Go Global Gadget

Grades 7 & 8 Share Your Mysteries and Fantasies Here - Let me See What You Have Written So Far

Grades 7 & 8 Share Your Mysteries and Fantasies Here - Let me See What You Have Written So Far

Creating and Writing a Mystery Story

 

Planning a Mystery Story

 

Choose the Setting for Your Story

• Where will your story take place?
• Will it be in the city where you live or somewhere else? Writing about someplace you know or can picture is easier to do. Use the five senses to help describe the setting.
• When will your story take place?
• Will your story take place in the present, past, or future?           
• Will your story take place all in one day or over a longer time?

Cast of Characters

• Make a list of the people in your story.
• The main character is most important.
• Minor characters may help the main character, or they may prevent the main character from solving the mystery.
• For each character, make a web or cluster. Develop your character’s personality and appearance. What is the motivation for how your characters act and talk?

Conflict

• WHODUNIT? What is the mystery?
• What is the problem that your main character will have to solve?
• Is someone or something missing?
• Did someone steal something?
• Was there a murder?
• Is there a secret?
• Is there an unexplained event?

Rising Action

• Rising action is the events between learning there is a mystery and finding the solution.
•  List these events in order, but stop right before the mystery is solved.
• Develop suspense with clues.
• Red herrings are clues that lead the reader to suspect the wrong person.
• At least one clue must be the key to solving the crime.

Climax

• This is the moment when the mystery is solved.

·         This is the moment for which the reader has been waiting!

Resolution

·         The resolution ties up the loose ends.

·         This is the end of the story – the last paragraph or two.

·         This tells the reader any details necessary understand how the mystery was solved.

·         The end of the story should be obvious; do not write “The End.” 

What do you like most about fantasies

What do you like most about fantasies...tell me in a few words.

Mystery of the C.I.A

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD MYSTERY

 

CHARACTERS:

Detective: Character trying to solve the mystery

Suspects: Characters believed to have possibly committed the crime

Witnesses: Characters who saw the crime being committed

 

SETTING:

When and where the mystery takes place; needs to be believable

 

PLOT:

A mystery usually includes one of the following:

·        A problem that needs to be solved

·        An event that cannot be explained

·        A secret

·        Something that is lost or missing

·        A crime that has been committed

 

CLUES:

Clues are hints that can help the reader and the detective solve the mystery. They can be things people say or do, or objects that are found that provide important information.

 

RED HERRINGS:

Red herrings are distractions or false clues that may lead the reader or the detective off track. Red herrings often make it more difficult to solve a mystery.

 

SUSPENSE:

Suspense is anxious uncertainty about the outcome of events.

 

STRUCTURE:

Most mysteries are set up the same way. The structure of a mystery usually looks like this:

Beginning: Characters are introduced and the reader learns about the problem.

Middle: Detectives work to solve the mystery by interviewing suspects and gathering clues.

End: The mystery is solved.                                                                                          

Read for class discussion this week.

“Tom you want me to pick you up some food?” Asked Mike. 
  “Sure I still got a little bit to work to do, but that’s what you get when you work for the C.I.A.,” sighed Tom.  
Tom and Mike work for the C.I.A. and are paid what might take a successful executive a lifetime to save up in one year!  Tom is a 5’9 tall computer programmer with blond hair and blue eyes. Tom is probably the smartest man alive according to N.A.S.A. research.  Mikey on the other hand is a member of the International World Peace Organization, which was founded in 2005. Mike is a funny loose kind of guy who knows when o buckle down and get serious.  Mike is pretty short for a man his age. Mickey is 5’4 with dark black hair and hazel nut eyes.

    “Hey quit eating all my fries!” yelled Mike. 
 “Well quit picking at my onion rings,” Laughed tom.  
  “Beep, beep, beep off went tom’s pager like an annoying alarm clock going off on a Saturday morning.  “Man! Lunch breaks over!” hissed Tom in anger.  
 “Oh well, you want to go out after work and get a drink a bar?” 
  “No I can’t have to work late designing a new top secret program very hush! Hush!” Whispered tom. “Alright I’ll see if Lakisha wants to go out for dinner or something,” smiled mike in a naughty sort of way.  
 “Sure you just do that. “ Tom said as he shook his head a walked off.

