Digital World as Teachers
With the world constantly changing and being more and more geared to a technological society, we as teachers need to recognize the direction it is going and provide our students with the information and skills needed to properly navigate and use the internet. Since the internet has allowed us to have constant contact with our friends and have the ability to see what people around the world are doing we need to understand that there is a lot more to the world than being online. At times the internet can be a dark and cruel place, there are trolls, bullying and tons of misinformation out there for us to see and it makes it harder for us to find the answers to our questions.
As teachers we need to show students the positive things about the internet and how to use the time you spend online for good things as opposed to the bad. The good things the internet can provide is the feeling of connectedness to groups, support and just a general feeling of belonging that most humans strive for. The bad aspects of the internet include overwhelming drama and pressure amongst peers to post and like and share information and photos which may not be in your comfort zone. We need to show are students how to leave a positive footprint for themselves on the internet and stay away from the the things that leave us feeling overwhelmed and pressured, to make sure that our relationship with the internet is a healthy one.
Essentially, our duty as teachers should be to provide our students with all the information to successfully navigate the internet, through role modelling and providing the necessary information for our students to succeed. We need to warn our students that the internet can be a scary and harmful place if not used correctly, but with proper monitoring and information our students should be able to have a positive relationship with the internet and all the possibilities the internet provides for us as learners.
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