The Frontline video “Growing Up Online,” portrays both positives and negatives of technology, but I find the negatives outweighing the positives in this video. Nothing in the video shocked me because I have grown up with the internet and I’m aware of what is out there. Many teens need more attention so they resort to posting pictures and recording videos and others comment on them to give them the attention they crave. The point of the internet assisting with cheating is accurate based on my experiences. In high school and college Sparknotes is a commonly visited website to get of doing an actual reading. I think that students should have the opportunity to express themselves but I am undecided whether the internet is the best place for that. When the video focused on Sara and Ryan it was heartbreaking to see their struggles, but again I’m not surprised. Sara found support for her eating disorder and Ryan found support for his suicide. With Sara she seemed to have identity issues and was just able to be her “real” self online because they “won’t judge” her. She had relationships online with boys she had never actually talked to in person. I never think that socialization online should replace talking to others in person. Many jobs do require social interaction and without it early on it may never develop.
As a teacher I will do my best to educate my students about the internet and its good and bad qualities. Giving assignments that involves a student teaching something new to a parent or showing them a website they found that they liked would likely be a positive experience. Programs involving internet safety would get my support because it is an important issue that needs to be talked about. Parental involvement may also help the issue as well, even if it didn’t help in Evan Skinner’s situation. I hope my students will feel that I am a safe person to talk to about any troubles they are having and that I will help them in any way I can.
No comments:
Post a Comment