Values and Technology

I would like to begin by stating that I am not against technology. However, as an educator, I think it is my responsibility to help students understand how to decipher and utilize the information they receive so freely with technology.


As I was reading Born Digital, I was happy to see that this was an issue discussed within the book. “We need to help kids understand the line between activities that are part of healthy experimentation and activities that constitute risky behavior, just as parents have done for their children since the dawn of time.” In other words, it has always been the responsibility of the caretakers to make sure the child was safe and knew the rules to any new experience.

Unless taught, it is very easy for students to assume that any information available on the "Net" is accurate information. This is concern one. We must guide students to understand the different forms of information available to them and how to distinguish between those types of information. There will be sources of accurate information that is proven through reliable sources. However, there are also a wide variety of opinion sites that look like the real thing. These sources are not invaluable to the student because they offer a look into the perspectives of others on the given topic. The authors of Born Digital, stress reasons for more supervised instruction and conversations with students regarding the different types of information. By not incorporating this kind of instruction to students, we are setting them up for falling into the trap of relying on inaccurate information.

Another issue of concern for using technology involves the accessibility of "cutting and pasting" from different sources available on the "Net.” This is not a new problem, it has just become easier for students to take from others and deliver it as their own thoughts. As an educator, it is my job to make sure that students can take the information and use it to create their own thoughts in regards to the topic. Discussions of copyright and plagiarism must extend to the sources of information available on the "Net.”
The bottom line is this; we must teach our students to value the opinions of authors, distinguish between reliable an unreliable sources, and most importantly to take that information and think for themselves!