Internet Safety & 21st Century Learners

After watching three videos for class on the topics of internet safety and 21st Century digital learners, I think it's extremely important for parents and teachers to consistently educate their children and students on both the positive and negative aspects of using technology. As evident from the YouTube video, Internet Safety II, as well as numerous news stories and television specials, including Dateline NBC's 'To Catch a Predator' , there are many child predators lurking in the digital world. These predators take advantage of young, naive children online everyday. Here's a link to the 'To Catch a Predator' package online, which includes many interesting articles and videos related to children's internet safety. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10912603/

I'm sure many parents believe that their children are smart enough to not reveal personal information, such as their name and address online, but the frightening reality is that many children are extremely comfortable communicating online and believe that whoever they are talking to online is just as innocent and real as they are. I think it is vital to show children age appropriate videos demonstrating how children can get themselves in trouble online with strangers on the other end. Though they may be frightened by the reality of some of the negative situations that occur through online chat rooms or social networking sites such as MySpace, I definitely think it will ultimately serve as a very beneficial education for them.

On a more positive note, after watching the video 'A Vision of K-12 Students Today', which focuses on the importance of engaging the 21st century learner through a digital education, I think it's extremely refreshing to know that students want to learn through technology.
Though many are already spending time listening to their iPods and playing video games on their computers, I think it's important for teachers to consistently guide their students through their learning of important lessons by using technology. Many children view the internet and other digital technology as a form of entertainment, and I think by implementing technology in their lessons, teachers can continue to engage their students, while they make learning fun and pleasurable.

Though I wasn't surprised by the video's statistics regarding the amount of time children spend using technology, including 3 1/2 hours per week gaming and 5 1/2 hours per week on the computer, I was shocked by the statistics on teachers' use of technology, including 76% of teachers who never used blogs, wikis or podcasts, 14 % of teachers who let their students create something with technology and 63% of teachers who never do. I think these are very frightening statistics and hopefully more teachers will soon catch on and realize how important technology is to the future of their students.