Internet access

I have just been reading about Web access and so on.

I myself work in a school environment and find it frustrating at times when I go to look up a site and it has been blocked by our school filter software. Our filter seems to block us from visiting so many useful sites which makes it very limiting majority of the time. I would like to see staff members being able to control the access of these sites. I feel we have the right to check a site, if it is okay, unblock the site from the filter and the same goes if we see a site that the filter has missed, we should be able to block this site. As stated by Scot Aldred the school system block a large proportion of websites regardless of their content. (Aldred, 2009). You can also read Scot's Blog as follows:-

http://e-learning-engagement.blogspot.com/2009_03_01_archive.html

Our children need to be protected from predators and images and things on the Internet. I myself is a mother of 2 and I am pedantic about the Internet at home. I feel if our schools can educate our children better and run Safety Awareness programs about Cyber Bullying, Stranger Danger, putting personal information up about themselves. I think its a huge step in the right direction, to prevent your children from Cyber danger.

Regards Amanda

I also watched this video about Cyber Danger and found it great, unsure if it would work in Australia, but such a great program. Video is below:-



Reference

Protectkidstoday. (2010, Feb 4). New Software Protects Kids From Bullying, Sexting, Texting & Driving, Suicide, & Other Dangers [Video file]. Retrieved May 8, 2010 from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzc6HsY63dA

Digital Natives v's Digital Immigrants

Wow, I didn't think I would enjoy reading this article but it has taught me such alot.

Today's students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach. (Prensky, 2001). This statement is very true, our system is very outdated and not getting through to our students. We need to change the design of teaching and make it engaging. We need to compete with their Ipods, Video Games, Computers and things.
What really amazed me was our children spend over 10,000 hrs playing video games and over 20,000 hrs watching TV and less then 5000 hrs reading. These numbers are phenominal. When I was growing up I would have spent 30,000 hrs outdoors playing, creating, imagining and 5,000 watching TV. I was never a reader but I think if it was made into something fun I would have loved it because I love it as an adult. I now realise why our children are being influenced by TV and VIDEO games."

I am a digital immigrant but accept I need to grow with the times. I feel my life would be much easier if I can engage my students, motivate and praise them. I would like my younger students to think of me as a little cool, up with all this new technology so they could talk to me about what they have downloaded, played, listened to and so on. I would hope they think I am funny and that they love my class because I am making learning fun for them, but at the same time learning, and they are contributing to what they want to learn.

Majority of my teachers were digital immigrants who did not like change and wouldn't change. As they often said "It's been working for me for the last 20 years and it didn't hurt me growing up, so sit down, shut up and listen" Children were mean't to be seen and not heard. You did not talk unless spoken to. My teacher told me that I would never accumulate to anything, "You'll be a dole blugger all your life so get used to waiting in queues". Well thanks very much because I am a better person for it, I know the sort of teacher I do not want to become.

I hope everyone else had much better educational experiences then I did.

I have found a couple of YouTube videos I thought you maybe interested in, they are regarding 21st Century Pedagogies. Take a look

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l72UFXqa8ZU&feature=related

I really enjoyed the following video, I found it very true.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tahTKdEUAPk&feature=related