THE SCENARIO & QUESTIONS:
TIP Model Phase 4-Preparing the Instructional Environment
Esmerelda is having her students do a social studies project in which they do "virtual interviews" of experts on various periods in U.S. history. She schedules time in the computer lab and has them locate experts by searching Internet sites. She gives them an initial list of sites, but encourages them to branch out from there, looking for additional sites on their own. There is no lab manager and she has to go back to the classroom for periods of time as they work, but she knows they are competent Internet users and can be trusted not to leave the lab without permission. For their contacts with experts, she has them prepare a standard email with the school name; their names, ages, addresses, and personal email addresses, if they have one; and a description of what they would like to know.
1. Assuming she is correct that students will not leave the lab with permission, is Esmeralda's plan for having students using the Internet a good one? Why or why not?
2. Do you see any problems with the email she is having them send?
3. How would you change her plan to improve it?
MY ANSWERS:
1. I do not think that it is a good idea to leave students unattended. You may call me paranoid, but the idea of the sites that students could get into either by accident or on purpose is terrifying. There are many things that could happen in only a few seconds, websites that they encounter might have inappropriate material or they might take a side trip to a chat room and come across a sexual predator. Last but not least, let’s not forget the Internet tends to be “virusville” for the unprotected.
2. I see many problems with the email that she would have the students send. In this day and age where sexual predators are everywhere, it is very dangerous to send so much personal information. Sending address, age, school they attend and sharing a personal email address makes the students very vulnerable to be contacted by dangerous individuals.
3. I would make arrangements to have a college help supervise the class in the event that I have to return to class. I would make previous contact with reputable sources they could interview and set up the interview process in a controlled environment. This would prevent the students from any unnecessary exposure to strangers.
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Maria, your not paranoid, your just protecting the students. The world is a scary place. Also, I thought the same thing about the chat sites. The students may not even realize the difference between the chat room and virtual reality as they give out the personal information in thier email!!!! I would have that teacher fired.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the supervision of the students, and if someone else could not help then she needs to reschedule that time in the computer room for another day to insure their saftey.
Maria, I completely agree with you in that students should not be left unattended. I believe it is extremely important that the students have supervision as they are on the internet. You are exactly right when it comes to websites students may encounter while they are completing their research. It can happen so fast that they come across an inappropriate website. We as teachers need to be there to protect our students.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of a college student helping supervise the students should the teacher need to leave the room for any purposes. The students need as much protection as possible.
That is a great idea to have college students supervise. It will help minimize the risk of exposure to the students. I also agree that the information is way to personal and at any given time can be misused. We all wish we could live in a safe environment and trust that people wouldn't take advantage of our students but in today's world it is not the case. We hear to many sad and unfortunate stories about ugly people doing ugly things to our students. I don't think you are paranoid just cautious because students today know how to bypass firewalls and if no one is watching them they can get in sites that they are not supposed to.
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