Teaching about Internet Safety

For the 'doing' part of the internet safety assignment, I taught my mom and younger sister (age 15) about internet safety. After talking about what they already knew about internet safety and any questions they had about it, I talked to them about all the dangers that are out there on the internet that we should be aware of. Although they already knew about most of the dangers, I think it was good to remind them about being careful with the internet.  We also talked about lots of the ways you can protect yourself when you are using the internet.  Specifically, we talked about being careful with Facebook (not putting personal information on your profile, not talking to people you don't know, etc.) and not opening emails that you don't know who they are from or what might be in them.  Also, I showed them how they could get to articles on internet safety through lds.org so they could go there if they have more questions.  Overall, it was a good experience, and I think it served as a good reminder for all of us to be aware when we are using the internet.  Lots of times, I think we feel like the problems that happen with the internet always happen to other people and we are somehow protected from everything that could happen, but it is important to remember that you need to be actively working to protect yourself and your family from problems that may arise on the internet. 

Technology Integration Ideas

There were some really great ideas presented in my group for ways technology can be integrated into lessons:
1. One of my favorite ones was to use photostory to have the children record themselves reading parts of a story so that they could hear what they sound like when they read. This is a great way to encourage the children to read with expression because it helps them to hear what their reading sounds like and help them to want to make their reading more interesting.
2. Another idea I got from my peers that looked like a great way to use technology was to use a game show template either online or on Powerpoint to make a lesson more fun. One of my peers used a template for "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," and another used a template for "Jeopardy" that she found online. I think that these templates could be used to enhance many different lessons, and it would be a really fun way to get the children excited to participate.