Teaching Digital Safety to Students

            The world wide web offers a variety of resources and material for education. The Internet does a splendid job at bridging the gap of communication around the world through social networking sites, technological applications, web-conferencing tools, etc. The rise in technological advances has made it easier for educators to teach and carry out their lesson plans to students. Although the wealth of resources and information available online has made life easier for several individuals around the world, it can also lead to a variety of unsafe measures. Cyberbullying, sexting and textual harassment are some of the ways people can be victimized on the Internet. As a future teacher, I know that I am going to incorporate technology in my lesson and I want to protect my students, as much as possible, from the dangers that can take place in the world wide web. In order to do so, I want to first show my students a video about staying safe and secure in the digital world. Then, I want to teach my students ways of being safe on the Internet by talking to a law enforcement agency, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to come and talk to my students about the dangers of the Internet and the preventive measures of staying safe online. After learning about digital safety, I would like each of my students to create and design a poster board, demonstrating one way of staying safe on the Internet and elaborating more about it in front of the class.

            According to a study from the Pew Research Center (2015), 92% of teens report going online on a daily basis, with 24% of teens admitting going online constantly. As a future educator and a technology-proficient professional, I want to show my students a brief 5-minute video on YouTube called, “Staying Safe and Secure in a Digital World” by Intel Security (See video below). This video is demonstrated by children talking about the pros and con of the Internet. The children go into depth in explaining what others should do to stay safe on their computers, emails, mobile devices and the Internet. Through this video, I am able to give my students a sense of how important it is to be digitally safe.

            There is no better way, I feel, to teach the do’s and don’ts of the world wide web than bringing in someone who knows digital safety inside and out, like the FBI. The FBI is a law enforcement agency that deals with domestic intelligence and security services in the United States. They investigate digital crimes, such as cyber-based terrorism, espionage, computer intrusions and computer fraud. By allowing guest speakers from the FBI to talk to my students about digital safety will give my students a better understanding of the subject at hand. Also, they will learn that any forms of harassment online are taken very seriousness and should not be tolerated. In eight different studies from 2007 to 2014, an average of 16.6% of individuals were cyberbullies and an average of 25.2% of people were victims of cyberbullying according to Justin W. Patchin and Sameer Hinduja of the Cyberbullying Research Center (2014).

            After learning about digital safety and its significance, I want my students to take ownership of the lesson they had just learned and be able to apply that knowledge in class. I would like my students to individually create and design a poster board of at least one way a person can be digitally safe. Students will be able to work on this assignment in class and at home. After creating and designing their poster board, they will then present their poster board to the class, demonstrating their ability to know and understand the importance of being digitally safe. I believe that each presentation allows students to successfully take in what they have learned about digital safety and shared it with others.

            It is imperative for students, parents, teachers and schools to take preventive measures in teaching the importance of digital safety. The Internet is open to anybody and anything. As a future educator, I want to be able to shelter my students, as well as teach them that although the world wide web provides a ton of resources and materials to make life easier, it also comes with many dangers. By incorporating a brief video about digital safety, bringing in guest speakers from the FBI to talk about digital safety to my students, and assigning a simple project to my students on what they have learned from those presentations, I feel that I can successfully execute my lesson plan in teaching my students to become responsible digital citizens. Always remember to think before you click!

References

Lenhart, A. (2015). Teens, social media & technology overview 2015. Pew Research Center.

Retrieved April 30, 2016, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/

Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. (2014). Cyberbullying: Identification, prevention, & response. The

Cyberbullying Research Center. Retrieved April 30, 2016, from

http://cyberbullying.org/Cyberbullying-Identification-Prevention-Response.pdf

Incorporating Additional Objectives for a More Challenging Lesson Plan

           My lesson plan is designed for 6^th grade middle school students. It is an in-class assignment and activity that consists of students learning how to read and understand the Nutritional Value Label on breakfast cereals and apply that understanding for future references. I plan on adding more objectives to create a more challenging lesson plan. A change in difficulty will mean a change in the length of the lesson. Initially this lesson was intended to be completed within one 80-minute class period, but due to the addition of objectives and harder difficulty, this lesson will now be aimed to be completed in two 80-minute class periods. The additional objectives I will include in my lesson plan are a short verbal quiz, an essay of what students have learned, and a presentation of that essay by the student in front of the class.

            In the beginning of this lesson, students will be taught how to identify the fat, sugar, and sodium on a Nutritional Value Label by watching a short video on YouTube. Students will learn and understand the components of a Nutritional Value Label and how to properly read it. After watching the video, I, as the teacher, will test my students’ understanding of the video and present them a short verbal quiz. Each student will be called upon and be given a random question to answer that pertained to the video. As a teacher, I feel that this method of quizzing students verbally will enable students to answer the question given to them with the utmost competence, having to relate back to what they have watched in the video about the Nutritional Value Label.

            After learning and understanding the parts of a Nutritional Value Label and applying that understanding to the breakfast cereal activity, students will be asked to write an essay about what they have learned from this lesson. Students already have the knowledge to differentiate what kinds of breakfast cereals are considered healthy and unhealthy by analyzing the amount of fat, sugar, and sodium each cereal contains. A significant aspect I expect my students to write about in this essay is the importance/meaning of this lesson to them. I feel that by having my students express their views, feelings, and concerns about a certain topic is indeed challenging, but stimulating at the same time. I do not expect my students to write an academic essay, but more so, a reflective essay. According to Watton, Collings, and Moon (2001), reflective writing allows individual to “deepen the learning from work” (p. 4).

            At the end of this lesson and activity, students will read what they had written in their reflective essay in front of the class. This part of the lesson will demonstrate each students’ ability to present in front of an audience. Although presenting in front of an audience is difficult for many students, I feel that it is best to develop and practice presentation skills at an early age. It will allow students to grow into more comfortable and competent presenters in the future. Also, this activity will give other students a chance to attentively listen and observe their fellow classmates present, creating a profound understanding of the subject at hand in different points of views.

            The additions to my lesson plan are not made to discourage my students, but to stretch and challenge them in positive ways. A lesson plan does not need to be difficult, but instead a doable demand in which students are capable of moving forward (Scrivener & Adrian Underhill, 2012). In my new lesson plan, I incorporated three new objectives. I included a short verbal quiz, an essay, and a presentation. These new components of my lesson plan will teach students how to recall, reflect, and reveal their understanding of what is being taught. Challenging students means deeper thinking.

Teaching Students with Disabilities

            I was greatly inspired by watching this video about how assistive technology has enabled students with disabilities to achieve their dreams. As a former public school student, I have never really seen that kind of support demonstrated in this video for students with disabilities. The only kind of support I have seen students with disabilities in Guam’s public school system is having a one-to-one aide. This video has left a strong impression on me as a future educator because I know one day I will be teaching a student who has a disability and I need to make sure that I am fully capable of assisting my student to the best of my ability in order for him or her to move up the ladder of success in his or her education. As a teacher, I need to first be aware of my student’s disability. Secondly, I need to be organized and flexible when carrying out my lesson plan to accommodate my student with a disability. I also need to ensure that I follow the recommendations outlined in the student’s individualized educational plan (IEP) according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

            Teaching students with disabilities can be challenging. It is imperative for teachers to learn and study what type of disability their student has. Being knowledgeable about a student’s disability can go a long way for a teacher. By being aware of a student’s disability, teachers can help and understand the needs of the student. This should be a priority for all teachers who have special needs students in his or her classroom. Additionally, being able to understand the students’ needs enables teachers to address the necessary steps and actions to take in the role of the development of the student, as well as his or her educational achievement. According to the senior director of learning resources and research at the National Center for disabilities, Sheldon H. Horowitz (2014), through proper guidance, teaching and support, there are no boundaries or limitations to the success of individuals with learning disabilities.

            Organization and the ability to adapt to situations are two characteristics teachers should possess when teaching students with disabilities. The organization of a classroom says a lot about a teacher. The way a classroom is set up and organized stimulates what kind of learning occurs amongst students. Accountability is an important aspect when dealing with a student who has a disability. Teachers need to stay on top of all their forms and documents, such as their students’ emergency information, records and evaluations. Also, teachers need to be able to adapt to changes that take place in the classroom, especially when one has a student with special needs. Flexibility is key in any classroom environment because it allows not only the teacher, but the students as well, to get accustomed to different situations.

            In accordance to the Individuals with Disabilities Act (2004), students with disabilities must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). An IEP is a documentation of the student’s needs, the services the school will provide for the student, and how progress will be measured through the student’s performance in school. A lot of planning and involvement goes into creating an IEP for a specific student. As a teacher, I will ensure that I following what is requested of me in regards to my student’s IEP. I believe having an IEP for students with disabilities is a great way to accommodate and monitor student progress and achievement.

