Is there still a way to be safe online?

Do you feel safe online? As technology progresses in our world, our privacy then is at stake. Many people feel freedom when they post their thoughts online, not knowing that this information would be available to anyone reading it. These small things may lead to something much bigger than what it really intended. According to Metropolitan Police Service, "if you use the internet, you could be at risk of illegal activity or abuse - be it bullying, fraud, or something more serious."

Personally, I feel very unsafe online when it comes to using social media websites like Facebook and Instagram. I have deactivated all these accounts due to the online trending of digital kidnapping or what is more known as Baby Role-Playing. Digital Kidnapping is when another person saves a child's picture and reposts it on their Facebook or Instagram, claiming that the child is theirs. As a parent, I find this very disturbing because these are babies and children whose identities are being stolen right from their mother and father's Facebook or Instagram pages. The scary thing is with this form of kidnapping and identity theft is that it is not illegal. Police and authorities have claimed that since it is not harming anyone directly, they can't do anything about other people saying that the child is theirs. 

As a future educator, I will certainly teach my students how important it is to be safe online. Many kids want to be part of the "in" crowd and with this generation, being "in" is to have a social media website account. Being an Elementary Education major, I have looked for tips online on how to teach online safety to these children. As stated by National Cyber Security Alliance, "it is essential that students understand and commit to not sharing personal information with anyone they meet online." As these students move on from one grade level to the next, they must feel that online safety is as important as being safe out on the streets, at school, or at the mall. 

For this project, we had to work again with our group. I found the assignment simple enough to do. We had to obtain information relevant to our subject, which is Digital Safety and Privacy. We got to work on our presentation through Weebly. Although this tool was great at having all 3 of us working on it at the same time, the way the website can be edited is very limited and a bit sloppy. A great tool for creating websites is Wix, however it's difficult to have all members of the group editing the page at the same time. 

As with every group, there will always be that one person who will just contribute the bare minimum and who will not communicate as much. According to Schatz, "the most effective teamwork happens when individual contributors harmonize their efforst and work toward a common goal." With this project, I was very much under stress because one of our group members was not communicating with us and she stood us up on a very important meet-up. I found it very disappointing when this happened and just wanted to get this project over and done with. 

In the end, we managed to learn more than what we already knew about the online world and digital safety and privacy. The most important thing to know when being online is to not give out any valuable information - address, credit card information, your whereabouts. There are many people out there waiting for you to mess up just one small bit and then your whole life can be in ruins. 

References:

Metropolitan Police Service. (2015). Internet Safety. Get The Facts. Retrieved from:

http://safe.met.police.uk/internet_safety/get_the_facts.html

National Cyber Security Alliance. (2015). StaySafeOnline.Org. Retrieved from:

https://www.staysafeonline.org/teach-online-safety/grades-k-2

Schatz, T. (2015). What Makes Teamwork Effective? Retrieved from:
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/teamwork-effective-694.html

Baby Roleplay - The Instagram Game Using Stolen Photos of Other People's Children: BBC Trending. (2015). Retrieved from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm1zi4uQJ2I

An Opportunity for Every Child

Growing up on Guam, our classes were never inclusive. According to Study.com, "an inclusive classroom is a general education classroom in which students with and without disabilities learn together. It is essentially the opposite of a special education classroom, where students with disabilities learn with only other students with disabilities." However in this generation of education, we are slowly getting rid of these "special education" classes and blending our classrooms to ensure every child's right to equal access of success and education.

As teachers, we must figure out our students' strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning something new and how they learn the material. We were introduced to the ASSURE model lesson plan in class and I believe that when using this lesson plan, the parts that will include opportunities for students with disabilities to be successful participants would be under the second "S" - Select methods, media, and materials. The ASSURE model lesson plan is great for children with disabilities because this lesson plan is designed for technology usage in the classroom. As shown in the video of "Enabling Dreams", children with disabilities find it very useful to have assistive technology in the classroom. These gadgets help them communicate with their teachers and even their parents.

As a future educator, I will ensure that all my students have the opportunity for success. Since watching this video on assistive technology, there are several ways, gadgets, and tools for children with disabilities to be able to succeed in the classroom. I will learn of their disability and keep their parents involved in their child's education. When the child feels that they can succeed, they will have a mindset that they will succeed.

Children with disabilities have a difficult time engaging with regular children without disabilities and it's saddening. So when children with disabilities have a hard time with learning a lesson or taking on a task in school, it may lower their self-esteem or discourage them from even trying. As I mentioned earlier, I will learn of my student's disability and find the necessary tools that may help them succeed in the lessons being taught. The assessment would somewhat be revised to accommodate their disability with room for constructive criticism.

After watching this video about assistive technology, I thought of my nephew who was diagnosed with mild autism back when he was 3-years-old. He is now 6-years-old and has a difficult time expressing his feelings and what he wants to say. He babbles still and when he tries to speak, his words are all jumbled. I found a website online that shows the different assistive technology that may help him in the classroom. In addition to this website, Sampathkumar talks about this one app in particular called YuuDee, "using a base library of over 400 easily identifiable icons, with the option to customize and add thousands more, YuuDee helps autistic children articulate the basics, such as hunger, thirst, uncomfortable clothes, an itch, or a pain." With this app in mind, my family and I will be able to communicate with my nephew and get to know what he is going through.

Assistive technology helps children with disabilities succeed along with their peers without any disabilities. Teachers all over the world should consider doing research on the different types of tools that will be helpful for their students. I know I will go the extra mile for my students.


References:

Sampathkumar, M. (2015, July 01). How Apps Are Helping Kids With Autism Learn To Communicate. Retrieved from
http://magazine.good.is/articles/how-apps-help-autistic-kids-communicate

Study.com. Inclusive Classroom: Definition, Strategies and Environment. Retrieved from
http://study.com/academy/lesson/inclusive-classroom-definition-strategies-environment.html

A Lesson Plan That Works