Technology coursework increases

The School of Education has increased its coursework for future teachers focusing on privacy, cyber-bullying and electronic plagiarism, Anne Leftwich, an assistant professor in the school, said.

“I think it is important because students and parents aren’t aware of the issues out there, and the school is held responsible,” she said. “It is such a new issue. We have to educate the populace that the information stays out there even if they delete it.” 

College and high school students aren’t the only ones spending time online.

Thirteen percent of children 8-years-old and younger have spent time on social networking sites and other virtual worlds, according to Common Sense Media’s
October survey results.

“Students can also easily and unknowingly divulge personal information online, and teachers need to be able to protect them, since the teachers are requiring their students to be online in the first place,” said Jake Summer, a sophomore math education major.

In Leftwich’s Using Computers in Education course, students learn how to effectively integrate technology into teaching activities.

“We spend a week on Facebook and how to protect your identity as a teacher because teachers are fired or suspended because pictures of them drinking or in provocative outfits are online,” Leftwich said. “It is difficult for them. It is almost like getting a misdemeanor.”

Summer said the class is helpful for people learning how to protect their own digital identities.

“In this class, each student has to come up with their own personal teacher website, as well as an electronic portfolio of videos and presentations that they can use later as teachers,” he said. “The class also stresses safety, dedicating two weeks of lessons to the topic of Internet etiquette and cyber-bullying prevention. The topic of technology in the classroom is a very prevalent one.”

With the addition of technology and Internet use in the classroom, the coursework increase concerning online identity protection is inevitable, Summer said.

“This increase in teaching about the Internet is definitely a result of how absolutely unavoidable and prevalent the Internet is within our culture,” he said. “With online classes, electronic submissions of assignments, as well as the invention of search engines, students are essentially required to be online at least part of the day.”

However, this increased Internet usage in schools has been accompanied by other changes, as Summer said he is definitely noticing an emphasis on internet safety and how to protect one’s identity online.

“In all of my education classes so far, there has been a lecture dedicated to how the Internet is affecting classrooms now,” he said. “There has been teaching specifically about cyber-bullying in multiple classes, as well as how to avoid plagiarism. We have also had lectures about teachers’ use of social media and had to go through our personal accounts to make sure they would be appropriate for our futures as educators.”

IU does a good job in preparation through coursework, field experience and student teaching, Leftwich said.

“The increasing use of technology makes it more readily available in schools and at home, and people need to make sure they are prepared to embark in a digital world,” she said.

Summer said he agrees that with technology’s help, people will be better prepared to protect their online identity.

“I think the ultimate goal of this incorporation of technological safety and etiquette coursework is to help keep students safe and provide the best possible environment in which they can learn,” he said.