By Lynette Owens
Below is an excerpt of a guest post I did for the Washington Post today. You can read the full post @ http://ow.ly/cD1CI
The Internet has always been around as far as our children can tell. Today, as many as half of all kids up to age 8 use Internet-connected devices, 7.5 million kids under 13 use Facebook, and 30% of apps on parents’ phones are downloaded by their kids. They’re playing games, watching videos, or using Skype with far-off relatives. As early as kindergarten or first grade, they are being introduced to their teacher’s website using the PC or laptop in the school library.
We are in an interesting time in history when models of teaching and learning are being enhanced in ways not previously possible without technology. Many schools are giving each student their own device to access information, participate in courses, do research and homework, and engage their teachers and classmates. These one-to-one educational technology models are being implemented in districts across the nation.
It is safe to assume that our schools will most certainly be wired for improving learning and teaching, if not today, then soon. We expect and should continue to expect that obtaining the tools of technology are not the end, but a means to helping our kids learn the skills that will propel them into jobs and careers that will later benefit themselves and society.
But I challenge the assumption that the job of teaching kids to be good citizens of the Internet is solely within the purview of schools. Parents are most often the first to introduce kids to technology. Kids are also able to connect online both at home and at school, but increasingly in the places in between. This is largely driven by the rise of mobile devices in more and younger hands, without adult supervision. So a community approach to teaching kids to think critically on their own about what they are saying, doing, and sharing online is more important than ever.
Read the rest on the Washington Post @ http://ow.ly/cD1CI
And follow Lynette on Twitter @lynettetowens
Lynette Owens is Vice President of Global Consumer Education & Marketing at Trend Micro and Founder of the Internet Safety for Kids and Families program. With 25+ years in the tech industry, Lynette speaks and blogs regularly on how to help kids become great digital citizens. She works with communities and 1:1 school districts across the U.S. and around the world to support online safety, digital and media literacy and digital citizenship education. She is a board member of the National Association for Media Literacy Education, an advisory committee member of the Digital Wellness Lab, and serves on the advisory boards of INHOPE and U.S. Safer Internet Day.
Follow her on Twitter @lynettetowens.