This video talked about a speaker who goes to schools to talk to teens about identity theft, because he had his identity stolen at the age of 7. I found it interesting that the video revealed how it is teens that identity thieves target because they are usually more willing to share personal information. I really liked how the video talked about that it starts with the schools educating teens in order to prevent identity theft from occurring.
I think as a teacher, rather than reprimanding students for sharing too much information, a good way to address this issue with students would be to ask them what it means to be popular. The video mentioned how it is because of a desire to be popular within a certain social group that teens share personal info. I think as a teacher it would be a good idea to address this desire to be popular, and look at the consequences of that and being unsafe on the internet.
A lot of issues were raised in this PBS documentary that will influence my actions as both a parent and educator of youth. One of the main issues is how kids have grown up in the technological age and a lot of times are more advanced technologically than adults. As a teacher, it is important to stay educated and up to date enough that there isn't a disconnect created between myself and my students. Also, the video mentioned how teachers now have to be "entertainers" because students are so used to being stimulated by media that just lecturing is not going to cut it anymore. This shows how important it is to use technology and the internet to keep students engaged.
Meanwhile, it is also important to address the issue of cheating by using the internet. I think as a teacher it will be important to realize that there are several sources on the internet students can use to cheat on assignments, and it is important to plan and organize my lessons and tests in a way that takes that into account. It could be a good idea to have students complete some assignments in class so I know they are not getting information that aren't supposed to from the internet.
Cyberbullying: Another VERY important issue to address with students is cyberbullying. Because of the internet today, bullying doesn't end in the schoolyard. Kids can read words over and over again until it becomes real to them, and it is important to make students aware of this. It's important as a teacher to understand why this type of bullying is so destructive because teens don't know if it's their best friend or someone else who is doing it. It essentially leaves teens with no one to trust. I think as a teacher, a way to prevent this and raise awareness of the severity of the issue is 1) to show a clip from a documentary like this about how it has affected kids lives in such a negative way that it can lead to legal trouble, depression and even suicide and 2) give them tools and advice to help if they are being bullied online. I liked how the video gave the steps of "stop, block and tell". Teach kids the importance of informing others if this is happening because it is a serious issue.
I also think as a teacher it is important not just to blame the internet for everything, but to realize that this is the reality of the world we live in, so it's important to educate ourselves and our students on how to be safe in it.
"Television offers history channels, discovery channels, education channels. One can still find movies and TV comedies and dramas that entertain and uplift and accurately depict the consequences of right and wrong. The Internet can be a fabulous tool of information and communication, and there is an unlimited supply of good music in the world. Thus our biggest challenge is to choose wisely what we listen to and what we watch."
I think this quote by Elder M. Russell Ballard sums up how we should present media to our students, and how we should view it as teacher. We need to teach of the good that media can produce, while still recognizing and warning of the dangers of it as well. We can be good examples to both our students and future children of what it means to responsibly use media.
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