There Is No Such Thing As Being Too Safe!

   Digital Safety is more important now than it ever was before. The ease of access and extreme convenience of the Internet have allowed multitudes of individuals to use it for almost anything in their lives. Digital Safety knowledge will empower individuals to safeguard themselves from becoming targets of unnecessary for situations they would never want to experience. Whether it be from identity theft through phishing and pharming or the painful harassment through cyber bullying and textual harassment, digital safety knowledge will help many people become cognizant of the signs and equipped with solutions to any of the issues that may arise. Copyright and Fair User Practice, Digital Safety and Privacy, Cyber Bullying,  Textual Harassment and Sexting, and Phishing and Pharming are five general topics regarding Digital Safety that will equip individuals with enough information to use the Internet safely. I would probably add an overview of the security features that come with the browser they choose to use: Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, or Internet Explorer. Each browser has its own semi-protection against personal information being compromised.        
     I always feel a bit overwhelmed when I think about the time when I will finally be in the classroom and am tasked with teaching my students about digital safety. Kevin Butler, who writes for District Administration: Solutions for School District Management, wrote, "Increasingly, K12 educators are seeing the need to not only utilize the Internet in instruction, but also to teach students the knowledge and critical thinking skills needed to be safe and responsible digital citizens both inside and outside of school" (2010). Younger and younger children are using computers, tablets, and smart phones and are exposed to computers and the Internet at a younger age thereby making young adults more proficient at using technology and the Internet. I fear that my lessons on digital safety will just be ignored because my students will feel as if they know better because of the amount of time they spend on the Internet. I have always believed that the most effective way to teach students lessons is to introduce and teach the information and then do activities to that present them with practical situations and allow them to choose a solution based on the background knowledge they have. NETS-T standard 1(b) states, "(Teacher) engage(s) students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources" (ISTE, 2008) and is the basic premise for my practical situations method of reinforcing lessons.
     My group was comprised of four extremely busy individuals who juggle multiple classes, jobs, and family responsibilities. Our busy schedules made it difficult to agree on a meeting time but Wiggio relieved that issue. The online meeting site allowed us to communicate with each other in every phase of our project, from planning to finalizing. It also provided us with an accessible log of all communication so that whenever any of us became confused, we would be able to read the meeting's history to answer our own questions. It was especially helpful in sharing files and ideas when creating our website: Copyright and Fair User Practice. Personally, Wiggio's e-mail feature made it the best communication tool because it was just so convenient. I received e-mails every time one of my group mates posted on our Wiggio thread and was able to respond by simply replying to the e-mail from my inbox. The elimination of the hassle of opening an Internet browser, waiting for the site to load, logging in, and again waiting for the site to load made my love for Wiggio grow. 
     This perfect assignment taught me the most valuable information regarding my Internet usage. The five topics covered enough Digital Safety information to warn me of the possible situations that may arise and effective solutions to end the situations. I am definitely a safer Internet user than I ever was before.

Reference List

Butler, K. (2010, June 1). Cybersafety in the classroom. Retrieved from
          http://www.districtadministration.com/article/cybersafety-classroom


International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) (2008). NETS for Teachers.
     Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS-T_Standards.sflb.ashx