies use them. They aren’t old enough to learn how to use them safely. The Internet is not bad, but it is dangerous too, and we need to learn how to use it in ways that keep us and other people safe.
6
I limit my Kindergarten and 1st grade students to websites like Starfall and NickJr. because I know they are safe. There is no inappropriate content and there is no interaction with other people. Basically, I keep them in a digital playpen because they don’t have the critical thinking skills to evaluate a website and decide if it’s appropriate or realize if someone online is trying to manipulate them. I believe that smartphones and tablets should have parental controls set so young children are limited to apps chosen by parents or teachers for the same reason.
7
But keeping children in a Digital Playpen as they grow older will not protect them. There are NO completely foolproof filters or parental controls that will prevent children from accessing inappropriate content or interacting with someone online who would do them harm. Even denying your child use of a computer, tablet, or smartphone will not protect them unless you keep them locked in a room with no windows or doors. Humans find a way, and curiosity is a powerful motivator. Trying to shield children from the Internet often makes them even more determined to find out what they’re missing.
8
Kids Can Always Find a Way
Dangers on the Internet:
chatting with strangers
sexting
songs with profanity or explicit lyrics
pornography
cyberbullying
hate speech
violent games
Don't treat the symptom. Teach digital citizenship
9
The best way to keep our children safe on the Internet while also making sure they have access to the skills and knowledge they need to be successful, is to teach them digital skills consistently and thoroughly, and continuing regularly throughout their education. There are many resources available to teach kids about the dangers on the Internet and how to deal with them, and also how they need to behave online to be good digital citizens.
10
John Walsh is the founder of the TV program, America’s Most Wanted. His six-year-old son was kidnapped and killed in 1981, and ever since then, John Walsh has dedicated his life to catching criminals and protecting children. He created a video on stranger danger for children and then he and Julie Clark created this excellent video about the dangers of the Internet. It’s fun and entertaining but also very serious and teaches children what they need to do to stay safe online.
11
Cyberbullying is a serious problem that has caused some children, teenagers, and young adults to harm themselves or kill themselves. The reason cyberbullying is so damaging is because, unlike bullying in real life, things can go viral all over the world, leaving victims feelings hopeless and alone. I give my students an example of being recorded picking my nose and having that spread all over the Internet in Youtube, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
12
Digital Footprint Powtoon - 4:52 https://www.powtoon.com/c/dc1tJBdkCtX/1/m
13
Simply saying to a child, ‘Don’t look up inappropriate things’ does not usually work. Kids as young as 1st grade have search Google for words like sex, porn, and body parts. Many kids listen to songs with explicit lyrics that include sex or profanity. Some earn these words or even get website addresses to porn sites from older siblings or cousins.
What I teach my students is this: If you eat rotten food, you will get sick in your stomach. It’s the same thing with looking at and listening to rotten things, but it will make your brain sick. This is the best way I can explain it to elementary school children. I don’t use words like ‘porn’ or ‘sex’, but I’m hoping that I’m getting my idea across to them and that parents will talk about this subject in more detail.
Research has shown that many teenagers are looking at porn on their own devices that are connected to the Internet, like their phones, and it’s causing life-long psychological damage. For example, they develop an unrealistic, strange, or even violent ideas of what sex means, and when they get older, they are unable to develop normal, healthy relationships.
In addition, kids without any time limits or guidance often become addicted to being online and have problems dealing with people or situations in real life.
In schools we have rules for students to have their phones ‘off and away’, but this doesn’t prevent them from looking at them when they are out of sight, like in bathroom stalls. The school district has filters to catch and block inappropriate words or Google searches, but students usually do NOT connect to the school’s wifi. They just use their own phones 4G network, giving them access to everything that exists on the Internet without any filtering at all.
Kids should learn how to use technology to research, communicate, and create. But they need ongoing instruction and guidance from parents and teachers. They need to be taught to do the right thing and use the Internet in positive, healthy ways, even when they’re alone.
14
Resources
Yes, there is a lot to learn and think about in regard to teaching our children to be safe and responsible on the Internet. It can feel overwhelming because new information and technologies are constantly being added. But there are many resources to help parents, guardians, and teachers provide the guidance children need to be emotionally, physically, academically, and professionally successful in this digital age they are growing up in. I hope this video is helpful, and that you will share it with others.