    Later that night tom was finished with the new program that was designed for a keeping nuclear launch codes safe and stored in a highly encrypted file that would probably take the world’s hackers a lifetime to decrypt and run the program.  “Man I’m good!” Gloated tom.  Tom shortly after words fell quickly asleep. 
 Tom’s office was more like a five star hotel that got a 30, 0000 million investment. Tom was awakened by a bang and in came two officers.

    “You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be sued against you in a court of law, if you would like to hire a attorney to see out your case you may, if you cannot afford an attorney we are able to provide one for your hearing,” Explained officer brown.  
“What the heck are you guys doing in my office?”  Cursed Tom in an angry and grouchy tone. 
 “As if you don’t know.”  Replied officer brown’s partner jay sarcastically. 
“Look. Uh, Officer Brown can you please explain to me what in heaven’s name is going on here!” yelled exclaimed Tom in frustration.    
“You’ll be taken down town to be interrogated.” Said the officer tom as put in the police car and was about to be taken to the police station.
   “Hey!” Can you answer a few questions?” asked tom.  
“Why do you say you’re going down town when the police station is up town? Huh, Huh answer that!” joked tom seeing if they would crack the officer. 
 “Oh! Yea I’m sure you’ll also want to know why black boards are green and if aliens are so smart why they always abduct the dumbest people huh?” yelled Officer Dan’s partner irritable. 
“Man, someone wasn’t loved enough as a kid,” Muttered Tom. 
“What was that!” questioned Officer Dan, 
“Nothing,” replied tom swiftly.

