How do you view the Internet's impact on kids?

After viewing “Growing up online” I was exposed to a number of eye opening facts about the Internet, which I feel should be important to aspiring teachers and parents. I believe that the Internet has both positive and negative effects on kids. In theory, the Internet can be a great educational tool to students and nothing more. The Internet has a lot of solid information on topics of all levels. On the Internet, this information may be explained in a way that makes more sense to a student and assists the student in grasping difficult concepts. However, in reality the Internet is not a perfect educational tool. As is shown in the video, the Internet can cause students to cheat on assignments, expose negative pictures, and create unsafe relationships. When it comes to cheating on assignments teachers can take means to prevent this, but, as is stated in the video, teachers must be aware of the possibility that students can use the Internet to cheat. For example, as a future math teacher I will require that students show all their work in detail and I will require them to complete many in-class assignments so they are not given the opportunity to just copy answers from a friend or a website. Also, the Internet can expose pictures that can cause students to lose the opportunity to participate in activities, go to a good college, or get a job. In order to make students aware of this possibility, teachers must constantly remind students to be aware of the negative effects that poor images on the Internet can cause. For example, in the video there is information about students being exposed for underage drinking at Madison Square Garden online. If students are made aware of examples like this hopefully they will be motivated to keep negative images of themselves off the Internet. Furthermore, both parents and teachers need to be aware of the relationships that children and adolescents create through the Internet. Teachers and parents must talk to students close to them about getting involved with cyber bullying or child predators. Staying involved can prevent things like suicide as shown in the video. Clearly, the Internet can have a very negative impact on the lives of kids.

I worry about the Internet’s impact on kids because it is very difficult to constantly keep tabs on kids and discover what kinds of things they are getting involved in. However, it is impossible to stop the Internet in the technologically advanced world in which we are living. Thus, we must strive to make kids good cyber citizens through enhancing Internet education in schools. If kids are consistently taught how to avoid the negative effects the Internet can have on their lives, then I feel that it is much less likely that the kids will get into trouble on the Internet. It was very encouraging to learn that such measures are being taken in the updates section of the video “Growing up online”. I however will continue to have my doubts about how safe the Internet is for kids until it is clear that more educational measures are being taken.

Personally, I have had a negative experience with the Internet during my senior year of high school. During that particular year I was on the varsity basketball team, and some of the members of my team attended a party where there was underage drinking. Through the Internet, it was discovered that some of the team members had attended the party through direct photographic evidence. This violated my high school’s code of conduct and some of our best players were suspended from the team. Experiences like this make it very difficult for me to not have some reservations about whether the Internet is more positive or negative, but I know that I must keep in mind that the Internet is not going away and that I must do what is in my power to make it safer for my future students and children.