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Cyber Safety….a-wakening…
December 16, 2006 | Leave a Comment
We had another of our two day regional workshops for our technology mentors this week. We all gathered in Moncton to share and explore the world of Web 2.0 and how best to help teachers and students use technology to create dynamic and engaging learning environments.
The highlight of the sessions was the time we spent with Parry Aftab. Parry is a lawyer from New Jersey and a self-styled champion of Internet safety for our children. She has a number of non-profit appendages that carry on important work towards protecting children from the perils of the net environment. It was great to see her work with 200 kids at Sunny Brae School and then spend two hours working with mentors to raise awareness of the issues for which she has such a passion.
Her concerns seem to break down into two main issues; cyber-predators (adult-child) and cyber-bullying (peers). Without downplaying the predator issue, it would appear that bullying is much more prevalent, and probably has a more significant impact in our schools and youth communities.
I am as guilty as anyone of rushing into utlizing technology to create dynamic learning environments. I believe that our children need to learn the skills of harvesting, assessing, manipulating and presenting information as a raw material. While I certainly intend to carry on promoting learning in this environment, Parry’s words provide a somber second thought as we add one more measure to the balance.
