Four Things the Net Generation Needs to Know

As we go through the school year, we are following a certain curriculum in our classes. Whether that curriculum is something that we have helped create, or something that was given to us to follow, we know the basic topics that we are covering in our subject area. Our curriculum map outlines what we are teaching...but was isn't in there that should be?

Upon reading the article Four things every student should learn...but not every school is teaching, I find myself agreeing with the four things that Alan November says we should make sure that our students, the "Net Generation," know--global empathy, social and ethical responsibility on the web, the permanence of information posted on the web, and critical thinking about the information found online.

When a new idea, theory, method, or resource appears on the educational landscape, it is often a good idea to take notice of it, but how much we address it will often depend upon its usefulness and longevity. In my opinion, technology and the internet have long since proven that they are becoming required and interwoven with our everyday personal and professional lives. As such, it really is a necessity for us, as teachers, to make sure that we are helping our students learn to navigate the web 2.0 world.

One comment that particularly struck me was when November referred to social networking sites such as FaceBook. Just because we block them at school does not mean the kids are not going to use them at home. Now, I don't think that means we need to open up any and every website for their unsupervised use at school. Yet, I often think that we should allow them more access in general while at school, so that we can help and guide them in responsible internet use. We shouldn't be banning everything in a preemptive strike to keep them safe. We should proactive showing them how to use it safely...and there is a difference!

The permanence of the information posted on the internet is still something that I find myself having to think about some days. I remember being surprised when I first learned that "the Internet" is being archived nearly continuously. It's similar to the tangible items of diaries and photographs. If you don't want someone to see it, don't write about it or provide evidence. The same is true of the internet. I can even see making the parallel with the tabloid magazines and TV shows. Those celebrities sure don't want all those personal photos and videos surfacing, but...if you make them, and leave them laying around, you never know who will find them and what they will do with them!

Critical thinking about the information on the internet is SO IMPORTANT! All through this class, we have been bringing up the idea of Wikipedia and how inaccurate it sometimes is. We OWE it to our students to emphasize the idea of checking their information, and looking at where/who it is coming from. One of the best things about the internet is that everyone can contribute. Yet, one of the worst things is that everyone can contribute! Take what you read with a grain of salt, if you've only seen it one place, and it doesn't look like a very reputable site.

And finally, global empathy. This is the skill that seemed most easily addressed in my class, as a foreign language teacher. I am constantly trying to relate my experiences in other countries and with other people to my students' lives, and make them aware of those differences. And any time I get a foreign exchange student in my class, I make sure that we ask them about customs and concepts in their home country. Allowing for, knowing about, understanding, and embracing differences between cultures is so important anymore, and will help students so much in their lives and future careers. I think that this is the skill I would most like to try and find web 2.0 tools to help integrate more into my classroom next year. Perhaps we could pair with a classroom in a different country and share blogs or voicethread commentary on certain customs. I could also see exchanging pictures on Flickr or creating a wiki where two classrooms could share their views side-by-side.