Today, we had a guest speaker come in to teach us about online safety in the classroom. His name is Jesse Miller and he specializes in online safety and helped to develop the “erase bullying” program. He also started a company called “mediated reality” that evolved from his master’s research. 

He began his presentation by discussing the difference between generations and how technology is different in today’s society. He suggested that in today’s time, we need to consider the quality of content we are looking at as opposed to focusing on the duration of time we spend on technology. He highlighted three major components about network citizenship which include the following: digital identity, digital rights, digital literacy. He highlighted that it is important as professionals to set up your personal and professional divides between yourself and your career. 

He further branched into the conversation about how parents view children using technology and social media. One key point he discussed was how authentic headlines and articles can send false messages to the general public. People often share their opinions without any evidence or with little evidence to state the opinion they want to hear. 

Social Media:

What is social media worth to do? Jesse throughout his presentation highlighted how companies sell your information in return to provide an opportunity. As teachers, we have to be extremely cautious about the way in which we use social media. You cannot post a picture of any student on social media without proper consent. We have a duty of care and responsibility to ensure safety with our students. I thought that Jesse’s presentation was very eye-opening towards our actions on social media and how we need to be aware of how we are perceived by the public. I think moving forward I will continue to be mindful of my digital footprint.

After his presentation, we had the opportunity to practice our video editing skills on iMovie. Click on the video below to see how I used the green screen feature to put chickens in the ocean!