            Watching this video made me appreciate my future career even more. This video demonstrates one of the reasons why I wanted to become a teacher in the first place and that is to make a difference in the lives of others through education. This video also gave me ideas on how to properly approach the needs of students with disabilities. I learned that there are so many ways in which a person, not just a teacher, can help individuals with special needs. Assistive technology is an example of a way others can help individuals with disabilities. When I become a teacher, I know I will be teaching students with different learning styles and I want to make sure I am prepared. With students with disabilities, I need to make sure I am aware of that student’s disability to gain an understanding of how I can approach that student according to his or her needs. I need to also be organized and flexible because the world is unpredictable. There are many instances where a situation will not go as planned and I would have to make necessary adjustments to accommodate my students. Lastly, I want to make sure that I am following what is being requested of me, as the teacher, by the school and the student’s parents in his or her Individual Education Program, so that I can effectively carry out my lesson plan in relation to the accommodations and modifications listed in my student’s IEP. Being a teacher is such a fulfilling job!

Teaching Revisions for Online Learning Games

            Online learning is perceived as an aim to “broaden and expand student experiences” (Picciano & Seaman, 2010, p. 2). As a future educator, I plan on teaching English to high school students. Online learning is definitely a facet I plan on incorporating in my teaching pedagogy. When I do decide to use an online educational game as a part of my lesson plan, there is nothing more that I want than for my students to be be fully engaged and cooperative. Ways in which I, as a teacher, can revise my assignments for my students when using an online educational game are to: integrate applicable challenge levels for my students to maneuver about, ensure equilibrium between instruction and entertainment within the game, and provide adequate performance feedback to my students. By executing these objectives in my online educational game, I feel that I can establish an effective online learning environment for my students.

            Online learning games have a variety of levels of difficulty. As a high school English teacher, I want to incorporate an online educational game my students can enjoy and be motivated to attempt, yet appropriately challenge them. If I were in my students’ shoes, I would not want a game too easy or too challenging for me. If the game I am applying my students to attempt is too easy and simple, then my students would probably get easily bored and lose interest. Consequently, if I give my students a very challenging game to complete, then it would not benefit them in any way because they would end up getting frustrated and quit. I feel that having an online educational game that meets the appropriate challenges amongst students will help them pay attention, as well as warrant an impactful learning and gaming experience.

            When applying an online learning game into my teaching pedagogy, I do not want my students to forget the goal of their gaming experience, which is learning. Some online educational games can be too entertaining to the point that distracts the learner from finishing the task at hand. I want my students to be totally engaged in the online educational game, but at the same time I do not want that overall engagement to hinder their ability to lose focus on acquiring the knowledge and skills displayed within the game. I believe that the entertainment aspect is just as important as the instructional and learning aspect in any online educational game. Finding an equilibrium between these two aspects will go exhibit effectiveness and efficiency in the online learning game as a whole.

            Feedback is crucial in any learning environment. According to Shelley Stagg Peterson (2010), verbal and written feedback can be an influential teaching tool. Feedback can be delivered in various ways, but in an online educational game, I feel that the most helpful way of giving feedback is through student performance. I understand that students do not take feedback too lightly, but they need to realize that feedback does more good than harm. With my students, I plan on giving them feedback on their performance after they complete the game, as well them providing me feedback on their thoughts and concerns regarding the online learning game. Feedback enables me to understand and pinpoint areas my students and myself need to work on. By providing adequate feedback to my students, I feel that my teaching pedagogy will be strong and effective because not only will feedback help me as an educator, but will also help my students learn from their mistakes and make room for improvements.

            Online learning certainly enlarges an individual’s learning and gaming experience. Implementing an online learning game as an assignment for my students will be definitely be challenging, but I am hopeful that with the right teaching pedagogy, I will be able to overcome such a challenge. Because I am going to be teaching English to high school students, I want to make sure that I am applicably meeting my students’ needs in successfully executing an online education game as a part of my teaching pedagogy. The online learning game I will distribute to my students will contain a level of difficulty in coherence to their level of understanding of the subject. Balancing entertainment and instruction within the online game is a must. I want my students to have fun, yet learn. In addition, feedback is important in any learning environment. It provides students, as well as teachers, an assessment of their strengths and weaknesses as learners. Revisions such as these will help me grow and flourish as an educator. Teaching online learning will, without a doubt, be such an experience for me as a future educator.