Are blogs child-friendly?
Jared makes an interesting point in his blog questioning the safety and suitability of blogging in the classroom. His post What does Microsoft have to say? provided a shocking insight into the realities of children and teenagers who blog. I found this posting really interesting, since I realised that I had not stopped to consider this issue in any depth, instead being caught up in the excitement and challenges of incorporating technology into the classroom. Of course most primary school aged children would lack the presence of mind to eliminate their names, ages, and other personal details from online blogs, discussion boards and the like, so it is the responsibility of teachers and parents to educate children on this new form of “stranger danger”.
This website provides cartoon clips demonstrating internet safety, and is endorsed by the Australian Government for use in primary schools. I actually saw this used in my practicum school last semester, as the school had a heavy emphasis on ICT, and my supervising teacher would play the clips to her 2/3 class while they ate their lunches. I think clips such as these can be used to make students aware of the dangers of revealing personal information over the internet, however I also believe it is the responsibility of teachers to monitor students’ postings if they choose to incorporate this technology into the classroom.