    Tom arrived at the city police station and was taken in for interrogation.  “Tom can you tell me what you were doing in the CIA headquarters so late at night?” asked detective Brian in a strong loud tone. 
“I told you I was finishing a program for my boss! “Yelled Tom.  
“Can anyone vouch for that?” questioned Officer Brian.  
“Yes, someone can, now if u would go on and say u get one phone call I can prove my innocence,” Answered Tom sarcastically. 
Tom picked up the phone and dialed. Ring. Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring, no one picked up. “Man where the heck is he!” Yelled Tom in anger.
    While in California, Mikey is in a plane about to go skydiving. “I wonder what Tom is doing? Though Mikey with a loud airplane engine roaring in the background.
    “Look let me go back to my office and get the contract stating that I’m employed member of the CIA. Plead Tom.
    “You’re being charged for breaking and entering and you want me to let you go get some fake proof! Not to mention the bloody foot prints leading into your office.” Added detective Brian
    “Blood! Now let me tell you I may not be the best guy around but I have never murdered any one.” Yelled Tom in shock
    “Sure that’s what all the dirty mother… ring, ring the phone rang cutting off detective Brian’s miss use of words. Detective Brian went to go answer. 
“I must be being framed.” Said Tom in his head. While detective Brian was gone to answer the phone tom crawled his way out of the interrogations room and sneaked by an officer giving him a chance to jump out of a two story window.  Tom managed the escape from the police station and headed for the CIA Headquarters.  Luckily tom knew a short cut through the ally between the drug store and the barbershop, which led into a deep wooded area, which no one ever dared to enter due to the rumor that the area was a hide out for an escaped convict which even the FBI failed to capture.  Tom knew better though, that he rumors where fake due to the fact that the CIA actually started the rumor to keep people away from the forest. Tom ran for a good thirty minutes before he reached the end of the forest and at the door of the tunnel that lead directly under the CIA headquarters. As Tom reached the door he noticed that the door was open.  Tom stopped and thought the only people with access to this door are high level CIA employees such as the head boss, agent black and himself. Agent black and Tom weren’t exactly friends or knew each other, all Tom knew about black was that he uses the many gadgets that eh designs, ever day. “Agent black and I have never met so he couldn’t have anything against me, but then again what would boss have against me.” Thought Tom to himself. “Oh well it will come to me sooner or later.” Said Tom aloud to himself. Tom headed down the long lonely dark underground passage. Tom’s cell phone started to ring as he was down in the tunnel. Ring, Ring, Ring. Tom picked up but didn’t say a word 
“Hello, Hello” said a voice. It was Mikey. 
“Mikey! Where in the world are you?” asked Tom. 
 “I’m in California on a vacation.” replied Mikey.
 “Hey I go to go see you when I get!” Added Mikey quickly.  Mikey hangs up.  
“Wait!” yelled Tom.  “Man this sucks” cried Tom.
    After spending another hour in the lonely underground tunnel he finally reached the end. Tom lifts the secret hatch and peeks around to see if anyone was out in the hallway it was empty.  Tom enters the office to find nothing but the bloody footprints leading tout of his office. Tom decides to follow them, but he knew he had to see if his boss was guilty, as usual his boss wasn’t there.  Tom heads into the lonely isolated woods. On the way, he stops right outside an abandoned cabin in the middle of nowhere. Tom knew he was most likely going to find a dead body, but nothing could have prepared him for the gruesome homicide he was about to witness. Tome put on some latex gloves and tried to pull out the knife that was planted in the heart.  Apparently the person who was responsible was a definitely sick and demented. As he tried to reach for the knife and put in a brown bag that he found in the kitchen of the cabin. Tom left the cabin and the body as fast as he could and ran for town.
    “Tom!” blurted Rico in surprise. Rico is a retired CIA personnel who sells and specializes in electronic devises.
    “I need you to run a test on this, see where it came from and who or what it belongs to,” demanded Tom.
    “No prob.” Gloated Rico.
    “Call me when you get the results in.” said Tom
    Tom goes and tries to bust the boss, when out of nowhere comes Agent Black. Tom studied his face to see that it really was Agent Black. Even though Tom had never seen Agent Black, he had seen pictures of him in the CIA employee picture album. “Hey, what are you doing here?” asked Tom in curiosity.
    “You must be Tom,” replied Agent Black.
    “Yes I am,” answered Tom
    “Oh, then I just want to thank you FOR RUINNING MY LIFE!” exclaimed Agent Black    
“What do you mean?” asked Tom
”As if you didn’t know that your so called getaway jet pack was a defected prototype, I spent the last five months in a Cuban prison for espionage. I will get you back and you will feel thirty times the pain I felt I promise it,” threatened Agent black
    Tom go away from Agent Black and found his way back to the office to search for more clues. As Tom entered his office, his cell phone rang again. This time it was Rico. “Tom, Tom the finger prints on the knife belong to you, Tom are you there?” yelled Rico over the Phone. Tom dropped the phone and went into denial. “NO! I can’t be the killer, I just can’t be,” cried Tom.
    The police barged in again. “So you thought you could get away from me did you?” gloated officer Brian.
    “It just can’t be me, it just can’t be,” cried Tom in anguish.
    “You mean to tell me that you really didn’t know?” asked Officer Brian in surprise. 
    Tom was locked up in prison and was sentenced to life in prison for second-degree murder, resisting arrest and insulting an officer. “It still doesn’t explain how he did it,” questioned Officer Brian. “Maybe he was sleep walking,” smiled Mikey.  

Jeopardy Game Lesson Plan

Name of the Teacher:           Shem Beroo

Subject:                                  Social Studies

Title:                                       US Constitution

Grade Level:                          Grade 8

GLE:                                      To review the elements and process of the US Constitution.

Time:                                      55 minutes

Allowances:

Performance Objectives:      Students shall complete Jeopardy Review games in groups with 80% accuracy.

                                                Recall facts concerning the US constitution with 8o% accuracy.

                                                Evaluate questions and generate answers with 80% accuracy.

Anticipatory Set:                   Students shall discuss their favorite game show and why they like that particular show.

Instructional Input:               Students shall be divided into three heterogeneous groups and shall be instructed of the rules and procedures for the Jeopardy game. Rules are listed at the commencement of the game which shall be visible on the Smart Board.

