Internet Privacy and Security
Morehouse, J. (2011). Students dig up dirt to learn about Internet safety. Learning & Leading with Technology, 39(2), 34-35.
In this article, Jesse Morehouse discusses the importance of informing his students about the dangers of Internet privacy through a class project. Morehouse begins by explaining most teens are unaware of the fact that just by posting something as simple as your birthday, zip code or gender, parties who are seeking demographic information, such as advertising or marketing companies, can positively identify an individual. Morehouse went about the class project by first having his students conduct research about their teacher using various search tools and tactics, and then had them sort through what findings were valid and invalid. Morehouse’s students were alarmed and surprised at what they could find, and were constantly engaged in the project. The project concluded with the students forming a profile of a random person they searched online for in order to created a profile of who this person is and what they like. Things such as income, place of living and photos were recovered for their search candidates.
Morehouse wrote this article to demonstrate to his students that they need to be aware of what they are posting on their Twitter and Facebook accounts as it can affect job opportunities and much more. Morehoouse was successful in his goal, causing some of his students to even change their privacy settings on Facebook. In concluding Morehouse’s work, he notes that making good choices about what you share online will result in a professional, positive image to those parties who are trying to track you down on the Internet.
Applying this article to my future classes, I can certainly incorporate elements of this project into an english class (the single subject credential I am pursuing). For example, having students keep a journal of what they are posting on various social media accounts may help them think twice about what they are sharing with the world. Also, I could do a similar project to Morehouse’s, and have students write biographies about each other with the information they collect to better relate to an english class.
Finally, Morhouse’s article relates to NETS-S standard 5a. “students advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology”. This is certainly a skill all students must master and be aware of as our world becomes more and more virtual.
I think that the assignment Morehouse did sounds like it would be a very engaging one! I also like your idea about keeping a journal of what they post online. It's definitely very important to make sure that your students understand how damaging information on the internet can be for them in the long run!
ReplyDeleteIt's also interesting to see how adults respond with the same sort of lesson, though it tends to be administered with a much harsher hand. I know on the Ellen show there was a segment where she looked up some of the facebook pictures of people in the audience and then would show them and ask them questions. To compensate for broadcasting that information, she gave them tickets to some show or something.
DeleteOverall, I think this is a valuable lesson for any age group!
The topic of internet security is so important when it comes to social networking. Kids are less experienced in how devious people and marketing companies can be. They have even less relevant knowledge of how potential employers may research a job candidate. It's up to parents and teachers to explain why we need to maintain a degree of privacy on the internet and how to do it.
ReplyDeleteI'm going through this right now with my teenagers. They just want to do what their friends are doing and they have very honest intentions, but I sometimes have to look over their Facebook entries and edit them. We talk about what kind of information they should not share and what the repercussions can be if they're not prudent.
By the way, teachers and teacher candidates need to be especially careful of what students can find out about them online. Students are very curious. Based on my experience as a mother, I would recommend that teachers post an introduction on the their school homepages that answers most students' questions about them (their family, their interests, their education, etc.). Then, the students might not go out of their way to dig up dirt on a teacher.