“Dear Mrs. Cannon…”
Earlier this month I had the distinct pleasure of giving “A Very Social Presentation” to a group of two hundred and twenty 5th grade students (age 10-11) in my community. What a sweet and overwhelming surprise it was to receive letters, many with questions, from each of the students. Over the weekend I read through and answered every letter containing a question.
I’m not exactly sure what I expected, but their thoughts and comments are invaluable feedback and a true treasure. Some of what they had to say:
“My favorite part of the presentation was the whole thing.” – Carson
“One thing I will always think about is that people are not always who they say they are. That got to me…” – Hope
“That presentation was very long, loud and clear. It was the best presentation I’ve ever heard.” – Mark
“My favorite part about the presentation was when you told us like ‘when you get a phone, iPod, computer, iPad, it is like dynamite in your hands.’ When you said ‘you have the whole world in your hands’ I thought about that.” – Tommy
“The most important thing that you taught me was about geotagging. I knew that it existed, but I never realized that anyone can see it. I also didn’t know how to turn it off. As soon as I got home, I checked YouTube to see how to turn it off. It really helped me feel more safe about my Instagram…I wasn’t really aware of how dangerous the World Wide Web can be. I knew that America wasn’t the only country, but it never really hit me that everyone around the world could be on the same website as me.” – Jessica
“My favorite part was the questions. I liked hearing all of the interesting stories. I liked how you replied so nicely too.” – Brendan
“I did not know that it was so easy for someone to take a picture of something that you posted and share it again. I think your presentation was really interesting. I enjoyed all of it. It included a lot of information and it was boring at all. I am glad you were able to come to our school.” – Abby
With express permission from ‘real life’ Sophie (7th grade) I used an actual dilemma she was involved in via text messaging. She agreed that the way the situation was handled could be a great teaching tool. No real names would be used and I took great care in blacking them out on the screen shots, etc. As I was putting the slide together, Sophie’s younger sister (also a 5th grade student) said, “Hey, what if we change the names to famous people, like Justin Beiber, etc.” And so, “If Popstars Were Classmates” was born. It was one of the favorite parts of the presentation because it made the real-life situation more entertaining and memorable.
“My favorite part of your presentation was when you showed us an example of a personal texting situation with the celebrities. Thank you for sharing what you know about online safety with me. I know more now than I ever have about using the internet.” – Gabriella
“My favorite part of your presentation was when you showed us Sophie’s problem and how she solved it. I know now that friends might think that things are on purpose and never try to figure out if it wasn’t, and was just a mistake. I think that Sophie played an excellent role and got it done and over with in a well manner of time… I want to say good job to both of you.” – Angelina
“My favorite part of your presentation was when you put the quotes that you made up on the screen. Another part I liked was when you changed the names of Sophie’s friend’s names to singers like Drake, Miley, Selena and Justin! To me it was really funny and entertaining!” – Riley
We talked about the importance of being connected only with people they know “IRL” (in real life). It was also interesting to note that 50%+ of the students are active on one or more social media platforms. Instagram was the favorite.
“Thank you for teaching me all about internet safety. I used to follow 400 people and now I only follow people that I know. The day you came was the day I learned something very important.” – Logan
“I will also remember never to become friends with an unknown person online or ever meet with them in real life because they could be a totally different person in real life than on the computer or electronic device.” – Ava
A letter that stood out…
From a teacher…
I look forward to speaking to the 4th and 6th grades in January!
If you would like me to come and share “A Very Social Presentation” at your school, please go to the Ask J.J. tab above and leave your message.
Thanks for stopping by,
xo Jen “J.J.”
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J. J. Cannon 