 

Modeling:                               Students shall look on as  teacher demonstrates how the questions should be answered and the various levels of difficulties of the questions.

 

Guided Practice:                    Students shall then go through the game. The game shall be in two parts. Each part shall last only ten minutes and final jeopardy five minutes.

 

Independent practice:           Students shall answer Final Jeopardy questions individually by writing down their response. The team shall make one wager and shall receive points based on the number of persons who answers correctly.

Home Assignment:               Students shall receive a review sheet before the exam tomorrow.

 

Closure:                                  Points shall be tallied. Students on the winning team shall receive 10 bonus points for the 6 weeks, students on the 2^nd place team shall receive 5 bonus points and students on the 3^rd place team shall receive 2 bonus points.

 

Evaluation:                             Students shall be evaluated based on the number of questions answered correctly.

 

Materials:                               Text Books, rubric

                                                Audio-visual equipment

 

Accommodations and Modifications:

All directions shall be read to students

Questions shall be read out loud.

Jeopardy Lesson Intro

EdTech Classroom Podcast

This is a cool podcast on adaptive technology in the classroom.

Here are some cool sites for you (students). You can use them in your spare time.

http://www.puzzlefactory.com/games/

http://kids.yahoo.com/games

http://www.funbrain.com/

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Games

http://teenshealth.org/teen/

http://www.pencils.com/

Mystery Lesson

This week the eigth grade students of Grambling Middle Magnet will be studying mysteries as a genre of writing. They shall be doing so using online tools such as google docs for collaborating, and the classroom blog for publishing their writings. The specific task for students is to:

1.       Join the classroom blog

2.       Get a gmail account so that they can collaborate on google docs.

3.       Learn the features of google docs

4.       Learn how to publish on a blog

These would be the tools needed by students in order to progress through the reading and writing unit on mysteries.

 

Te following is the actual lesson plan for the first lesson in the series.

 

Title: What is a mystery?

A.     Objective
Students will understand what mysteries are by discussing mysteries they have read or seen on TV.

 

B.     Purposes
Academic: Attentive Listening
Social: Using technology to Share Ideas

 

C.    Materials needed
Computer Lab

Class Instruction

Discussion netiquette
Review rules for using the lab and computers as well as a reminder of computer and internet safety

Students shall view a short mystery film and then answer the following discussion questions:

Discussion Questions (Write student responses on board)

·         What do you think a mystery should be?

·         When you think about mysteries, what comes to mind?

·         What is your favorite mystery book, movie, or TV program?

·         What do you find suspenseful?

·         How did the author make you curious?

·         What do you think makes a good mystery?

 

Teacher Evaluation

·         How did students respond to this activity?

·         Were the students able to discuss and understand the different aspects of mysteries?

 

Ryan's Lesson

Read story and be prepared to do a comprehension exercise next week.

Alone he sat as the wind brushed against the roof of the balcony where they stood. He had gone too far this time. What would his father and the others think of him now? How would he ever gain the respect and trust? This vacation was meant to be a bonding experience – a time when the men of the family would welcome the younger boys into the club of manhood. He was now thirteen and that meant that he was now a man. But here he sat alone in the cold of the wind wondering why time and time again he messed up; time after time he gave his father cause to be disappointed in him.

Three days ago he left Charlotte North Carolina for this camping trip. He did not want to go but there was no way he would get out of that one. The trip was not only about him but his father too.  The family which was made up of seven sons and three daughters had done this as a tradition. His father was the youngest of the boys and had the youngest son, Ryan. So every year he participated as a bystander while his brothers stood with pride watching their sons become men. He had longed for that day - and for thirteen years had been planning every detail of the experience.  But Ryan was not very excited. He did not understand what all the fuss was about. He was supposed to be a man but inside he felt like a boy.

They left their homes that morning with Ryan pouting all the way. Father did not mind much as he was excited enough for the both of them. Soon they were at the camp and met up with most of the men of the family who was thirteen and older. The games, the food, the stories began and everyone was having a good time except Ryan.

