Blog Post #10

I really enjoyed watching the video from Mrs. Cassidy's first grade class.  My youngest son is in first grade and this was very eye opening for me.  I have been in his class several times throughout the school year and they do some really great things with technology.  These students in Mrs. Cassidy's class are really adventurous with their education.  I loved how they explained how they go on Wiki and found the "people in Alabama".  They know how to be safe on the internet.  For me, that is most important with young children and young adults.  They use Skype to communicate with other classes and people.  I think that having such a young group of people learning something this advanced is quite astounding.  These students are all different and they are all learning together in ways that even most high school and college students can not compare to.

I think that in my future classes, I will definitely teach my students how to correctly use the internet.  I will ensure that they know how to stay safe while using the internet, and how to find things of educational value.  I think that first educating students on the proper uses of internet technology is the most important tool that I can take away from Mrs. Cassidy.  I think that she has a terrific grasp on technology in elementary grades.  I am not so sure I would allow elementary students to create a Twitter account or even a Facebook account.  I think that Instagram is even a far stretch for me.  There are many parents that would not allow their children to have accounts on social media.  I think they would not feel safe.

I think it may also be a good idea to educate the parents of the students in our classes.  Perhaps even invite them to join in a class session on internet safety.  I think this would allow parents to have a feeling of control and also feel safer about what their child is doing on the internet.  In my children's schools here in Baldwin County, the tech department has VERY strict blocks set up for certain websites that are deemed inappropriate for children of school age.