Internet Controversies

There are many controversies and issues associated with using the internet. Some are of more concern to different members of the school community. Parents, for example, are very concerned about their children’s safety when online; teachers, also concerned about safety, are also concerned with teaching students to be responsible global digital citizens by adhering to protocols and laws with regard to content/intellectual property. Roblyer & Doering (2014) highlight five potential problems associated with internet use:

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1. Accessing sites with inappropriate material
2. Safety and privacy issues for students
3. Fraud on the Internet
4. Computer viruses and hacking
5. Copyright and plagiarism issues

Of these five, some will have more impact on the primary classroom and students than others. It is important for schools to do more than have students sign an acceptable use agreement form. Crockett, Jukes & Churches (2011) highlight the fact that ‘we have all become global citizens in a digital world’ and propose six main principles to assist students in understanding appropriate use of digital tools and the internet:

• Respect themselves
• Protect themselves
• Respect others
• Protect others
• Respect intellectual property
• Protect intellectual property

A solid program that is successful in supporting students to develop these principles will contribute to addressing the five potential problems identified above.

Whilst schools employ various internet filters that can prevent access to much of the inappropriate content on the internet, no filtering system is foolproof. Nor can it  be assumed that homes have filtering software installed. Students must be given strategies to deal with the possibility of encountering inappropriate material (eg close the lid of the device and tell a teacher/adult). Teachers must also be vigilant with regard to checking sites recommended to students, considering keywords students may use when researching and, in some instances, providing students with links to sites.

With regard to safety and privacy, schools must emphasise to students and parents the importance of keeping personal information of themselves and others private, particularly name, address, phone numbers, location. Schools must be aware of the potential for cyberbullying and take action when incidents are brought to attention.

Fraud on the internet is not a major issue for primary school students, but being aware of its existence will help them to understand the scope of problems they may face in the future.

Computer viruses and hacking is a real threat whenever students are on the internet, particularly when using email. Students need to be educated in recognising potential risks including , for example, not opening attachments in email from unknown senders or clicking on ads on sites. The problems these threats pose to school networks should not be underestimated.

Copyright and plagiarism is a significant problem area for schools. As stated by Roblyer & Doering (2014, p. 236) the internet is a rich source of documents, images and other resources, much of which is protected by copyright laws. As global digital citizens, students must  respect and protect the intellectual property of others by acknowledging work that is used. Students should be taught how to access creative commons materials and how to reference these and other materials. Doing this in the simplest way possible as early as possible will provide a base to build upon as students move through primary school onto secondary and tertiary education. teachers should also build into their programs skills to help alleviate plagiarism eg effective note-taking, time to become familiar with material so plagiarism is not a response to lack of understanding of time to complete a task.

References:

Crockett, L., Jukes, I., & Churches, A. (2011) Literacy is not enough : 21st-century fluencies for the digital age [iBook] 21st Century Fluency Project Inc.

Roblyer, M., & Doering, A. (2014). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching: International Edition, 6th Edition, Pearson.