Week 3

This week was centred around Internet Safety.

(http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/the-net-is-not-the-enemy-20090809-ee6h.html?page=-1)

I read the article “The Net is not the Enemy” from The Age. It’s quite a good article. I like the way that the author uses Archbishop Nichols’ to show an example of fundamental, traditional views. Gordon Farrer, the technology editor for The Age, writes about how many people misunderstand what happens online. He tells the reader that the Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, is speaking out about the dangers and downfalls of Internet for adolescents in the modern world. He says that young people are losing the ability to socialize and form stable relationships with friends. Farrer goes on to completely oppose Nichols point of view, saying that it is a “fundamental understanding of how social networking technology is used.” Farrer argues that the negative views of teenagers by their parents have existed for thousands of years. He also draws on research to show that new communication tools enrich offline friendships, rather than make them superficial. In conclusion, the moral is, technology is not all bad. While there is cyber-bullying, it is only one part of technology. But education is important.

This week in class, Greg took us through the six stages of cyber safety outlined by the DEECD (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development):

1) Lead - the school in safe and ethical use of ICT,

2) Educate - staff and students what is safe and regulations on copyright,

3) Manage - internet management - filters, and the use of educationally approved sites,

4) Support - what to do when things go wrong,

5) Empower the students through student leadership and

6) Participate. It has been shown that learning occurs not solely because of the use of ICT, rather through teachers creating authentic student centred learning.

As a teacher, I feel a great responsibility to my students and the parents. That is why, I will be very careful taking students onto the Internet. A great site to help with Cyber saftey is Cybersmart.gov.au. This website is aimed at teachers, parents and kids from a very young age. It’s got heaps and heaps of resources, including a lot of games and video/audio tutorials. It’s much more interesting that just reading a book. I highly recommend this site to any teacher who is taking their students online.

My personal belief is that students should not be exposed to the Internet before Grade 5. I don’t really see how much benefit there is for students to be on the internet at a very young age. Although, I realise that children are on the internet at home from as young as 3 or 4 years old, I don’t think it is necessary to have them on the internet in the classroom. Students have an amazing imagination and the internet can hinder that imagination rather than harness it. It is important for students to have tangible tasks, to be able to touch things, and interact with each other. I know many people may disagree. But I think there is a great danger in incorporating the internet in classrooms. There is so much internet in secondary school now, why can’t be let primary students have their childhood.

In saying that, there is an importance in teaching students about safety online. Therefore in year 5 and 6, students should be taught about the dangers of being online, particular cyber-bullying. Stories should be acted out and discussion should be had about moral issues regarding the internet.

This week in class, Greg showed us how to create a design brief. The task was to make a frog that can jump. The materials were a piece of cardboard and elastic band. I liked the piece of paper that Greg gave to us. It described the process of a design, from the idea/brainstorming, to the end product and reflection on what worked. I think that I will use these design briefs in my classroom. Giving a challenge to students will inspire them to create something meaningful to them.

Edward De Bono – Six thinking hats. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_de_Bono )

Edward De Bono was the author of best selling book, Six Thinking Hats, and is a proponent of lateral thinking. He believes that logical, linear and critical thinking has serious limitations. I completely agree. I think logic has its place in society, and we could hardly function without it, but the lateral thinking mind is also very important. It is important to learn how to daydream: that’s when all the best ideas come. Although, I’m not sure many principles would like to hear that their teachers are teaching students how to daydream. So that’s the dilemma: how do I teach creativity in a way that is logical?

QUIA

Today in class, we also had an opportunity to sign up to QUIA, an online game-making tool. This is not an animated game-making tool; it is a quiz-type of game-making tool. One can create puzzles, crosswords, multiple-choice quizzes to share with students or peers. The great thing about this site is that you can make everything yourself. The limitation with this web site is that is not visually appealing to the eyes. It was clearly made by a PC user, because a Mac user wouldn’t make something that looked so bland. I hope I haven’t offended too many people with that comment, it is quite snobby. Anyway, I would recommend this website because it is a great way for students to use language to create interactive games and quizzes that will enhance their learning.