I had intended to write a post about how one of the many unadvertised jobs of the ET is teaching cyber safety to teachers and students in the division. Then I ran across some statistics that mentioned a large part of teachers feel that teaching internet safety should be the parent's responsibility. I had never even considered that cyber safety would fall into a hat box not belonging to an educational professional of some sort....but those stats really got me thinking: Whose hat is it? And whose hat SHOULD it be??
On one hand, I can understand why teachers would be hesitant about teaching cyber safety. There is no standard curriculum that outlines what should be taught and no ready access to resources. (Speaking of which, why isn't there a curriculum model for teaching technology?) I'm sure many teachers, especially those who have limited technology knowledge, aren't even sure where to start. It doesn't help either that a lot of divisions have decided that internet lock-down is an easier way to deal with cyber safety. If the kids can't access it, it means they are safe, right? Instead of addressing the problem, we're putting blinders on, somehow thinking that will help. If that is the division stance, what is motivating teachers to take the initiative to learn (or even care) about online safety?
Things also get really tricky when you think about the values of the people involved. If I think social networking is offensive or dangerous, should I have to teach them how to use it safely (thereby having it to use it myself, assuming the teacher as model theory)? Or what if I think that blogging is a great way to start making a mark in the digital world but parents feel that attaching their child's name to things put on the internet is inappropriate? I feel like this argument is as complicated as the whole sexual education issue. How do you separate your values from what needs to be taught and how do you respect the values of others while teaching the information that is needed?
On the other hand, aren't we educators? Isn't it our JOB to teach kids the information they need to survive in our world? Whether we are ready to admit it or not, we are living in an increasingly digital age. These kids are already playing a part in that digital world and a lot of them don't know the rules. Are parents any more equipped to teach this than teachers are? Who is supposed to help parents find resources and make sure they are presenting accurate information? Who is going to train the parents to teach their children what they need to know? And what about families who can't afford a home computer or internet service – do those kids not need to understand how to be safe online? Everyone deserves the right to be educated in the ways of being safe online, not just those who are lucky enough to have regular access to the online world.
I still think that the ET should be wearing the cyber safety hat and it is pretty obvious how an ET can help provide training, guidance, support, and resources for cyber safety. The real question is who is the ET sharing this hat with: parents or teacher?
More on the statistics that inspired this post: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2010/0226/Internet-safety-Whose-job-to-teach-kids-about-it
A great site to help with the development of a cyber safety program (for teachers OR parents): http://csriu.org/ (This link is also provided in the news story above.)
I think its both the responsibility of the parents and of the educators, that is if the educators are using the internet at all in class. I really think they go hand in hand, if you were teaching a cooking class to kids, you'd make sure to go over the cautions of knives being sharp and the stove being hot. It doesn't mean the parents don't need to stress that as well, better to be over warned, then under cautioned.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Kim that it is probably a shared responsibility, but just like sex ed and a lot of other things, it is sometimes difficult to get the cooperation and understanding of parents. So we sometimes have to stand up and take charge of things we know are important, despite some opposition or even ignorance on the part of the general public. That's a tough, tricky thing to navigate, isn't it.
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