I don't know why, but it still amazes me when my elementary students tell me they have iPhones. I got my first cell phone when I was a senior in high school and it was a Nokia (not the brick, but just about as sturdy). It made calls and had trial versions of three games. It also texted, but cost 25 cents a text. It was a far cry from my students' first phones, which are usually iPhones that are newer than my 5S.
Technology has moved so fast within my lifetime and I think that is one of the biggest obstacles in teaching digital citizenship. Curriculum takes time to create. Adults need time to catch up. By the time that is sorted out, there are hundreds of new apps available. My youngest sister is seven years younger than me, which is either a huge gap or a not so huge gap, depending on your perspective. But we both notice the differences in how we use technology. When I was in high school my dad had a very strict rule against me creating any sort of social media account (which was limited to MySpace and Facebook back then). I didn't fight him on it and am very happy today that I waited until college to join. My youngest sister, on the other hand, started a Facebook when she was 13 and realized our dog had a Facebook page and she didn't. Our parents were fine with it as long as she kept the strictest privacy settings available.
In college, I was the one kid who didn't have unlimited texting. I had a roommate who didn't have long distance calling. Another roommate got the very first iPhone when it first came out. My sister, on the other hand, practically needed a smart phone when she got to college.
My youngest students very recently turned three. What will technology be like for them when they go to college in fifteen years? How can we teach them to keep themselves safe on apps and technology that are years from being released?
When reading the resources and watching the videos in this activity, I was happy to see a shift from "the internet is bad. You shouldn't be on any social media until you turn 18, if ever," mindset to a "you can be online, just be safe," mindset. Nowhere in history has banning something resulted in someone not using/doing it. Just like in Order of the Phoenix, when Professor Umbridge bans the Quibbler and Hermione is thrilled. After that, everyone wanted to read it! And as librarians, we shouldn't be in the banning business anyway.
Our students are going to use social media. They're going to go online. It's not our job to tell them they can't. It's our job to give them the tools and resources to do so safely.
In the past I've used Common Sense's digital citizenship lessons. I loosely based a lesson on private verses personal information with fifth and sixth graders on one of CS's lessons. It went fairly well. The students were interested in discussing what they do online and what sort of information they should and should not give out.
I also did their 'Going Places Safely' lesson with first and second graders, which involved a virtual field trip. The lesson tried to liken going places in real life requires permission from your parents, and thus going "places" virtually should, too. During the lesson we took a virtual field trip to the San Diego Zoo and watched their livestreams of various animals. I am not sure how well the metaphor worked, but the kids certainly loved seeing the animals!
I'm excited to explore Google's Be Internet Awesome resources. The lessons look short and doable, which is necessary when library classes are 30 minutes long. I especially like that they're geared toward grades 3-6. The fact that they use video games to teach digital citizenship is perfect. Kids love video games. Google tapped into this and created a pretty fantastic looking game.
I also read the editorial about how employers shouldn't look at future employees' social media. I'm torn on this one. I've never experienced this since my name is ridiculously common. A quick google search of my name will come up with an Australian swimmer, NFL player Matt Ryan's wife, photos of women who are not me, someone who works for the Environmental Defense Fund, and a LinkedIn page to someone who is not me. That's just the first page. Second page results in more information on Matt Ryan's wife, a urologist, and a communications manager. On the third page I learned I am also a hockey player. I am not sure how far I'd have to delve into the google verse to find the Sarah Ryan that is me.
Part of me agrees with the author that employers snooping on pages is an invasion of privacy. But the other part of me is quick to say that if people put it on the internet, anyone can see it, even future employers. If they don't want people seeing it, they can make their profiles private. I'm not sure of the ethics on this one. I'm sure there are entire university courses out there dedicated to the ethics of this and similar online issues.
In the end, I think my biggest takeaway is that we need to prepare students to navigate the internet, just how we need to prepare them to navigate the real world. Because for them, the internet is as much a part of the real world as the real world itself.
Yes this! So important. "Our students are going to use social media. They're going to go online. It's not our job to tell them they can't. It's our job to give them the tools and resources to do so safely."
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree, when we post something publicly we need to realize people will check it out. If an employer, a new neighbor, a potential date ... wants to check us out, they can and probably will.