This article does a great job of articulating all of the concerns we have heard many times over. Misuse of the net is a problem that seems to be growing at a rapid rate. Teachers and parents together can educate students on what is acceptable use of the net. For some of the younger students they may not understand the meaning and repercussions of plagiarism for example. It is up to us as educators to teach them about topics such as plagiarism.
The article Cyber Ethics has informative pointers as to what educators can do to help their students use the in the Internet in the most responsible way. Included in these are 1. Initiate a CyberEthics Curriculum 2. Teach CyberEthics in the classroom 3. Use the Internet as tool to teach CyberEthics in the classroom. These are all great ideas, but we still have no control over the use of the Internet that occurs when these students are outside of the school.
After reading this article and applying our previous knowledge one may wonder...
Can we ever really protect and be sure that our children are using the Internet responsibly???
Here are some corresponding links:
http://www.cybercrime.gov/rules/kidinternet.htm
http://www.cybercrime.gov/rules/lessonplan1.htm
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech055.shtml
http://www.ed-u.com/cyber-ethics.htm
Kyla Thibeau
7 comments:
I think that taking the time in the classroom to go through Cyber Ethics, or how to use the internet properly, emphasizing the importance of using the internet correctly is highly regarded in the classroom.
I think that having a checklist for students to take with them would be a great idea. A reminder for them to use the internet responsibly. It could include questions such as "where did I get my information?", "Is the writing mine or did I take it from somewhere?"
The checklist may include how to cite the work used on project. Where is to find the information and an example.
I dont think that we will ever be able to prevent students from abusing the internet, but we can take many steps to reduce the possibility of plagiarism.
I think we can try to do our best to restrict what our students can do and see on the the Internet, but I think it's also important to be honest with them and explain that there are things on the Internet that aren't meant for their eyes but the WWW is a large media that anyone can access.
What I have found to be effective in the computer lab setting is for the class to brainstorm with the teacher appropriate computer rules. These rules are then posted for all the students as a reminder of what the expectations of them are in the computer lab. I also believe teachers should be present when students are using computers and should be aware of what sites the students are visiting. That way if there are concerns the teacher can address it right away. I also liked the idea of adding the sites used to favorites. This saves a lot of time and potential problems while searching. I think the better prepared the teacher is and with good classroom management skills, many problems can be avoided.
In terms of plagerism, I believe that it is just ignorance when it comes to students. The teacher needs to spend time explaining, teaching, and showing the students what it looks like and how they can avoid it.
A check list is a really good idea, however as students move forward in their school career it becomes more difficult to monitor and be sure that they are actually following what they have been told to follow ie. the checklist. I agree very much with your statement that we most likley will never be able to prevent misuse of the internet.
I do beleive that we can educate and help reduce the issues surrounding the use of the internet.
I was commmenting on Lindsays comment to me...sorry about that
In response to Kyla, by implimenting a system in the early school years, such as the checklist, could develop "good" internet skills so that we have less need to monitor their usage. I guess the only thing that we could do is exhasted all possible methods in order to provide the students with the most responsible way to use the internet
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