integrating the internet safely and ethically
TRANSCRIPT
REFLECTIONS ON
INTEGRATING THE
INTERNET SAFELY AND
ETHICALLY
Linda Long
IDT 7064
Fall 2014
PERSONAL PRACTICES OF
USING THE INTERNET
My Internet experiences have come late in life. I did not grow up
with the technology that our kids are using today, so in essence the
learning process has been somewhat difficult. The world has also
become a much more dangerous place to live in than when I was a
child. I don’t have any small children whom I have to monitor while
on the Internet, but after the readings this week, I can see where it
would be very difficult for a parent trying to raise a child these days.
PERSONAL PRACTICES OF
USING THE INTERNET
When my children were little, the Internet was just beginning and
schools did not have access to all of the technology that they do today.
My children did not have cell phones until they were 15 or 16 years old,
and there certainly were not any smart phones. Children today are getting
these smart phones as early as 8 & 9 years old. I did not have a cell phone
until I was about 30 years old, and it was just a year ago that I bought a
smart phone. I have always had just a regular flip-phone which did not
allow access to the Internet.
My experiences with the Internet has been mainly just looking up
information through Google, viewing my Facebook, Internet banking, and
email. I have to admit, there are parts of the Internet that has made life a
little easier. One, I can look at my bank account any time that I want. If I
need to transfer money or see if a check has cleared, it is readily available. I
also like to go on my Facebook and look at all of my friend’s pictures. I have
also found friends which I have not seen or talked to in many years. I use
Google as my search engine because it offers so many other tools that are
great for my classes. I have experienced some problems with the Internet.
Once a girl in my office opened an email which was supposed to be from
UPS, well of a sudden, everything on my computer started disappearing. I
found out that it was a Trojan virus and it ate everything on my computer
before I could get it stopped. Needless to say, that was a hard lesson learned.
Always be careful what you open on your computer.
PRACTICES FOR SAFETY
With the dangers on the Internet today, parents, teachers, and
administrators must take responsibility for what our kids are able to access
from the Internet. I believe that we must use the best filtering or blocking
software that is available. Our children should be taught to never give out
their personal information over the Internet. We also need to set up rules
and guidelines for the students and be prepared to punish the ones who
cannot obey them. I personally believe that limiting our children’s time on
the Internet is just as important. Kids ,nowadays, walk around with cell
phones glued to their hands. Most of them can text faster than they can
talk.
I also believe that parents need to be educated on what the possible dangers
are from using the Internet. Some parents just do not have a clue as to what
dangers are out there just waiting on their children. For instance, three young
girls were just caught in Germany after they left their homes in Denver to join
the terrorist group ISIS. The parents did not have any idea that their children
were gone until the principal called one of the dads and told him that his
daughter was late to school. The dad called her cell phone only to be told that
she was on her way to school but was just running late. However, after
discovering that two of her friends were missing as .well, the father began
looking for his daughter’s passport and it was gone. When he checked with the
other two families, he discovered that their passports were missing also along
with $2,000.00 dollars. The parents notified the FBI and that is how their
daughters were caught in Germany. Parents should learn from this near tragic
incident and pay attention to what their kids are doing.
ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY
I am not currently in a school system, so I have decided to use the
Jackson Madison County School system acceptable use policy. The
website states the following: “(JMCSS) recognizes that access to
technology in school gives students greater opportunities to learn,
engage, communicate, and develop skills that will prepare them for
work, life, and citizenship. We are committed to helping students
develop 21st-century technology and communication skills.”
The JMCSS has guidelines that teachers and students must adhere to:
The JMCSS network is intended for educational purposes.
All activity over the network or using district technologies may be monitored and
retained.
Access to online content via the network may be restricted in accordance with our
policies and federal regulations, such as the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA).
Students are expected to follow the same rules for good behavior and respectful
conduct online as offline.
Misuse of school resources can result in disciplinary action.
JMCSS makes a reasonable effort to ensure students’ safety and security online, but
will not be held accountable for any harm or damages that result from use of school
technologies.
Users of the district network or other technologies are expected to alert Technology
staff immediately of any concerns for safety or security.
ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY
The school system covers most of the areas when it comes to using the
Internet or technology in the classroom. The parents and students have to
sign an agreement stating that they will abide by the rules and are aware of
the consequences if they do not. A list of possible punishments include:
Suspension of network, technology, or computer privileges
Notification to parents
Detention or suspension from school and school-related activities
Legal action and/or prosecution
CRITIQUE JMCSS
The JMCSS has covered the basics of using the Internet and technology in
the classroom. The website covers the major components of Web Access,
Email, Social/Web 2.0, Mobile Devices Policy, Personally-Owned Devices
Policy, Security, Downloads, Netiquette, Plagiarism, Personal Safety, and
Cyberbullying. The website list 11 things that the students cannot do when
using the Internet or any of these technologies. JMCSS makes it very clear
that they will not be held responsible for any situations which could arise from
the students using the Internet or technologies from the Internet.
CRITIQUE JMCSS
I think JMCSS has done a very good job with their acceptable use
policy. The students and the parents know exactly what is expected
of them, and what will happen if the students break any of the rules.
The only subject that this school system did not cover is that some
published website may not be true and people online may not be who
they seem to be. I think the students need to be aware of these two
subjects as well.
STANDARD OF ETHICS
I’m not currently teaching at this time, so I will explain what I did
when I was teaching Developing Reading at Lambuth University.
When I asked my student’s to do research, I would have them search
the databases on the Lambuth Library site. These documents usually
ended with a .edu which meant that the source was reliable. I also
encouraged them to use .gov and .org endings because theses were
government websites and reliable also.
STANDARD OF ETHICS
There are a number of websites that a teacher can use to check for
plagiarism. www.plagiarism.org is a great website to use for checking for
plagiarism. Plagiarism Checker at www.grammarly.com is another great
website for students and teachers to ensure that the quality of the
students work is what is expected. As far as the copyright law, images,
videos, and such, I usually encourage my students to look for technology
tools that are free. So many websites charge a fee but many of them will
give a student the basic service for free.
ANALYZE
The main thing that a teacher has to emphasize to her students is
that academic dishonesty can get a student kicked out of school and
could keep them our of college permanently. When I was in school,
we did not have to worry about plagiarism that much. All we had was
reference books, encyclopedias, and newspapers or journals. Today
these kids have a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips, and it is very
important for them to learn what to cite and what is not necessary to
cite.
ANALYZE
According to the Academic Integrity website, the best way to keep
academic honesty is to check with professors about their expectations
for citing sources, read the syllabus and assignment instructions
carefully, ask your professor for permission before you share your
work, plan ahead, and make smart decisions like doing your own
work, diligently studying for exams, and writing your own essays.
SYNTHESIZE
I think it is important to incorporate lesson on plagiarism. Many
times the professor or teacher just assumes that the student knows what
that word means, but doesn’t actually understand the full concept of it.
When I started to college, I understood what it meant but I did not realize
that you had to put citations within your papers. I though by doing a
reference list was all that was required of students. I would start my class
by having my students write a paper on plagiarism. Then there would be
a class discussion on the importance of academic honesty.
SYNTHESIZE
I also believe that the lesson on plagiarism should not end after the
first few days of school. That is exactly what happens in college, and
these kids just don’t understand it. I would continue to incorporate
lessons on academic dishonesty until I felt like every student had
grasped the concept. And, I don’t think this should be done strictly in
a Freshman English class. All the other classes which require students
to write papers should teach lessons about plagiarism.
REFERENCES
Brumfield, B. (2014) Officials: 3 Denver girls played hooky from
school and tried to join ISIS. CNN News. Web. Retrieved
from http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/22/us/colorado-teens syria-odyssey/
Jackson Madison County School System. (2011). Acceptable Use
Policy. Web. Retrieved from
http://images.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/TN/JacksonMadisonCounty/No
rtheastMiddle/Uploads/Forms/JMCSS%20Acceptable%20Use%20Policy.pdf
Mills, S.C. (2006). Using the Internet for active teaching and learning.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.
ISBN 10: 0131105469.
REFERENCES
University of Illinois Springfield. (2014). Academic Integrity.
Web. Retrieved from
http://www.uis.edu/academicintegrity/students/integrity/