Now, Ryan was a very adventurous boy. He especially enjoyed getting into trouble with everyone around him. But being a man now everyone expected him to behave as such. As the laughs, the food and the stories continued Ryan wondered away into the woods trying to find some way to entertain his idle mind. He could not relate to anything that was happening and there were no boys his age there. He was bored out of his mind.

Behind the cabin where the camp was held there was a small foot path leading to the river. Ryan followed the path and before long he was standing o the river banks. He felt the water with his hands. It was cool and refreshing unlike any water he had felt before. The water was so enticing that Ryan decided to stand in the River for a little while, and then he removed his shirt and decided to wade in the water. He was having a ball and no one even missed him.  He thought to himself that he should probably get back to the cabin but he soon changed his mind as he discovered a raft tied to a tree on the banks of the river.  With a smile on his face he decided to have some fun and raft his way just a little way down the river.

It was exhilarating! The water below him, the cool breeze all around him made for the perfect adventure. He never knew he could have that much fun on his own. For a moment he forgot about his friends back at home and how miserable he was at that camp. He forgot that this was his initiation into manhood all he was and wanted to be was a thirteen year old boy having fun on the river.  As the raft moved slowly down the river Ryan thought that this was the best feeling that he has had n his life.

He had not gone far down the river when he heard loud rumbling sounds and the raft began to move faster and faster. At first he was enjoying it. He found it to be exciting and thrilling. But before long the raft started move much faster than he could control it and the noises got louder and louder. The water beneath him began to foam mad huge rocks appeared hitting the raft from side to side. Ryan was afraid! He though he was going to die. He started shouting help, help, just before the raft toppled over and he capsized into the water. He began drifting closer and closer to the rumbling sound he could hear in the distance down the cold, foaming river. Shivering and scared he screamed with all his energy for someone to help him.

The shouts of his cries echoed through the woods and made its way to where the men had gathered. Wait! His father shouted. Where is Ryan? And as the camp grew quiet his cries for help got louder and louder. His father, uncles and cousins began running towards the sound of his voice. His father shouted, “I am coming Ryan” and pelted down the hill with all his might towards the river. But soon the cries for help ceased.

“Ryan, Ryan, Ryan” dad shouted, but there was no answer. “Down the river bank” one man shouted and the men all galloped down the river in search for Ryan. In a few minutes they found him wrapped up around a log that was hanging across the river. His eyes shut his body cold and blood oozing from his nose.

Quick they got him to dry land and gave him warm clothes. “Ryan, Ryan, Ryan” his dad shouted as Ryan opened his eyes. E looked into his father’s eyes and saw terror, fear and deep love. His father embraced him and held him so close that he felt his father’s warmth.

Ryan was tired and could hardly speak. He was carried back to the cabin and given warm clothes and hot tea.  His leg was hurt so he could not move much. All he could do was sit and think what pain he caused his father. He wept bitterly when he realized he now had to take care of himself because he never wanted to hurt his family like that again.

As the tears streamed down his face he limped his way to the living room where all the men had gathered. “I am so sorry” he said. “I never wanted to scare you this way.” I am not ready to be a man.” As he looked into his father’s eyes he embraced him and said, “Father, I will never do anything like that again.” His father looked t him with tears in his eyes as well and said, “Son I think tonight you became a man.”

Ryan sat alone on the balcony two days later. Everyone was packed and ready to go back to the city. So much had happened in the time that he was there. He felt different more like a man now. He had grown so much in free days – not because he was initiated into manhood but because he realized how much his father loved him and he never wanted to scare or hurt him. Ryan shook his head as he though how differently this could have all ended. Ryan definitely learned his lesson.

 

Story Created as a Collaboration of six sixth graders..

