1. A survey by the Pew Internet
& American Life Project found that in 2004, 67 percent of parents said the
Internet has been a good thing for their children. However, this number
decreased to 59 percent in 2006. In 2012, 69% of parents
of online teens said they were concerned about how their child’s online
activity might affect their future academic or employment opportunities, with
some 44% being “very” concerned. Cite some reasons why parental support for
their children’s independent internet use is decreasing. Why do you think the
number of parents who reported the Internet being a good thing for their
children has decreased?
Parents are starting
to see different things on the news, in newspapers, online, or hearing
different things about the internet by word of mouth. The news is always
talking about things happening online, and there are many television shows
about the online predators and “phishing” that happens in the internet world.
Parental support for internet use independently is decreasing because the reality
of all things that can happen is being shown and talked about more than it has
been in the past. I also believe that parents could be believing what they
hear, or see, on the television. They can either be looking into the different
things on the internet and what could happen too much, or not paying enough
attention to what is going on in their child’s internet use. Parents in the
video said that the internet is something that is never going to go away, and
kids look at it as a continuation of their communication. However, kids are
looking and acting older than what they truly are.
2. More teachers are using
tools to try to detect cheating or deter students’ inclination to cheat. In the
program, we see the use of plagiarism-detection tools like Turnitin.com and
writing assignments completed during class time to make sure students do their
own work and generate their own ideas.
How can we as educators stop
students from using material they found online as their own work? Should that
be considered cheating, in your opinion?
I think students using others
work they found online is cheating. Even though technology for papers can be a
great thing, I think teaching students to use almanacs, dictionaries and books
to research is still an important skill to have in the classroom. Trying to
manage students cheating is a lot of work and prep for teachers and for the
students, and I believe all students should be held accountable for what they
use and find on the internet. If they are taught proper online etiquette, they
should know how to search what they are looking for. Then, once they find what
they are looking for, they should be taught how to relate the information they
learned to what they already know, or learn how to quote it, making it noted that
they learned it. Teaching students these techniques can help cut back on the
cheating and use of online work they have found, but I think credibility will
be the most important factor for online work.
3. One student claims he
"never reads books" but relies on summaries and annotated notes he
finds on Web sites. He confesses that he feels guilty about this, stating,
"I feel like I kind of cheated it."
In your opinion, should he feel guilty? Why or why not?
I believe books are a
very important tool when it comes to learning. However, I realize that not
everyone can read or understands what they read. Reading a book then comparing
it to an online source, or multiple sources, I would not consider cheating
because that would be resourceful, making sure they are understanding what is
being read. However, only reading summaries and annotated work I believe he
should feel guilty about because normally that work is other people’s opinions
and may not be a reliable source. Reading the actual book gives more details
than anything that can be found online because it is a primary source, whereas
online is a secondary source.
4. Before the Internet, in
order to be seen by the world, you had to be portrayed in some form of mass
media, and you had to be famous in some respect -- in the news, in politics or
as a celebrity. Now anyone can be seen online by anyone else in the world. Some
people have become famous for videos or photos they’ve posted (such as Autumn
Edows).
In your opinion, should people
like Edows, or others who become “ famous” through their online presence, be
considered “celebrities?”
Has the ability to create an
online persona, and receive worldwide attention for it, affected our cultural
values?
I don’t believe people
the Edows should become famous or be called celebrities because of their online
personas. Anyone can be who they want to be online, but that does not mean that
is who they truly are. I don’t believe you should believe everything you read
online, so someone becoming famous because of who they are online, doesn’t mean
who they are in real life is someone who should be considered a celebrity. I
think the ability to create online personas has definitely affected our cultural
values and has captured worldwide attention. Although online gives you the
ability to be whoever you want to be, it isn’t necessarily realistic to do
that. I also believe that the media has made actual celebrities look better, or
worse, than what is real. Websites have shaped our young generations to
believing everyone has to look a certain way, be a certain size, and have
certain hair, or anything like that, to fit in to become “famous.” This is
affecting our society because we are all made different for a reason. If we
were all the same and all “perfect,” then life wouldn’t be full of surprises.
