Internet Safety

READING
I read all of the reading requirements for this internet safety assignment. For the project, I chose to read an article from the June 2001 New Era entitled "Mixed Signals".

Some of the things I read I already knew a lot about or had already planned to use in my own home. However, I was taken aback by Elder Bednar's talk on seeing the world as it really is and treating our bodies with respect. I had not thought of using internet chatting or online gaming and such as particularly destructive to our bodies, but when I thought about how it affects relationships and the potential good people could be engaging in out in the real world, I understood why we are so adamantly warned against "losing ourselves" to the virtual world. It was also very helpful for me to review the guidelines about protecting my family from pornography and instructing them about the possible dangers of the internet.

I think now that I am very aware of many of the constructive and useful tools tehcnology has to offer, I will be better able to instruct both my own children and the children I teach in a classroom. Not only will I be able to help protect them from harmful material, but I will also be able to redirect their focus to the positive aspects of the internet such as creativity, communication, and utility for a variety of projects and objectives.

As far as influencing family and friends, I know that my own parents were unaware of how to fully protect their family from the dangers of the internet for a long time, and although they did their best to instruct us not to surf the web or converse with strangers, there was much they could learn about internet filtering, instructional videos, and helpful guidelines for family internet use. I think that as I share what I have learned with them , they will feel more able to take action against hamrful forces that may threaten their family through technology. I also think that I can inform them about some of the constructive tools and resources I have found that will remind them that their is also much that is good and useful out there.

WATCHING
Some of the internet safety resources I used were the FauxPaw video, the Frontline PBS documentary on the revolution in classrooms and social life and protection from child predators. I also watched two of the iSafe webcasts, on cyber relationships and cyber harassment. I think they will be helpful in my teaching because I know that I can use resources online that are kid-friendly and that can help me teach my students about being safe on the internet.

DOING
I shared some of these resources with my mom, age 47, and she was very interested in some of the studies about online predators and social networking. Like some of the moms in the videos, she seemed a bit over-concerned for her children's (who are all grown and married) safety. I showed her the FauxPaw video as well as some of the documentaries and other online games and resources and she seemed to relax a bit upon discovering that there are many ways for kids to get educated about internet safety. I do feel like it was a positive experience because my mom seemed to learn a lot and to feel better about how to manage her won internet use.