Thursday, December 11, 2008

Internet Safety - Watching

I watched several of the Netsmartz videos. They include real-life stories of cyberbullying, and kids leaving home to meet someone they met online.
I also watched the BYU animation department's making of FauxPaw the Techno Cat.
http://ikeepsafe.org/iksc_kids/
(This is a video developed by the BYU animation department that has also some great print resources to go with it.)
I viewed the Frontline PBS Documentaries of 'A Revolution in Classrooms and Social Life'; 'Child Predator Fear'; and 'Cyberbullying.'
After watching all of these videos and documentaries and hearing the stories, I realize how scary the internet can actually be. Part of me doesn't understand why people would build such close relationships with strangers they meet online. Whatever happened to the face-to-face friends who you can actually see and do things with? On the other hand, I can understand how for some people, talking to a computer instead of a face is a lot less intimidating and you feel like people can't judge you. You're real personality is most likely to come out. I have heard of people meeting on the internet and hitting it off and getting married, but I still see it as a risky thing that parents and children need to be aware of and smart about.
I learned about how serious cyberbullying can become and the effects of it are heartbreaking.
I know that in my future home, my computer will be in a heavy-traffic area of the house. My kids will never have the internet on their own computers in their bedrooms.
I want my future students to be aware of the negatives of the internet and to be able to have the knowledge to take those precautions.

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