Posts
The Budd:e E-security education package was developed by the Australian Government for primary and secondary schools to help raise students' cybersecurity awareness. As a teacher, I have to say that I am quite impressed with the resource itself. It is very user-friendly and I can certainly see its potential for classroom use. It covers a wide variety of online safety topics from privacy to copyright through engaging media-rich experiences. The primary module would certainly appeal to its audience. It engages students with content through game play. My Year 3 students would love being able to build their very own Budd:e by completing the series of online safety-related tasks. The secondary module is also very good. It connects with experiences teenagers are involved in by using various peer and professional talking heads. My only real criticism of the secondary module is that teenagers might perceive it as trying a little too hard with its use of slang words like 'Toob' and 'Guff'.
But more importantly, I am impressed that such a resource exists. The Federal Government should be applauded for allocating funds to such an initiative. I wonder whether it was created in response to the moral panic regarding child safety online? A focus on moral panics can have a detrimental effect on what is being taught (or not being taught) in our schools. In this instance however, the government has not reacted to the moral panic by denying students access to online experiences, but has instead developed a resource that will help educate them how to safely navigate the online world. As Henry Jenkins (2006) argues in his occasional paper on digital media and learning - Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century, schools have a distinctive role to play in encouraging and nurturing new media literacy skills. By using resources like Budd:e in our classrooms, we can take steps to safeguard our students from the negative effects of the online world without denying them the many and varied opportunities it has to offer. Budd:e will certainly be a friend of mine.
By Shannon
By Shannon
I found this post to be very enlightening and informative. I come from a library background and I was not aware that a program like this existed.
ReplyDeleteAt first glancing at this post I did not really understand what it was all about. I explored the Budd:e site further and learned more. I totally agree that this is a great program for the government to fund and back. Your questioning of the catalyst for this program is completely justified and it is more than likely that it has been implemented due to panics from parents, schools, governments and communities. I think that it is great that they are trying to re-educate youth on safe practices in the online world and not just denying them access. Chances are that youth will still access the internet and especially if they were told they couldn’t.
In my information studies I have learned that a part of being in the information profession is having the skills to teach others how to learn and how to give people the tools to navigate information. I think this applies to teaching youth in schools. The Budd:e program gives students the tools and the information on how to safely use online spaces and use them to their benefit. Giving youth the tools to learn gives them the chance to be creative and to be active participants in their learning and the Budd:e program allows them to do this.
By Nova Watson