In class today, Jesse Miller was able to connect with us remotely via Zoom to give us a presentation on topics surrounding digital literacy and some of the things we may need to look out for as educators. Jesse was very well spoken and made excellent points that I were both thought provoking and relatable. Two points in particular stood out to me and those were when he was talking about the failed link suggesting violent video games spawn violent children and also when he talked about his own kids and his opinion on whether or not they should be able to access social media.

Credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/jTqg-Civt0U

I have been playing video games such as Call of Duty and Halo since I was 12. I have some of my fondest memories with my friends on these games and would not trade those memories in for anything. When Jesse mentioned how the suggestion of violent video games being the cause for school shootings is ill-informed, I was quite happy to hear that. His point about how kids in European countries and elsewhere on the globe play the same games but the frequency of school shootings being much lower was very impactful. For people to simply believe that what a kid sees on their Xbox is creating the need to commit violent acts is ignorant in my opinion and means they are probably against video games as a whole. These people are blind to the other factors (gun laws, mental health concerns) and are looking for a scapegoat, therefore they blame it on these games. As I mentioned earlier, my friends and I have been playing these games for years and in my eyes, we all turned out alright.

The second point that was cool to hear was his opinions on his 15 and 8 year old children’s access to social media. He mentioned how there should not be an umbrella ruling for kids of all ages and that his answer would vary depending on what child he was asked about. I support this statement wholeheartedly. I believe that a kid in grade 2 has no business accessing Instagram, Twitter etc. as their developing brains do not need the added baggage that would come with those apps. However, Jesse said he lets his 15 year-old on the apps and believes its good for them to begin to learn the ins and outs of the app. This makes sense to me because in world that is seemingly moving toward being more and more digital, at some point kids should start to learn not only how to use these apps but also how to be safe on them.

All in all, I really enjoyed and appreciated listening to Jesse and thank him for taking the time to talk with us!