Since I started my new job I have noticed that I have this black and white way of looking at things. I have never really noticed it before, but at my new job, it comes up all the time. Here are some examples:
1. When my students started to come in my room, some of them went straight to google to search for their favorite website. In my eyes that is completely wrong because #1 I had no idea where they were going or what they were doing. #2 Google is not a child friendly website. I teach from my website and they only go where I want them to go and do what I want them to do. They only search on sites that are kid safe.
2. During a PTA meeting, I went to take pictures, when I came back to the lab, there were students in there unsupervised on youtube and other websites. I feel this was wrong because who knows what they will find on youtube and when kids are on school property, they should always be supervised.
3. I introduced my students to a student friendly social networking site called Edmodo. www.edmodo.com They could add a picture and they wanted to search in google for images. This was wrong because if you take google images it is breaking copyright law.
I am not so sure if I am right or I am going crazy trying to make sure they go to safe places when in reality everyone steals images from google images. A co-worker suggested that it was our job to make sure they know how to search properly because they will do it anyway. Plus, it is easier to find images on google than any other website. This is oh so true! But, if I don't teach them the rules and safety who will?
I spend quite a bit of my time also with undergraduate students who are still stealing pictures from google images. My university students don't know that copying and pasting without documention is wrong and it drives me up the wall!
I am not sure if I am wrong or right or a little of both, but thank heaven my co-worker Kathy has the patience of a saint for putting up with my rules!
