Inetnet Safety

1. What article did you choose to read for your fourth article?
I read the article by William C. Porter called "I Have a Question."
2. What were the most important things you learned from the readings?
I learned ways that parents can protect their children. They need to learn about the technology, place the technology in public places and be involved. If you know you can share everything you do on the internet with your parents then the chance of you doing something objectionable drops because you always have a measure of the acceptability of what you're doing.
3. How will what you have read influence your actions as a parent and/or teacher of children and youth?
I will never let my children have a computer in their room. It just does not make any sense to take the chance that they will get into a situation and not tell me. It is very easy to block the content of websites, and if a parent does it before the child had a chance to stumble upon the material then the ouch will be less later.
4. How can you use what you have learned from the reading to have a positive influence on family and friends?
I am involved a lot on the internet. I have a few forums I post to, as well as the social networking sites. One thing I will do is that if I see children getting onto those type of places when they are underage I'll mention it to their parents. It is not a bad thing, but parents need to be aware.