Ruley Andrea Ruley 3 October 2013 R531 With children today, if it doesnt have a screen, a battery, or interact with

you, then they arent interested. Technology today moves faster than anything that was around when I was a kid. Texting, tweeting, photo blogs, and screen time take up most of our childrens free time. We as parents and teachers need to educate our selves on this ever-changing culture, or we are going to get left behind and be helpless to our children. Growing up in this high tech world, children are more technologically literate than their parents or guardians. Children are becoming more accustom to change, where as their parents have been forced to adapt to the new found ways. This has created and imbalance between children and their parents. (Sabella) Finding the balance is the key. The phrase, digital divide, refers to the distribution of computer technology based on race, ethnicity and income. (Pirofski) I think it also can refer to the gap in knowledge or technology between student and teacher. Just like the students, if the teachers do not have access to the technology or are taught how to use the technology, how are they suppose to educate the students with the technology and educate them on how to use it efficiently. There are many gaps that need to be closed; accessibility to students and teachers at school, accessibility to students and parents at home, and the quality of technology education to all parties regardless of socioeconomic status.

Ruley The legality of technology use with minors is a tricky subject. Wavers for picture use, email set up through the school, or posting on a blog, all need written permission from the parent. Another side of the legal issue is copyright laws. Teaching a student to cite what information or image they use if it is not their own is a tough concept for some of them. Teachers need to be aware of copyright laws too. When creating and reproducing class materials, there are copyright compliance issues to consider. Make sure you understand the legal limits of how you can and cannot use or hand out materials in your classes. There also should be an acceptable use policy in place at the school. This policy is to help ensure that school technology is used appropriately and for academic purposes. Teaching students the proper etiquette when using technology can be difficult when the technology is changing so fast with new things popping up everyday. Focusing on the basics is a good place to start. Student use the Internet multiple times a day, but using it for an academic purpose needs to different. Two major things to discuss would be academic dishonesty and freedom of speech. Students need to be aware of using technology for cheating purposes. Whether its purchasing a paper online and claiming it as your own, using copy and paste to create an assignment, or using your device to look up answers during a test, it is all cheating. The other issue that seems to come up is students use that first amendment right, freedom of speech. This does have its down falls. Students must be aware that what ever they publish on the Internet is forever. We have a right to free speech, but that does not give you a right to verbally harass, make-fun of, or say things that are harmful to others. This falls under another category; cyber safety.

Ruley Cyber safety is the first thing that should be discussed before using technology at school, or at home. It is far too easy, with the programs that are out there, to fall victim to predators or young people. Teens are creating a digital footprint that can last a long time in cyberspace. They need to be aware of the consequences of their actions. They should only visit age-appropriate sites. On social media or messaging sites they should never share names, schools, ages, phone numbers, or addresses is a public setting. Everything should be labeled private and should never be shared with a stranger. Students should never post or send pictures to strangers or view pictures that strangers send to them and if that does happen, tell a trusted adult. Bottom line to remember, especially for teenagers who dont always thing of the consequences of their actions; if they wouldnt do it in real life, they shouldnt do it online. Keeping up with todays technological advances will ware you out, but it is extremely important for parents, students, and educators to stay in the loop of what is out there and be aware of the rules and policies put in place for everyones safety. It is our responsibility to do our best to close the knowledge gaps between parents and children. We just have to be open to learning new things and maybe letting our children and students teach us a few new things.

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