CyberSmart!® Videos Available on YouTube
Bernardsville, New Jersey -- August 1, 2007
CyberSmart! Education provides five free videos designed to stimulate discussion on topics relating to information literacy, cyber safety and ethics. Each of these 30 second engaging and humorous videos may be used both for professional development and in the classroom:
- New literacy skills – “Old School/New School” (30
seconds )
Issue Discussion: How often do we plug technology into the traditional schooling practices? To what extent should technology complement or replace traditional practices? For example, how does technology impact the way cursive writing is taught and used? Consider situations and suggest courses of action where traditional practices are impacted by technology.
- New literacy skills – “Cut and Paste – What a Waste!” (30
seconds)
Issue Discussion: Before the Internet, just the process of finding good information to complete an assignment was a major undertaking. Now, it’s “cut and paste” from a mound of online information. Is there any value to “cut and paste” research? How might students be encouraged to critically evaluate and creatively analyze and use information? What kinds of school assignments would encourage this?
- Online Safety – “Supervising Cyberspace” (30 seconds)
- Online Safety – “Suited up for Cyberspace” (30 seconds)
Issue discussion (3 & 4): Is there a better way to prepare students to be safe online other than “strapping them in” and providing a filtered, supervised use environment? To what extent can families and teachers effectively and realistically supervise students’ online activities?
How can schools help students learn and apply the skills and ethics necessary to use the Internet responsibly and safely; given that students’ home use of the Internet is often unfiltered and unsupervised? (One way is to teach the critical thinking skills necessary to help empower positive student behavior whether or not in the presence of adults.)
- Be CyberSmart! “2 Thrive in the 21st Century” (30 seconds)
Suggested discussion: What are the attributes for success in the 21st Century and how can we apply them to educating students today?
To watch these videos:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cybersmart