To change the things I can …

“Keeping Students Safe on the Read/Write Web” can be a full-time job if it continues to be misconstrued as “keeping students off the social networking sites”. The latter is one job that I do not wish to attempt because it is a losing battle; in fact, it is a battle that I do not wish to win. Web 2.0 is social networking; we need to embrace it, not try to prevent it.

With that said, as an Instruction Technology teacher, I realize that it is my duty to educate students on how to keep safe and responsible in cyberspace, and help them to understand that they will be held accountable for their actions. Nancy Willard’s “A Web 2.0 Approach to Internet Safety” ” article resonated with me by claiming that schools need to have meaningful consequences for misuse of internet, which should not include suspension of internet access privileges because it causes more work for teachers. A “service contribution” requirement is a splendid idea.

However, who will be responsible for supervising and monitoring these tech-savvy students that are breaking the AUP? As Robert Losinski’s highlights in his article, “Patrolling Web 2.0”, students know how to circumvent the standard filters to visit blocked sites. The “big brother is watching you” filtering tools that can generate individual reports on student internet usage is useful, but I certainly do not want to manage them. I understand the benefit of establishing clear expectations and consequences for misuse of the internet, but the last thing I want to do is become the school’s “big brother”. I’m interested to learn how you feel, but it seems if we work hard to engage our students with interesting and challenging projects, then ½ the battle will be won with regard to their misuse of the internet.

On a separate but related note, I feel differently if our students are being cyberbullies and/or cyberbullied. I don’t mind being the students’ “big sister”, or the person they can confide in if they are troubled about cyberbullying. According to a Chris Riedel in “The Fight Against Cyberbullying,” (T.H.E. Journal, 5/1/2008, http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22567) many schools are revising their Acceptable Use Policies/Student Conduct code so that it covers computer use outside the school, without infringing on 1st Amendment rights. Similar to the profound quote by Tanya Byron :

This article, “The Fight Against Cyberbullying” suggests:

So, do we need to develop “Swimming the Web 101”, and “Driver’s Ed for the Internet Highway” classes that leave the students “Scared Straight”? (remember that show?) Perhaps, we do. These students need to be convinced of the permanence of their actions on the internet. Anything they write, post, video, podcast, blog, wiki can and will come back to haunt them in future years, i.e. as they try to get into a coveted college, or land a job with an employer. I cover “Cyberbullying” with my 6, 7 & 8th grade classes, and the discussions are always very enlightening for the students and me. It never fails that a student will inquire about whether it is against the law to cyberbully, and I always hesitate with my answer because there is no law per se in MA. I conducted a recent google search on this subject and uncovered the following proposed MA law S2637 that is slated to take effect in July 2009, that states bullying will be interpreted as:

This law will make it easier to teach students that there are stricter consequences than those imposed by their schools, and that the school will seek legal action if need be. As cited in Losinski’s “Patrolling Web 2.0”, the cyberstalking law under which the Providence High student was charged is relatively new in North Carolina and hasn’t been used much. The statute makes it illegal to electronically communicate false statements about indecent conduct or criminal conduct with the intent to abuse, annoy, threaten, terrify, harass, or embarrass. Something tells me these laws will be used more often in the future, causing many teachable moments for the “Web 2.0 Scared Straight” curriculum.

In conclusion, we certainly need to teach the tech-savvy students of the 21st century how to “swim safely” and “drive carefully” as they take off in cyberspace…

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