A challenger approaches!

The challenges that present themselves while using the internet in the classroom are many and vary in the severity. But, with that said, I feel to deny classrooms the use of the internet is a complete disservice to students, even (and sometimes especially) if they have use of the internet at home.

The internet is incredibly vast, and is growing every day. It seems that while some people of the “older” generation are a bit weary when it comes to the web, today’s students are fearless, plunging in headfirst with little thought over consequences, especially future consequences, that could follow their rash actions. This becomes apparent when taking in some of the content youth post on their websites, social networking sites, or send to each other. They’re living in the “now” when they are sexting to a boyfriend or girlfriend, blissfully unaware of the complications and regret that will come when the break up in 2 months and the images are posted on the web for anyone to see. Both schools and the law in general are still trying to determine how to best respond to the issues of sexting (Be Web Aware – Sexual Risks). In this case I think the best defense is a good offense, that students need to be taught early about how the internet works, including the consequences of certain actions.

The website enough.org has a page which has archived statistics on internet dangers, focused almost exclusively on sexual encounters. With all due respect to the site, I believe internet dangers go further than those of a sexual nature, and should be brought to light as well. Dangers such as plagiarism, false information, and cyber-bullying also run rampant on the internet, and should be addressed in the classroom at an early age to avoid problems later on. On that same note, every school that uses internet in the classroom or available wi-fi should have a thorough Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) developed so administrators, teachers, students, and parents will be aware of the consequences of actions such as plagiarism and cyber-bullying, so there will be no discrepancies on how things are handled. The article Getting Started on the Internet: Developing an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) covers what should be included, as well as how and why. AUPs provide schools with guidelines as well as a written document expressing legal obligations should they need it, so long as a portion is signed by both parent and student, expressing that the document has been read and understood. However, the challenge with an AUP is that the internet is ever evolving, as are the students who use it. AUPs, teachers, and administrators must be kept up to date with technology if we hope to provide a safe school environment that includes internet use.