Digital Citizenship
As I read this article and the Elements I kept thinking to myself this is all common sense stuff that parents should be discussing and monitoring with their kids. I know when I was going through this with my daughter it was not just hand her a device and that was it. We had discussions on how to behave online; Facebook friends were just that real people that she knows; she was not to buy anything online and if we did buy something it was always from a reputable site (Amazon mostly); and finally, when on a school or public computer you are to do what work is expected not goof off and surf.
When my daughter attended a school that had ipads she did almost all her work on the computer. Parents were included in a meeting with the tech support person and were ensured that questionable sites would not be able to be accessed on the ipad and that these computers were for school nothing else. I liked that added security.
The one element that stood out to me was Digital Law, this has got to be an ever changing subject. As there is more and more access to the internet and computers there has to be more and more people trying to get around the legal way to use and fraud many companies.
Also, the part about inappropriate images should be read to every student in every school and the school should remind students what the punishment will be. They think they are being clever but it is just wrong! I believe punishment should be dealt to the student from the school and the police. Because schools are using devices more I believe there should be rules for using technology posted in each classroom and part of the student handbook. And the parents as well as the students have to agree to follow the rules and parents monitor their kids. (I had to sign a sheet saying I read the rules and would monitor my child.)
Cyberbullying
Again, we as parents have to monitor our kids computer use and social accounts and have to remember we are not their best friends, we are their parents and have to act that way! I just heard of an incident at a local school where a student set up a twitter account that was solely for gossip at their school. The parent that found out about it was a mother of one of the students being bullied on the account. The mother knew some of the students involved and went to the school but the school was not that much help the first time. She did go back and demand something be done and it seems the issue has been solved (at least for now) but the twitter account is still up. If I was the school I would have that account closed. I would inform the entire 7th and 8th grade classes if they do not convince the person the account belongs to to close it down then punishment will be instituted on the entire group. These kids know who it belongs to and need to understand that this behavior is wrong and will be punished. And I also believe that schools need to be more aggressive in their dealings with cyberbullying~they can no longer sit back and do nothing, if it is brought to their attention then there needs to be some sort of punishment and teachers/aides and parents need to speak up! This behavior has to stop, we are losing to many of our children to bullying and cyberbullying!
Video Games
I really found this article interesting, I have never really thought of video games becoming addicting. I have known people that spend a lot of time playing but not skipping classes or being holed up in their room for days on end.
I was impressed by Will who had been with the program for about a year and is thinking about the future and how to hold a job and use the internet SAFELY. He knows he will have to set limits on the time he is on the internet and he knows he cannot get other devices that will give him internet (like a smart phone). I really think with addiction (regardless of what type) you have to admit that you have a problem and find ways to work through that problem (as Will has done).
So many people have been playing online games for years with no thought of what or how that may effect them. I think if you limit yourself to gaming you limit your interact with live people. This limits how you interact with the real world and how you learn to communicate with the real world. As parents we have to set limits so our kids don't get trapped in this addiction.
