Growing Up Online / Digital Nation

Growing Up Online:
Growing Up Online is a video about adolescents growing up having easily available access to the internet.  Adolescents talked about their actions online and their parents not knowing about it.  The video discusses how interacting with others on the internet is so different than interacting with people in real life.  The video discusses important topics about how adolescents are using the internet, their phones and digital devices to communicate with friends, online interactions and social networks and how parents are unaware of their child's actions online through the internet.  When watching this video it was a little disturbing in the fact that these kids were doing inappropriate things online or looking at inappropriate things and their parents had not idea what they were doing.  With a lot of the situations that took place in the video adolescents had their own computers in their own bedroom so parents could not see what their child was doing.  I think it's very important especially at the adolescent years for parents to only allow their child to use the computers in the family room or kitchen where a lot of interactions take place and not allow your child to have their own computer in their room.   As adults and teachers I think it's important to inform our children and students about their actions online and how their actions can affect someone else or themselves.  When it comes to the internet if you wouldn't say it to their face, do not post it on the internet because you can't take back what was said.  Kids need to realize when pictures that are posted online that are not appropriate or sayings things that could offend others have consequences.  People get in trouble and these actions could affect kids later on in life, for instance trying to get a job.   We as adults need to teach kids about appropriate internet edict and need to show students how to be  responsible on the internet.


Digital Nation:
After watching the Digital Nation video it really opened my eyes to the virtual interactions that take place.  I never realized that businesses today are having office meetings virtually online and people don't even have to go into work to hold a meeting with all your co-workers.  They can just sit at home and hold the meeting virtually online.  I also learned about the army using the virtual world to face battle fields and using virtual technology to bomb areas where we are at war in other countries thousands of miles away.  Technology is being used in army recruiting and showing 14 and 15 year old boys what it could be like for them if they were to go into the army when they are older.  The army is using technology to spark interest in future army soldiers.  Watching this video it really opened my eyes to how important and crucial it is to use technology in our classrooms.  I already use technology in my own classroom with the smartboard, document camera, and students having their own individual laptops but this video makes me want to do so much more with my students.

I found It very true in the fact when the video talks about students using computers, iPods, iPhones to multi-task in everyday life and how it is distracting to students.  In today's society kids and students are so wired in with technology and all these technology devices that its making us not focus on one thing at a time.  In a way multi-tasking can be good but it also makes it hard to focus on just one thing and do that one thing very good.  As teachers I think its important to help students balance all these technology devices.  We need to show students the importance of using specific technology devices at certain times and when students are working on certain tasks they need to do those specific tasks very well without getting distracted.  I think its important for us as educators to show students appropriate edict for using technology in today's day in age.

Its important that we as educators are using technology in our classroom for a specific purpose.  Students should be using technology to enhance learning on concepts covered in class.   Teachers need to research and find good resources that students can use with their computers that will further engage learning on a specific topic students are learning.  We need to make sure that technology is not just used in the classroom to help spare the last 5 minutes of class.