Let's Talk About It!

After I read and watched the provided resources on internet safety I talked to a 15-year-old youth about my learning. I asked her questions about her knowledge about chatrooms and the potential danger there. I shared the NetSmartz online videos with her and invited her to watch them.

I found this conversation extremely valuable! After I asked her questions about chatrooms I asked her about her views on things like Facebook and how much her parents are and should be involved in monitoring internet use. I gave her scenarios and asked her how she would respond if she was the parent and had a daughter who wanted to do such and such on the internet.

The main thing I learned from this experience was the importance of teaching children about the positive and negative aspects of the internet AND keeping up to date and informed myself so that I can better monitor and understand what is out there.

2 Best Ideas

As I watched the presentations I learned a lot about how technology can be incorporated into the classroom. Incoporating technology can be small and simple or large and complex, it all depends on the resources available to you.

The two best ideas I learned from the class presentations were:
-scan pictures from a book into the computer and project them so that all of the students can see it
-use a powerpoint with visuals that can not be brought into the classroom (such as endangered animals), give students as real to life an experience as possible

These ideas are both small and simple ways to incorporate technology into a lesson. I wish I would have seen more cases where the students were really using the technology because I think that that's even more important and meaningful when teaching concepts.