Google and Online Etiquette

I am a promoter that online etiquette needs to be taught in the classroom before students use Google tools. When on-line, students need to learn how to be respectful of other people’s viewpoints. If they should critique a viewpoint, they should also avoid personal attacks on the person who expressed the opinion, as well as the use of profanity. I think a very virtuous argument about internet privacy is, for example, if a student reveals too much about his or her identity, such as an address or other personal information, it is impossible to erase information. Teachers and families should instruct students how to responsibly guard their on-line identities. Also, age-appropriate restrictions need to be covered extensively. Unfortunately, of course, this comprises pornography and other adult materials that can be found on-line.

            I highly recommend a couple of websites that further explain the expertise that teachers should bring to the classroom with respect to Google tools. There is a Google for Education Training Center that offers “in-depth training”, and an “official Google certification before teachers educate kids on how to use Google tools properly. Consequently, it is important to educate teachers first (https://www.google.com/edu/training). In addition, another website briefly explains some of the vast array of features that Google has made available to teachers and students alike, features such as Google Drive, which allows teachers and students to collaborate in real time on class projects, using very advanced features (http://www.edutopia.org/google-for-educators).