Promoting Safe and healthy use of technology resources

Promoting Safe and healthy use of technology resources

Deborah Breda

As a graduate student who is interested in technology, I have chosen to address how educators can best promote the safe use of technology resources with middle and high schools students. Standard VI of the ISTE Technology Standards is concerned with social, ethical, legal, and human issues of technology usage. According to the Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms:1994-2005 report, the survey found that in 2005, 94 % of public school instructional rooms had Internet access whereas in 1998, only 51 % had Internet access (Wells and Lewis, 2006). Given the increase in accessibility to the Internet, teachers and parents have reasons to be concerned about students’ access to material that may be unsafe or inappropriate. According to the Wells and Lewis report (2006), nearly 100 % of public schools that have had access to the Internet used blocking/filtering software; and 96 % of schools reported monitoring by teachers or other staff to prevent student access to inappropriate material in 2005. The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) states that in order to receive federal grants for technology and e-rate discounts, the use of filtering or blocking software must be in place. CIPA also states that a policy for Internet safety must address: Access by minors to inappropriate material; safety when using e-mail, chat and other electronic communications; and unlawful activities by minors. For the purposes of this discussion,
inappropriate material will be defined as material harmful to minors. “Material harmful to minors represents nudity or sex that has prurient appeal for minors, is offensive and unsuitable for minors, and lacks serious value for minors. This material is often referred to as soft-core pornography. There are ‘harmful to minors’ laws in every state. Note: Indecent and harmful to minors material is legal for adults but illegal when knowingly sold or exhibited to minor children” (Hughes and Campbell, 1998).

For the purposes of this discussion, pornography will be defined as,
“All sexually explicit material intended primarily to arouse the reader, viewer, or listener. The Supreme Court has said that there are four categories of pornography that can be determined illegal. Illegal pornography includes indecency, material harmful to minors, obscenity, and child pornography” (Hughes and Campbell, 1998).

Even with the protection that CIPA provides, caregivers of children have additional reasons for concern. According to Anick Jesdanun, in an AP news article (July 19, 2007) on Yahoo! News, one in 25, or four percent of U.S. teens have been asked for sexually explicit pictures of themselves while online. This study was conducted with phone surveys of 1,500 Internet users ages 10-17 (Jesdanun, 2007). In another recent survey, nearly three-fifths of the states responding stated that they have defined the meaning of being “media literate,” in order to ready students for the twenty-first century information revolution, but more is needed. The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) conducted a December 2006 survey of 38 states and D.C. respondants entitled, “The Changing Media Landscape: Ensuring Students’ Safety and Success in School and in the Future Workplace” (http://www.setda.org/web/guest/toolkit2007/medialiteracy/nationalperspective) . For the purpose of this discussion, I will use SETDA and Cable in the Classroom (CIC) definitions of media literacy: “Knowing how to access, understand, analyze, evaluate, and create media messages on television, the Internet, and other outlets. It also means knowing how to use these and other technologies safely, productively, and ethically” (Stansbury, 2007). The report states that 29 states said they have “safety policies and/or guidelines to protect children from online predators, to protect personal information online, to prevent cyber bullying or hacking, and to counter copyright violations. The SETDA organization also furnishes a Toolkit that provides a compilation of resources for parents and teachers about Internet safety and media literacy (Stansbury, 2007). Safety online is such an important critical issue.
My interest in the topic of Internet safety came about when my sister-in-law, Beth, and my nephew, Tyler, had pornographic material pop-up during a computer session in a public library in the mid 1990s. Tyler was around eleven years old, and he gone online at a local New Jersey town library. Tyler told his mom what he had seen. Beth spoke to the librarian and told him about the offensive materials her son had just encountered online. He explained that this was a public library and he could not be responsible for what had happened because they did not have any filters on the computers. These computers were used by adults as well, and nothing would be done. To summarize the events that followed, Beth made attempts to get action taken and was unsuccessful. She tried to appeal to the local mayor, town council, and library Board of Trustees, but they were not in favor of any censorship. Beth continued to see what could be done to prevent the unsafe use of computers by children in the local public library. Eventually, Beth was contacted by Congressman Bob Franks of New Jersey. Congressman Franks requested that she testify at a Congressional press conference addressing the danger to children online. As a result of this incident and follow up after the incident, I became aware that many of our public libraries and schools had computers for student use without any filters/blocks to protect or safeguard our children. As my sister-in-law began to educate me, I took action and checked in my local community to see what protections were in place. My local Public Library had filters on the computers as early as the late 1990s. As a parent of young children, I was comforted by this. When I became employed at a local elementary school as a teacher, I became even more aware of the need for filtering and blocking software for all student computers. I also became aware that the local County public schools require students and faculty to sign an acceptable use policy (AUP) agreement before using the Internet resources on school computers. My classes often had use of the computer lab with Internet access. I wanted to integrate technology into my lessons without the risk of student exposure to material that was harmful to minors.
After reading Critical Pedagogy (Wink, 2005), I have learned to reflect critically and to think about new ways of looking at an issue. In researching the critical issue of how to keep minors safe on the Internet, I have been faced with other questions related to my topic. Here are a few I’ve pondered:
How do we protect children from unwanted pornography without
limiting their ability to search important sites or violating their privacy?
What are some of the disadvantages to having Web filters?
Do Web filters work?
Do we want to trust software to keep our students safe?
Who do we want to teach responsible use of the Internet ?
Should students be allowed to override filtering software for academic purposes?
What should we include in acceptable use policies?
What barriers hinder schools from improving Internet security?
How effective are acceptable-use policies (AUP) agreements?

I have learned that there are advantages and disadvantages to using blocking and filtering software. This is a very complex issue. Filters can protect students and teachers from accessing inappropriate material at school. Blocking can keep students from going on social chat sites during academic time. However, these devices can also prevent students from visiting “clean”, appropriate sites if the key words in the web address (url) cue the software to block the site. Oftentimes, the administrator or information technology (IT) staff isn’t sure how to override filtering software. Tech-savvy students know how to get around the protections by using proxy servers. Since software alone cannot keep students safe while online, I think a school district should have a multifaceted approach to cyber security. CDW Government, Inc., a division of CDW Corporation, conducted a survey of K-12 public school and produced a report entitled, “K-12 School Safety Index 2007” (CDW-Government [CDW-G], 2007). When IT directors and security directors were surveyed, they shared some of the tactics that schools use to protect kids from dangers on the Internet. These included: blocking or limiting Web sites; placing computers in view of adults; monitoring Web activity; and maintaining a closed district network (CDW-G, 2007). As I thought about ways to improve secure Internet access for middle and high school age students, I began to think that students would benefit from safety education. I propose that students will be more likely to make wiser choices on the Web if they understood the dangers of cyber security breaches than if they are uninformed. If so many youths have been exposed to pop-ups, unwanted sexual harassment, and cyber bullying while using the Web, it seems logical that educators and parents should partner in educating students about how to protect themselves from inappropriate Internet experiences. The CDW-G survey reports only 8% of reporting districts provide Internet safety training to students, 15% incorporate adult supervision as a security measure, and 18% monitor Internet activity. I don’t think that software should substitute for educating students about the hazards of identity theft, physical danger, and the potential impact that can occur when students post unsuitable content on a social networking site. The student’s future academic and professional plans can be hindered if future employers access their MySpace or Facebook accounts and find material that does not reflect the image that they are looking for in future students or employees. Students recently have been known to post inappropriate photographs and digital images of themselves or of friends that might be considered pornographic. Many youth do not realize that the Internet is an extremely dangerous public forum where voyeurs prey on unsuspecting teens.
Since Web filters are imperfect, I recommend using a multifaceted approach to insuring students have safe access to the Internet. I think that Web filters should be used by school districts. Schools should have a competent and adequately staffed IT department to make adjustments and overrides when the filters are too restrictive. I think filtering is the first line of defense, but I also think that tracking and monitoring of online behavior should be incorporated in the school system. According to Dr. Steve Garner, professor at Salisbury University, EDUC 585, Technology Tools for Teaching and Learning, accountability and consequences need to be addressed in an AUP agreement. In a graduate course on technology tools, Dr. Garner taught that a school’s AUP should address a list of acceptable and unacceptable uses, copyright violations, illegal downloads, exchange of personal information, access to Internet without supervision, access to chats, access to private e-mail, access to blogs and social networks like MySpace, access to games, and the consequences for violations to the AUP. Another line of defense in addition to AUP agreements is education. Education plays a key role in safe Internet access for pre-teens and teenage students. Parents and/or guardians of students need to be educated about how to monitor students’ network access as well. They need to understand how to oversee the use of technology in the home. Parents need to be encouraged to talk about the dangers of unsupervised Internet usage. Students should be taught not to give out any personal information online. As a teacher, I will take action to instruct teens, parents, and the school faculty in order to make them aware of the benefits and pitfalls of online media. I have located several Web sites that can be helpful to parents and teens: www.ctap4.org/cybersafety/ ,www.staysafeonline.org/practices/eight.html.www.protectkids.com/youthsafety/index.htm. ,http://www.blogsafety.com/.,http://kids.getnetwise.org/safetyguide/tips/teens.php.,http://www.safeteens.org/., andhttp://www.securityfocus.com/news/10940. These sites provide information that will help stakeholders understand the critical issues pertaining to safe use of technology resources such as the Internet.
As teachers, parents, and administrators join in partnership to educate themselves and their students about the safe use of the Internet, there may be obstacles to accomplishing this goal. One hindrance to protecting youth on the Internet is that some students who are tech savvy are not necessarily safety savvy (Einsenstock, 2006). Students intentionally use encrypted abbreviations such as POS, ASL, and F2F which translate to mean “parent over shoulder,” “age, sex, and location,” and “face-to-face” meeting. Parents and teachers need to understand the millennial generation and their “tech-speak” so that they can caution youth about predators (Eisenstock, 2006). According to the CDW-G report on school safety (2007), the greatest impediment to Internet safety was “a lack of funding and sufficient staff resources.” Other hindrances enumerated in the report were hardware/software barriers, lack of user participation, and lack of defined policies (CDW-G, 2007). Students in this twenty-first century need to be able to access, analyze, evaluate, and create using a variety of media. The Internet is an essential tool in their educational arsenal. Many teachers are hesitant to venture into uncharted waters because of fear of the dangers of the Internet. Creating a positive learning environment where students can safely access educational media and incorporate the digital world they are familiar with will enhance their learning. Educators and students need to think critically about how to responsibly use the emergent technologies available through the Internet.

