In the elementary schools I attended (I moved a few times as a kid) I can’t think of any actual rules or regulations on the internet. We didn’t have access in one of my schools until like the fifth grade, and then we’d be locked onto one site. In my other school, we had laptops but I don’t remember what we did on them. I never tested the boundaries in place, so I don’t know where they were.
In my high school, we had a very ‘keep the children out of the bad sites’ policy. //As if anything was ever so black-and-white as to be a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ site. As if the teenagers I went to school with couldn’t access those sites anyway//. Sometimes the principal would take control of a student’s screen from his office and get them back on what they were supposed to be doing, but I’m pretty sure this backfired. Some of my classmates would go on the most scandalous sites to see if their screen would get taken over.
In high school scare tactics were the most implemented method of control over the internet, either that or it wasn’t addressed. The police came in a couple times to warn about cyber bulling by giving us ‘horror stories’ of extreme cases.
All these methods gave ‘what not to do’s without any ‘what to do’s.
The most effective tactic was probably the one where we were locked onto one site, but that is only effective for obedience and is not a way to create responsible digital citizens.
3 Comments
I remember being in grade 6 or 7, and a bunch of my classmates (including myself) were in the computer lab in our school, and our teacher was in the classroom with our other classmates. One student searched ‘fat Korean baby’ and was looking at images – which is very random. Suddenly, we could all see his screen, and we all thought we were hacked. Turns out the teacher could see his screen and was trying to get him back on track but pressed the wrong button. But I remember sitting there wondering why there was a giant baby on my screen. It was not until after that, that we found out our teacher could see our screens and how we shouldn’t be googling inappropriate things. That is the first time I remember talking about anything remotely similar to cyber safety and digital citizenship – in grade 6 or 7.
I agree that we are always told not to do something but never really told what appropriate technology and social media use is or looks like. Looking at everything happening on the internet today, teaching kids early on both appropriate and inappropriate technology and social media usage.
Hey Ashley, your observation that there was a lack of “what to do” guidance is crucial. To foster responsible digital citizens, it’s important to balance restrictions with education. Schools should aim to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities needed to make informed decisions online. This includes teaching digital literacy, online etiquette, and ethical online behavior. It’s essential to help students understand the benefits and risks of the internet, and how to use it as a valuable resource for learning and communication. I myself was very fortunate to be taught at a young age what the internet is and how dangerous it can be, better to be protected and secure than not. Really important to instill this into the younger generations.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Ashley, I agree as well that there needs to be more of “What to do” than just the instruction on what not to do. I think critical thinking is key in so many situations and this situation also applies. I do think that it’s key for parents and educators to have many conversations with our kids/students. As with all other difficult things we sometimes have to discuss, we just have to trust that when kids are online that they will choose to implement the things they have been taught.