Growing Up Online shared the story that we have all heard over and over again; the Internet is a scary place where predators lurk with harmful intentions. For me, the difference in hearing the message this time was that I was able to see actual faces with actual stories. Through the accounts shared in this documentary, I was able to see how the Internet, especially social media sites, can be used to cause harm. One must take caution when using the Internet for social purposes. As the students in the documentary stated, they have grown up with the Internet and know how to protect themselves. While students may think that they know how to protect themselves, it is in the best interest of the parents to monitor their child(ren)'s Internet activity. I am reminded of the story of Jessica (Autumn). While she was finding a way to express herself in what she thought was a safe, artistic manner, there may be others viewing her website and pictures with intentions to harm her.
Yes, the Internet is like the lifeline for this generation; it is how they remain connected to the world and communicate, but everyone should practice Internet safety and protect children from any harmful websites or situations online.
Digital Nation reveals just how much of our lives are consumed by the digital world. We truly are a world that is constantly connected online. Whether it is checking emails, chatting with friends, socialized on a media site, or researching new information, a large portion of our time is spent online. This is especially true for the young people of today. Rachel Dretzin commented in the video that it really hit her one night. Her husband and son were in the next room on their laptops, and her two youngest children were playing a game on an iPhone. She said it was like they were in the same house but in different worlds at the same time. This is reality for many people.
I have watched teenagers sitting in the same room having conversations by texting. Life now is so wrapped up in the digital world that it would difficult to imagine life without all of the technology. Big companies like IBM are now holding their meetings through a virtual website called Second Life. In Second Life, you create an avatar (a person that represents you), and you live in that virtual world as your avatar. People from all over the world are using Second Life in order hold meetings in a virtual space with their created avatars. IBM said that it is saving them thousands of dollars by not having to fly people to meetings.
It is true that this generation of students have not known at life outside of the digital world. It is this generation of students that we will be teaching. It is important for us to know how to keep them engaged as active learners when there is so much competing for their attention.
Digital Nation gave me much to ponder as I continue the journey to become a middle school teacher.
Dretzin, R. (Producer) (2010). Digital nation [Web]. Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/view/
Dretzin, R. (Producer) (2008). Growing up online [Web]. Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/view/
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