The purpose of
creating social networking websites (e.g. facebook, twitter, etc.) and online
chat rooms is to link people from all around the world together and enhance
communications (e.g. exchanging ideas, understanding others’ cultures, etc.).
However, it seems that a lot of people have forgotten the original usefulness
of online medias. Instead, the widespread use of social networking website has
encouraged the phenomenon of cyber bullying.
According to the
i-SAFE foundation, over 50% of teens have been bullied online and more than 1
in 3 young people have experienced cyber threats online. The alarming numbers have
triggered debates on whether educators should encourage students’ participation
in online learning.
Some people argue that
limiting students’ access to the Internet can prevent cyber bullying. However,
this is not an effective means to tackle the problem, rather we should be educating
young people about the right way to use online platforms. This is because the
use of information and communication technologies is inevitable in the 21st
century.
Other than educating
students properly using online media, it is also crucial for educators to
choose a safe online platform to engaging students in online learning. Here the
some tips of choosing a safe online learning platform:
1.
Networking population: it is a must to find out which other groups
of people the online platform is open to. Can adults access the whole site?
Which adults?
2.
Monitoring content: the online community should moderate the
content of the forums regularly, and allow teachers to moderate their own
students’ content.
3.
User guidelines: the online learning platform should provide
user guidelines and assistance to teachers regarding the rules for using the
learning platforms
We are a protected and moderated online learning community. To find out more, follow us on twitter and
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