Growing Up Online Video Response

Growing Up Online
Chapter 1: Living Their Lives Essentially Online
Chapter 1 was mostly about introducing the audience to the three different children who for the majority have lives online only. This served as the introduction to the Internet and how it has now become the main source of students’ lives. According to the video 90% of teenagers are online.
I believe since this video has been made the percentage of teens online has increased dramatically. I think this video had a good representation of people who use the internet, although I think the result would have been more accurate had students from other cities and schools been interviewed.
Chapter 2: A Revolution in Classrooms and Social Life
Chapter 2 talked about how technology was necessary in school to keep students’ interest. The Internet and the rising popularity of online communities force teachers to become entertainers of the classroom. Teachers today use a new wave of technology that includes using Smartboards, giving lectures on podcasts and even conducting whole lessons while students sit at computers.
The idea that schools are teaching mostly by using technology is quite different than my own schooling opportunities. I think going into a technology savvy classroom to teach would be quite challenging currently because I do not know how to use technologies other than the internet. However, I do believe it is necessary for teachers to learn how to integrate technology into the classroom because I think it is the future. Classrooms will only continue to advance in the types of technologies used to assist learning.
Chapter 3: Self Expression, Trying On New Identities
This section of the video was about how the Internet can be used as a method of escapism. Online one can be a different persona. The Internet allows for students to create a new identity because the perceptions of people can be changed.
Although the idea of being another person online sounds nice, it can be quite dangerous. I believe all people should be able to find an environment where they can be themselves without shame or embarrassment but many times if these environments are online people do not know exactly who they are talking with. Creating a new identity online is okay if used appropriately and people do not share personal information that might put them at risk.
Chapter 4: The Child Predator Fear
The Child Predator Fear is the fear parents have that their children are being solicited online. Parents fear that their children are being exposed to sexual predators and other dangerous being that would risk their safety. In actuality about one in seven students have been solicited online. However, these interactions have been mild and in these cases the students were actively participating and encouraging the interactions.
I think parents do have something to be worried about when their children are online to some extent. Parents should definitely sit down with their children and talk about what information should and should not be shared online. Then it is the child’s responsibility to talk and not talk to certain people. Basically everyone including children need to be careful about who they talk to and what they share online because if you are going to use the Internet then you are at risk.
Chapter 5: Private Worlds Outside Parents’ Reach?
This section was about how children are able to live completely different lives that their parents do not know about while online. Online children are able to be their real selves. One girl was anorexic and was learning about how to live an anorexic lifestyle without her parents even knowing.
Hearing about the different lives young children live online that are completely separate from their real lives was mildly disturbing. I understand the Internet can be a completely different world for some people, but I feel like at some point it is the parents’ responsibility to make sure their kids are not doing something dangerous or risking their lives. Perhaps the Internet is too private and there are too many loopholes children can go through today that can limit what their parents can see. If parents themselves cannot monitor their children, then, maybe the internet should become more of a public domain, where everything is open to the public’s eye and there is no way around things online not being accessible.
Chapter 6: Cyberbullying
Chapter 6 of this video was about cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is trading insults, teasing, and making fun of others online. The effects of cyberbullying are illustrated through the case of a teenage boy who committed suicide after being taunted by a girl and befriending another boy who encouraged suicide.
I thought this section of the video was the most interesting. Cyberbullying has always been an interesting topic because it is so serious. I think passing laws such as Megan Meier’s Cyberbullying Prevention Act are extremely necessary especially with the increasing popularity of the Internet among teenagers and young adults.
Chapter 7: Updates
The last section of the video was an update of where the three main people are in life now and how the Internet is used in their lives today. I thought the updates section was interesting to see how one can be so reliant on the internet and then all of a sudden stop using the internet and technology all together. It was also interesting to learn how the girl has learned how to manage use of the Internet so that she can still have her social friends while also not going overboard and risking suspension.