Although I know that technology plays such a central role in many of our lives. I think we tend to not realize how much it truly dominates society, especially the lives of teens. To them, having a social life that takes place over the internet is completely normal – even socializing with people they have never met! After viewing this movie, I realized that teens don’t understand the gravity of their actions while online. Mainly, I realized how dangerous technology can be to teens and how “essential” technologies like the internet seem to their everyday lives. Being a teenager is difficult, and the fact that teens are now using the internet as a way to develop an alternative persona by taking graphic pictures of themselves for example is truly an unsafe way for them to grow. It seems to satisfy their need for attention and helps to boost their self-confidence, but the attention they are getting is inappropriate. I was not surprised that one girl sent a picture of herself to a guy online, but more concerned that she felt it was “just a picture”. I was surprised however, that she had a relationship with a classmate online and did not even talk to him in person. That would never have happened in the past – and to hear her talk about it made me realize how strange it is. Additionally, it scares me that teens in the video used the internet to find information about suicide and how to become anorexic. The internet seems to have a greater influence on them than their own parents – after all, many of the teens interviewed said that their parents had no idea about their internet life. Social networking sites can truly cause more conflict due to personal information being so public; however they are great ways to communicate with friends. The other drawback is that we tend to get addicted. This video made me realize that all too often, teens are playing on the internet instead of spending time with family or working on other hobbies or physical activities.
I think students are aware of predators (most students realized when someone could be unsafe, as shown in the video) but they do not realize other potential dangers on the internet. As a teacher, I will make my students aware of these by showing them real-life examples. They also need to know that there is a lot of inconsistent, incorrect, and dangerous information out there. Teens need to her stories such as that of the boy who killed himself and got help from an online website. Ideally, they need to know that many things they post on the internet (especially social networking sites) can give off a wrong impression or cause trouble that can have unforeseen consequences. Again, they need to be shown examples of this. Basically, students need to be taught guidelines for social networking in addition to when a site is safe or not, etc. I will also encourage my students to share with me what technologies they use and why (although they may not be completely honest). They could conduct research studies of sites in class and discuss which are safe. Mainly, I will encourage my students to use things like social networking to communicate with me and other students about topics in a positive manner (such as a classroom discussion site that is required for participation points). I am going to use technology that interests students and keeps them engaged, but also have them do activities that do not require the internet or computers. They must be able to function without them!
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