digital dangers.

One of the biggest deterents for teachers using and implementing technology in the classroom, is the concept of cybersafety. Too often teachers are apprehensive towards technology because of the potential dangers that are associated with it. The hype of these so called dangers create conceptions amongst teachers that technology has the potential to be deteremental to children's learning experiences. In reality these dangers are few and far between with an extensive amount of resources available to offer protection and eliminate any misconceptions associated with cybersafety. The benefits that technology can bring to the classroom and students undoubtably outweigh these negatives. The essential ingredient for anyone venturing online, whether student or teacher, is the ability to recognise these dangers and to act accordingly, therefore simply knowing they exist can provide a shield against them.


Like everything in life, venturing online dosen't come without dangers. From potential online predators to inappropriate content, these dangers are out there and your students can come in contact with one or more of them at some stage in their online experiences. However this shouldn't have any impact on whether students are provided with the opportunity to use technology within the classroom. Football brings with it the possibility for on field bullying and injuries. Although dangers are associated with the sport, it is taught and watched by children throughout the country, therefore why should something like technology be treated any differently. One of the most problematic issue associated with technology is how students portray themselves and are perceived by others online. This is often highlighted in the media through inappropriate use of social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace and is further exaggerated through the ignorance of users on these sites. Incorporating lessons into the curriculum which detail the need for students to accurately represent themselves and to be wary of the information that they put in the digital arena is the first in creating safe and conscious digital users. 


Many teachers believe they are limited in how much they can control their students online operations. First of all that's an incorrect statement in itself, controlling students online operations makes for a very behaviorist and limited learning environment. Teachers controlling their students online then gives them someone or something (the system) to rebel against. It is instead about exploring this technology together that will build a true foundation for using this digital environment. By giving the students responsibilities, rather than restricting them, trust can therefore be established. As much as many will argue students aren't all trustworthy, if you don't give them the benefit of the doubt in the first place, how will you ever know and how will they ever grow.


In turn schools have provided filtering systems that disable sites in attempts to prevent wondering eyes or potential online predators. These barriers that are put in place can be easily broken thanks to the introduction of tunnel websites that bypass these filters. So if the student is technological knowledgeable, and lets face it these days there is a growing amount of digital experts entering schools, the filters are merely a momentary challenge that they will no doubt overcome. Essentially it's about relationships with students and learning together about these online dangers. Creating technology guidelines together is a great way of involving the students in the process and alerting them to the dangers out there, as simply being aware will create a much more digitally conscious user.

"You have to deal with the behavior, not the technology" (Johnstone, 2006:34)

As previously mentioned limiting technology use in an attempt to avoid digital dangers, is a short term answer to a bigger issue. Social networking sites are almost immediately these days associated with terms such as cyberbullying, scamming and cyberpredation. We need to stop focusing on these negatives and start seeing the technology for what it really is; which is a great source of online interaction amongst students. Social networking sites, professional learning environments/networks and e-portfolios are all interactive ways of introducing technology into the classroom. Creating discussion platforms on sites such as Facebook can encourage students to interact with their peers in a more comfortable setting and can promote further and deeper thinking overall. Although it is at an educators level, the Harvard Advanced Leadership Education Think Tank on Facebook is a great example of the benefits social networking sites can have. Based on the Harvard University Advanced Leadership Initiative, this 'Think Tank' offers a digital platform for educators "to engage in the issues, thoughts, and scholarship focusing on the utilization of technology to support positive change in the quality and relevance of education systems" (Harvard University). Creating similar platforms on a classroom level can offer a new and exciting way of interacting and engaging with students, as no doubt this technology is familiar on some level to them.

“We haven’t fundamentally restructured the way our schools function.  We need to stop, take a step back, and ask ourselves some hard questions about the tenets that define our work today. We need to rethink some basic assumptions about the use of time, the structure of the school day, and how we organize our students in their learning environment. We need to move from measuring seat time to measuring competency 

Together, we have an unprecedented chance to reform our schools and drive innovation; a fantastic nexus of crisis, urgency, and opportunity. We must dramatically improve teaching and learning, personalize instruction, and ensure that the educational 

environments we offer to all students keep pace with the 21st century.   

We can get there with technology.” 

United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan