On my way home from class on Tuesday evening I was listening to the John Tesh radio show on 93.1. He was talking about how there are more computers in kids rooms today than 5 years ago. One reason for the change is that with so many parents using computers now, they don't want to share the time and eventually buy their children computers for their rooms.
John Tesh shared a lot of interesting information and scientific studies but he stressed that computers should always be kept in a shared room so parents can monitor where kids go and who kids are talking to. Funny, I used to talk on the phone when I was a kid. His concern was of course how predators are now in our homes and no longer the stranger on the street or park.
This made me think of our class and the websites we visited. Many of the sites appeared legitimate but it took a little investigating to be sure. Children are so vulnerable to the information they search for that they can easily be persuaded to think that the town of Fredricton was really founded by Amish fisherman.
Perhaps we should take our students to the PBS site and have them take the license quiz. Many of the middle school students I work with really don't understand the impact of want can happen if they give too much information about themselves online. It really is up to us to teach them how to be safe, especially if they have a computer in their rooms and isolate themselves there. It's so easy to click the minimize button so parents don't see where they are or who they are talking to. At this point, kids are about one or more steps ahead of those of us who are not technologically equal. That's a scarey thought!
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I can see a few advantages, but many more disadvantages, to having computers in children's bedrooms. Some conscientious students may need a quiet place to do homework, and based on my experience as a mother of teenagers, a great number of school assignments do require the computer. I know that I am the type of person who also needs to be secluded in a room away from the distraction of voices, the television, etc. in order to do my technology course work.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, computers in children's bedrooms can pose problems and should be monitored closely. My husband has put a password on our computers so our children can not use them when we are not home. Parents should also click on the history tab once their youngsters are finished with a computer session so they can determine what sites have been visited. However, tech savvy children may already know how to delete their history.
In addition to computers in bedrooms, we must not forget that many teens have phones and ipods in which they can access the Internet. These devices can be easily transported back and forth from school and hidden from the view of adults.
It is impossible to shield our students from all the dangers in the world, but I agree that it is our responsibility as educators and parents to teach our students/children how to be safe. Modeling good computer practices; showing them unsafe websites; and sharing real life examples of the dangers of the Internet is a step in the right direction!