Frontline Video Reaction

     The Frontline video was very informative and interesting. The video showed me just how much of a role technology, especially the internet, is playing in the lives of young people. Most young people surround themselves (for many hours) with technology; They see technology as an outlet where they can be themselves. With so many students using the internet and other forms of technology in their daily lives, why not use technology to educate students and help them learn? The internet and other technologies are not going away, they are not a fad, so we must try to adjust our lives and our teaching styles to incorporate technology. I think that technology can be a blessing to the educational world, if used to help foster knowledge and understanding. It is important that we as future teachers try to use technology to gain the students' attention and help them get excited about learning. We should not and cannot expect students to want to sit through 7-8 hours of schooling each day without any use of technology. I think that when technology is brought into the classroom you will gain students attention and peak their interest. (Along with integrating technology into the classroom, it is always a good idea for teachers to explain how to use the internet and technology properly and safely.)

     I think that in certain areas the internet can be a blessing and in certain areas it can be a bit of a curse. I found it to be really disturbing to see that kids are searching the internet and forming weblogs about how to stay anorexic or how to kill themselves. I think that the internet, in some respects, allows children to feel even more indestructible than they do in "real" life. Online, students can cyber-bully and gossip about one another without the same fears as they would have offline. It is scary to think that some of my own students may be crying out for help, and I would never even know it (and for the most part neither would their parents). I do not know if there is really any way to help a child who does not let you in, but I would try to stay in touch with my students and make them feel comfortable to talk to me if they ever have any problems. Although technology (especially the internet) is not perfect, I feel that the good that can come from technology far outweighs the bad.