5. Shows like "To Catch a
Predator" on Dateline NBC (http://www.nbcnews.com/id/10912603/ns/dateline_nbc-to_catch_a_predator/) contribute to parental anxiety about online
media. It is obvious that certain elements of programs like “To Catch a
Predator,” and even this documentary, will likely increase parents’ fears.
Cite one current event from the
past year where a young person has been affected (positively or negatively) by
being active online. (find a link to a news story, describe it in your answer
to this question, and provide the link as well).
This story shows a
negative affect from online activity. A young teen was kidnapped and sexually
abused by a couple, as of August 2014. This article helps inform parents, and
young teenagers, what predators are looking for. However, I also believe that
it gives predators a chance to “change” how they approach a person online. When
parents read or hear about things like this, anxiety absolutely raises, but it
also seems to make it a difficult subject for parents to talk about. Having an
open relationship with your children about online activities is important, so
children feel comfortable asking questions, and parents know how to answer
questions, ask questions and learn about online safety and teach it in a way
that makes since to their children.
Click here to see an example of what I’m
looking for: http://www.startribune.com/nation/254228371.html (Please do some research on your own and find
a story other than Rebecca Sedwick's...her story is probably the most famous
cyberbullying case to date.)
6. Teasing, lying, gossiping,
threatening, spreading rumors or harassing online (and offline)can severely affect
people’s self-concept and self-esteem and have an impact on their emotional
state. In the program, we see one girl who describes flirting with boys and
then revealing she was just kidding. She explains: "You wouldn’t do that
to someone’s face, but online is completely different. ... No one can do
anything. You’re at your house, they’re at their house."
In her quote, this teen is
describing Suler’s disinhibition effects. Which one do you think it is, and
why?
I believe the teen is describing
a combination of asynchronicity and dissociative imagination. Dissociative Imagination
is where they are cut off the real world from the cyber world. Where she states
you can do that online but not in person, shows that she feels whatever she
says online stays online and doesn’t carry over to the real world. She is also
describing asynchronicity because you can “put yourself out there” and no one
has to see your reactions or expressions while doing so. Not having to say
something to ones face gives them the time delay, just like asynchronicity. This allows online users to think what they say
online and in person are different, and it also allows them to think they can
respond when convenient online, but they have to have an immediate response in
person, which could make conversations “awkard.”
7. At the end of the program,
Greg decides it’s time for him to "disconnect" by going to the Coast
Guard Academy, where he will spend seven weeks without cell phones or the
Internet.
Have you ever thought about
"disconnecting" from it all?
I have thought about “disconnecting” from it all for my own
personal being. However, I use technology for teaching because many students
benefit from the positive effects of technology, when being used properly. I enjoy my summer breaks when I go out of
town to places that do not have service because it is less stressful and helps
me to stay focused on myself and my family, versus the outside world that I
live and work in.
Do you think it would be easy
or difficult for you personally?
Not using technology would be extremely easy for me.
Although I have social networking sites, I am not a frequent user of them. Even
though I have a smart phone, I do not use it for all of its advantages. Being
able to completely disconnect myself from technology, however, does not mean
that I do not know how to use it and that I do not use it because I am very
familiar with it and use it every day for teaching.
What would you enjoy or dislike
about disconnecting?
I enjoy spending time with my family
while I’m disconnected. I feel like it keeps us close and keeps our
conversations personal. Since I use a lot of emotion when I am talking, I enjoy
seeing others emotions while they are talking to. I think laughing and joking
in a face to face manner is more relaxing then worrying about “reading it”
online or in a text. One thing that I would dislike about disconnecting would
be not being able to see pictures of long distance family every day. Facebook
is very convenient for that matter, and I enjoy keeping in touch with out of
state family.
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