Journal #7

Bree Colwell
Journal #7

“Should schools regulate offsite online behavior?” was published in the March 2007 “L&L” by ISTE and it was amazing. There are two sides to every story and this is no different. Nancy Willlard spoke on the yes side stating that cyberbullying over flows into the classroom and makes the learning environment hostile and the students feel unsafe. Lynn Wiettecha spoke on the no side stating that teachers already have a long list of responsibilities with the state standards and is it realistic to ask teachers to take on another responsibility. Lynn made a very good point about teaching children to look both ways before crossing the street, it is not reasonable to expect the teacher to walk everywhere with the students and assist at all street crossings. I personal feel that offsite online activities should fall on the parent’s shoulders.

1) How would teachers monitor offsite online postings?
If the school district is having difficulties with cyberbullying, then the school should hire a professional computer person to constantly monitor the websites. It is amazing how knowledgeable the students are with computers.

2) Should students be responsible for solving situations that happen online?
I feel that students learn how to handle situations that occur outside of school. Parents should be involved with their children so they know if there is a problem with classmates. Learning how to handle yourself is a part of growing up.