10th grade English Teacher

After reviewing the articles and videos on the harm behind the internet, there is a lot to discuss involving not only students but individuals that use the internet. Although the internet has many great benefits for students, businesses, and everyday people, there are many draw backs that people should be aware about. Many people have been harmed by malicious content being posted which has cost them their identity, their job, and even pushed people to the extreme to commit suicide because of the humiliation they suffered. As a sophomore English teacher, I will present the issues behind using the internet in the classroom and the consequences that can come from this. The internet is a fun tool that allows students to research information faster and does have an upside to an educational use but us faculty members must remember not all information on the internet is factual, relevant, and too much time on the internet is not in our student’s favor.

There are many harmful risks in using the internet in the classroom. Sexual harassment, online bullying, pornography, violence, and privacy are all issues that concern me when my students surf the web. I have done thorough research to ensure certain websites are restricted. These websites contain nude pictures, advertising, or any networking websites such as facebook or myspace. If not monitored students can send hurtful comments to one another and take it as far as harassing each other by name calling or commenting on photos of others posted online. Bullying falls in line with this as well. I can see the physical nature of bullying, but students might discretely bully one another online assuming I can not access their information or what is being said in cyberspace. Pornography has skyrocketed since the birth of the internet. These websites are not to be viewed by my students nor is it appropriate for a 10th grade English classroom. Privacy is a huge factor to be considered when involving the internet. We all make mistakes, and I do not want my students making a mistake that can cost them their dignity, future job, or land them behind bars. If the wrong people wind up with my student’s social security numbers, address, or other important information that should not be disclosed this could be a disaster. There are many computer hackers and people who sit on the computer all day seeking to destroy other people’s lives by getting their personal information. Along with those who are looking to attain person information, there are sexual predators online who want to meet up with underage teenagers to engage in sexual activity. This is illegal and I do not want my students taken advantage of from them being naïve and not believing it can happen to them. If my students encountered rapist or a sexual predator by communicating with them during my classroom, I would take some of the blame for that so I am taking time to put a stop to this and make sure this does not occur. Students often go missing when meeting up with strangers and sometimes are never heard from again. This can be reduced if we monitor what students are looking at online and who they are communicating with. Although we can not view students internet activity all of the time, as teachers we can make an effort to make sure we know what they are looking at while in the classroom. After reviewing the Acceptable use article I noted uncensored websites can be destructive to computers and spread viruses all throughout computers. In my opening paragraph I mentioned the relevance and credibility behind websites online. Anyone who is computer literate can create their own website, therefore making not everything online accurate or relevant to my classroom. The Paper Mill article mentioned websites that give students essays or summaries to books they do not feel like reading. Such websites as sparknotes, pinkmoney, or school sucks are not beneficial to the learning of the students. Plagiarism may also take place and at our school that is grounds for dismissal. A pro about using the internet in the classroom I learned from Web 2.0 is the bigger community students are involved in when posting their work online. This tests students if they are communicating well and engages students to participate in online discussions and become more active in learning. On the flip side, Media Shift noted cyber bullying, sexual hook ups, posting indecent activity on youtube are not productive for students learning process. This websites also highlighted the negative headlines being promoted on the internet and how the wrong things students do often makes the news or is posted on the internet. This can be a snowball effect as other students mock what they see online and attempt to replicate what has been already done.

Today I have listed numerous reasons on why I am hesitant to bring the internet to my classroom. Although there are many features I like and can be productive in my lesson plan, there are just far too many concerns I have from bullying, harassment, privacy, and malicious content being posted. For this reason I stand strong with my fellow teachers in banning the internet from my student’s computers. I suggest parents investigate what their children are viewing while at home so these issues I have noted today do not become problems at home.