“Growing Up Online.”

I recently watched a video called “Growing Up Online” and it was based on high school students who were part of the internet explosion of the first social media MySpace. This video was done in 2008, years ago, however the explosion of the internet and the social interaction has not just exploded in numbers but as well as quality since then. I believe that the internet can be a useful tool if used correctly, however, just like everything else; there should be some sort of balance. I believe that parental support for their children’s independent internet use has decreased since 2012 because of the number of cyber bullying attacks. According to StopBullying.gov, “the 2013-2014 School Crime Supplement (National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics) indicates that 7% of students in grades 6–12 experienced cyberbullying. The 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey finds that 15% of high school students (grades 9-12) were electronically bullied in the past year. Research on cyberbullying is growing. However, because kids’ technology use changes rapidly, it is difficult to design surveys that accurately capture trends.” I believe that we as educators can motivate students to want to learn the materials given to them , and have them write their own responses if we give them various options to express their point of views. I believe that if students are given a chance to take ownership of their work using the latest technology out there, then they can be inclined to produce work of their own and not borrow from others. Using ideas like Infographics to create a paper from a student’s point of view would be a great incentive to get students to work instead of cheating and using someone else’s paper from online. I think that using other people’s words without citing it is definitely cheating and displays the integrity of said person. If students are taught this, and again, given the opportunity to have ownership of their w I believe that any student who relies on summaries and annotated notes on Web sites about any books given in class to read should feel guilty. It should be looked upon like cheating, because they are taking ideas from someone else who actually read the materials and summarized it according to their interpretation. When students don’t read assigned materials, there’s no way they can connect to the lesson being taught and even apply it to real life scenarios. I think that everyone that uses the internet uses it not just as a tool for information, but as a tool to to express themselves. It is used as a “continuum to their existence”. An existence that may be only available online verses in reality. At some point people get caught up with the amount of attention they may receive online and it gives them a sense of purpose and even a sense of being famous. I believe to be a celebrity , one has to be celebrated for a purpose, a positive purpose , not just because you may have a certain amount of fans, but maybe what you are doing and has done to make this world a better place. I believe that it’s the parents responsibility to make sure that they are aware of their children’s interactions online. Some students are not just using the internet to bullying others, but to also plan to physically hurt others and conspire with others to commit the crime. The following link tells of three teenagers who planned an attack on a fellow student, and there’s over 3000 pages of data to review surrounding the case that was planned online. The link is; http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/crime/2016/05/09/doj-issues-warrants-3-teens-death-amy-joyner-francis/83866170/ According to Suler’s disinhibition effects, I believe that when someone is able to tease, lie, gossip, threaten, and spread rumors online to others without any concern of the consequences or the person’s feeling because they are not physically seeing that person this is called dissociative anonymity . Suler calls the dissociative anonymity where “the person doesn't have to take responsibility for those actions” I personally spend a lot of time online and I believe that if I am not aware of the time spent I can get carried away. I can easily disconnect from it all , when I am actually disciplined about it. Sometimes I am less conscious of it and I find that I miss actually being online. All together I can disconnect when I am on vacation and when I need to study.