It's+Private

The issue of privacy comes up quite a bit with Web 2.0. Last year I was visiting my brother and his family back home. His eleven-year-old daughter had recently received an iPod touch for her birthday. I thought nothing of it. She switched back and forth from song to song and game to game. I was a little bothered by the lack of socializing with the family, but it wasn’t until later that I was frankly shocked. Before I went to bed, I checked my phone to see if there were any emails I had to answer. In my inbox, I found a friend request from my eleven-year-old niece on Facebook. Was she old enough to use this tool? I really did not think so, but it did not matter what I thought. I confirmed her to see what kind of friends she had and really to see if her mother or father were in the pool of her online friends. They weren’t and I challenged my brother by asking him whether or not she was ready to handle this responsibility without a little guidance. My brother assured me he was watching over this new journey of hers and it was a day or two later when both of her parents were friends with her online as well.

Whether or not an eleven year old is ready to jump into Facebook is not the point. What is the right age for anyone to jump into a social network? When young or old students alike take the leap into the world of Web 2.0, they need some guidance. I know I needed help and still do. Before you put yourself out there, you need to try to protect yourself and your information. First, parents not only have to understand the risks, but help their children navigate these issues. As a backup, it is my job as a teacher to help students understand the risks involved with privacy online. Even with the strictest privacy settings out there, leaks will happen. We can only reinforce the ideal of responsible digital citizenship through reminders and modeling respectable and appropriate use.

Connect Safely (2011). //Recommended facebook privacy settings for teens.// Retrieved February 12, 2011, from: []

Educase (2010). // 7 Things You Should Know About **Privacy** in **Web 2.0** Learning Environments. . // Retrieved February 12, 2011, from: []

__Words from Micah:__ Social networking is something that is here to stay and is starting at a very young age these days. My best friends sister lives under his care. When we are at their house she is on her phone with texts and her computer with facebook and myspace. What I find scary is that she will start talking to boys that she meets on the internet and through "friends of friends." It would be easy to meet a predator this way. It is really easy to end up with a lot of friends that these teen really don't even know. Many of these teens have no idea that their behavior is dangerous. It is important for parents and teachers to inform teens/children of the possible dangers.

__Dawn Sharp__ This was a great article packed full of good information. My husband and I have struggled with the question, if social networks and phone texts are dangerous for teenagers. This article showed me that with supervision and guidelines teenagers are able to participate in social networks and are some what protected from predators.