All
of my students are participating in secondary social studies classes; namely 9th
grade World Cultures, 10th/11th grade US History and 11th/12th
grade Sociology. Our community is one which is generally affluent, with over
99% of students moving on to pursue a post-secondary degree. Culturally, an
overwhelming majority of families value education and place a lot of pressure
and emphasis on students regarding their grade outcomes in high school.
There is Wi-Fi in the high school building which all students can access using their smart phones. There was not a single student I taught this year who did not regularly bring a device to school which could connect to Wi-Fi. Additionally, students can also access Wi-Fi using VPNs (Virtual Private Networks). Students download third-party VPNs so they can access all of the functions of the internet without being barred by the school’s filter. Therefore, students can access virtually all content on the internet in spite of the school’s efforts to block it.
This reality should be troubling to teachers and parents alike. Do parents know they are liable for some of the activity of students on their devices? Do parents know their child can receive SnapChat messages even though their school attempts to block the application? What should parents and educators know and be able to do to support students in this digital age?
As parents, we may often feel like our kids know more than us about technology, but you may be surprised to find that kids often have only a surface-level understanding of most applications and functionalites. Additionally, young people have lower impulse control and in spite of IQ can more easily become victims of hacking, spam or malware, and become more easily involved in online bullying situations. Meanwhile, students need to learn how to manage their digital profiles and all of the challenges that come with this us in this digtial age. Therefore, parents, we need you on the front lines and willing to help support our kids!
Here are some resources you can use to begin to explore digital citizenship and literacy:
http://www.edudemic.com/15-resources-digital-citizenship-2014/
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/starting-point-ensuring-student-online-privacy-anne-obrien
There is Wi-Fi in the high school building which all students can access using their smart phones. There was not a single student I taught this year who did not regularly bring a device to school which could connect to Wi-Fi. Additionally, students can also access Wi-Fi using VPNs (Virtual Private Networks). Students download third-party VPNs so they can access all of the functions of the internet without being barred by the school’s filter. Therefore, students can access virtually all content on the internet in spite of the school’s efforts to block it.
This reality should be troubling to teachers and parents alike. Do parents know they are liable for some of the activity of students on their devices? Do parents know their child can receive SnapChat messages even though their school attempts to block the application? What should parents and educators know and be able to do to support students in this digital age?
As parents, we may often feel like our kids know more than us about technology, but you may be surprised to find that kids often have only a surface-level understanding of most applications and functionalites. Additionally, young people have lower impulse control and in spite of IQ can more easily become victims of hacking, spam or malware, and become more easily involved in online bullying situations. Meanwhile, students need to learn how to manage their digital profiles and all of the challenges that come with this us in this digtial age. Therefore, parents, we need you on the front lines and willing to help support our kids!
Here are some resources you can use to begin to explore digital citizenship and literacy:
http://www.edudemic.com/15-resources-digital-citizenship-2014/
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/starting-point-ensuring-student-online-privacy-anne-obrien
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