References

CDW Government, Inc. (2007). CDW-G K-12 school safety index 2007. Retrieved on July 26, 2007 fromhttp://webobjects.cdw.com/webobjects/docs/pdfs/CDWG_School_Safety_Index_2007.pdf.

Eisenstock, B. (2006, July/August). New media, new rules: Simple advice for complex times: parenting a digital generation. Retrieved July 20, 2007 from
http://www.ciconline.org/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=13&name=CIC0706NewMedia.pdf.

Hughes, D. and Campbell, P. (1998). Excerpt from Kids online: Protecting your children in cyberspace. Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H. Revell Company. Retrieved July 26, 2007 fromhttp://www.protectkids.com/dangers/porndefinitions.htm.

Jesdanun, A.(2007, July 19). Study: 1 in 25 youths asked for sex pics. Yahoo!®News Retrieved July 20, 2007 fromhttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070720/ap_on_hi_te/sexual_photos_online_7;_ylt=Av%20ItYTmdQTmljWWnwMbt424E1vAI
.

Stansbury, M. (2007, July 12). ESchool News online ™: Where K-12 education and technology meet. Groups push for media-literacy education:SETDA, Cable in the Classroom call attention to the importance of media literacy in preparing students for an increasingly digital world. Retrieved July 16, 2007 fromhttp://www.eschoolnews.com/news/PFshowstory.cfm?ArticleID=7252andhttp://www.setda.org/web/guest/toolkit2007/medialiteracy/nationalperspective


Wells, J. and Lewis, L. (2006). Internet access in U.S. public schools and classrooms:
1994-2005. Retrieved July 15, 2007 fromhttp://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007020.

Teachers and Technology Equity

http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?section=2001&template=/MembersOnly.cfm&ContentID=2487

ECT 510 Post Comments Here

Click on comments below to leave your coments. This blog is a work in progress and is intended to chronicle the work that I am doing with a 7th and 8th Grade Reading class.