This week Lauren Carlson and I joined forces to demonstrate what a conversation between a teacher and skeptical parent might look like if students were exploring YouTube in the classroom. This activity got us thinking what it might be like for both parents and teachers and the importance of keeping students safe in the online world. Below you can read our conversation and how each of us decided to handle the situation.
This experience taught me the importance of keeping communication open with parents, especially when it involves a student’s online identity and safety. Sharing resources with parents can help them understand the importance of students having a digital citizenship and sharing the safety measures that are being taken in the classroom can allow parents to feel at ease about their students using these tools. In the classroom, informing your students of the importance of privacy online and teaching them digital literacy skills can help keep them safe and equip them for the use of technology outide the classroom.