Thursday, July 5, 2007

Internet Safety

It's true! We speak of all these ways that the internet can be used as a positive tool in the classroom, but we must take note of safety precautions. At kidsmart.com (thanks Josie for your link) there are some scary true stories about how kids have used chat sites and had someone "break in", take over the site, and write a tonne of profantities. I have also come across a news story that mentions blogs being used as suicide forums. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/15/scitech/pcanswer/main1209925.shtml
When teachers use the internet as a learning tool, it is important the we teach them how to use it for the correct purpose.

While searching, some simple safety ideas involve not using your real first and last name on a blog, hiding your blog from search engines, never give out personal information (address, cell phone numbers, etc). This particular page is a useful list of the reminders we should be relaying to our students. http://www.netalert.net.au/02321-Safety-Tips-for-Kids-and-Teens.pdf

I really liked "Mrs. Simpson's Blogging Policy" that Josie led us to. I notice that most of her rules are for safety, but she also includes rules such as "no chat language", and "try to spell everything correctly", which are great rules to promote the educational purpose behind the blog--to help students communicate!

No comments: