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InternetSafety

Page history last edited by kekelly@ufl.edu 13 years, 9 months ago

RJP 

Internet Safety

 

The media is filled with reports of problems with internet safety and children.  In a report however, resultant from a “task force created by 49 state attorneys general to look into the problem of sexual solicitation of children online concluded that there really is not a significant problem” (Stone, 2009).  In the cases that do exist, the report said, “teenagers are typically willing participants and are already at risk because of poor home environments, substance abuse or other problems” (Stone, 2009). The report did conclude that bullying among children, both online and offline, “poses a far more serious challenge that the sexual solicitation of minors by adults” (Stone, 2009).

 

 This report and its’ findings was disputed by the Connecticut attorney general however, who interestingly was a member of this task force.  He stated that the report “downplayed the predator threat,” ” (Stone, 2009), relied on outdated research and failed to provide a specific plan for improving the safety of social networking.  He further accused the social networks of “facilitating the activities of pedophiles” (Stone, 2009), and accused them of ignoring the need protecting our children with the improved development of blocks.

 

Ash reports that “blocking Web sites with heavy filters or using scare tactics to warn students about the dangers of the Internet are methods that simply don't work, and that even prevent students from engaging in valuable educational opportunities” (Ash, 2000, pg. 27).  She further explains that a more impressive approach is to provide students with more intensive and accurate information arming them with knowledge to make better internet decisions. "We need to get to the kids because the kids are the ones that are on the cutting edge of all the technology-long before their parents ever know about it," she says. "They're their own first line of defense" (Ash, 2000, pg. 27).   

 

In a study by Dowell et.al. involving 404 public and parochial school students with a mean age of 12 years, one-third to one-half of the students “reported the beginnings of high-risk Internet behavior, specifically, giving out personal information, using the Internet to harass or embarrass another person, and for a small number of students, chatting with strangers and starting relationships (2009, pg. 547).  They also found that “students who posted their picture online were more likely to have sent their picture to someone, made rude comments to others, played online jokes, harassed or embarrassed someone, and sought out pornographic sites (Dowell et.al, 2009, pg. 547).  Almost all of the students reported having encountered bullying via the internet.

 

Killeen supports the idea of providing children with the information on internet safety and good decision making while they’re in safe surroundings in order to provide them with the tools when they are online without supervision.  She proposes that teachers and librarians “do not need legislation to make us teach the skills”… they “just need good materials to do the job” (2009, pg 74).  Her recommendation is ”those making money from the Web should provide these materials” (2009, pg 74).  This is an excellent recommendation for companies to capitalize upon in order to develop loyal customers today and for the future.

 

Ash, K.  (2000).  First Line of Defense:  Internet-Safety curricula emphasize students’ role. Education Weeks Digital Directions.  Winter 2000.  

http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/hww/results/external_link_maincontentframe.jhtml?_DARGS=/hww/results/results_common.jhtml.42

 

Dowell, E., Burgess, A., & Cavanaugh, D.  (2009). Clustering of Internet Risk Behaviors in a Middle School Student Population.  Journal of School Health. November 2009.  79(11).  American Shool Health Association.

http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/hww/results/external_link_maincontentframe.jhtml?_DARGS=/hww/results/results_common.jhtml.42

 

Killeen, E. (2009).  Internet Safety.  TEACHER LIBRARIAN 37:(2)  

http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/hww/results/external_link_maincontentframe.jhtml?_DARGS=/hww/results/results_common.jhtml.42

 

LaGesse, D. (2008).  Four Downloads That Can Protect Your Kids.  US News and World Reports.  April 1, 2008.

 

Stone, B.  (2009).  Report Calls Online Threats to Children Overblown.  The New York Times.  January 13, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/14/technology/internet/14cyberweb.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=internet%20safety%20children&st=Search

 

 

 

Stephanie K.

 

CyberBullying

Throughout my program at UF I have been taught how to handle bullying situations within my classroom, but I've never been taught how to handle Cyber bullies.  This term refers to when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones.  This is becoming an issue more and more in our culture because of the influence technology has on our lives.  Although it is prevelent it is hard to say what a teachers role in cyber bullying is.  When things are happening within our classroom it is pretty straight forward how we handle things, but how does that change with the bullying is happening after school hours or off school property.  It is hard to say at what point the school is over stepping its boundaries and impeding the childs free speech right.  After reading through the Stop Cyberbullying website, I think parents should be the govenors of their children and their internet use.  A parents role is to protect their children and they should be the ones to help their children in a cyber bullying situation.  Because of the limitations the school has when things are happening outside its four walls I think it would be best if teachers atleast discuss the seriousness of cyber bullying with parents.  I think there should be open communication between the school and parents that way a school never has to overstep its boundaries in order to punish cyber bullies. 

 

Resources for Teachers to provide to parents

http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/prevention/parents_role.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmD8OKl8vVM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa6Vxc4cB2w

 

 

Internet Safety

 

David P.

Here are some valuable resources I found regarding internet safety for children.

 

  • NetSmartz is run by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. What I love about it is that there are different sections for kids, teens, parents, and educators, and law enforcement officials. This makes NetSmartz the go-to internet safety site for everyone. The educators portion provides materials such as presentations, handouts, lesson plans, videos, and hands-on activities for the classroom.
  • SafeKids is one of the oldest sites of its kind. The creator was the author of the 1994 brochure, "Child Safety on the Information Highway." The website uses a blog format to share news pertaining to child safety.
  • PBS Kids - Get Your Web License is an interactive quiz game that allows kids to learn about what's right and wrong on the internet. Once everything is completed, kids receive their "web license."
  • AT&T Safety Game is a similar game for kids, in which Captain Broadband must look for the bad guy. In each building Captain Broadband goes, he must answer another question about internet safety.

 

Godswill Ulieme 6/8/10

Children should not be allowed to use the internet without a lesson on how to stay safe on the internet by their teachers or parents. Below are some links to some websites that discuss this issue.

 

Internet safety for the whole family: ‘safeeyes’ is a software that manages family internet interactions. It protects the family from harmful online content and keeps the family informed of all web activities.

http://www.internetsafety.com/index.php

 

PureSight Online Child Safety: This is a website that empowers parents to get involved in their children’s internet activities.

http://www.puresight.com/index.php

 

Disney Online Safety: Online video that advices parents on how to keep their children safe on the internet.

http://home.disney.go.com/guestservices/safety

 

WiredSafety: This website focuses on internet safety, help and education resources for internet users of all ages.

http://www.wiresafty.org

 

 CyberBullying 

 

Holly W. 6/4/10

 Internet safety and cyber ethics are important to consider when beginning to think about bringing the Internet into the classroom. I believe that the Internet can be an extremly valuable tool in the classroom. Allowing students the ability to do things unthinkable before. Before any student has access to classroom computers I believe there should be an Internt Safety Contract of some sort that students and parents should sign. The following links are also useful resources to review when discussing Internet Safety and Cyber Ethics.  
Cyber Ethics for Kids
Know before you go into Cyberspace. This page includes rules for Cyberspace and a good Cyberspace citizen quiz. 
Just for Kids: Kid Safe Site

Includes information on cyber ethics, as well as links to safe and entertaining links for kids. 
Internet Safety
ikeepsafe.org Games, Videos, and more about playing safe on the internet
Internet Safety Tips
Safety tips for using the Internet from the F.B.I
Parents Guide to Internet Safety
KidsHealth: Internet Safety
Information and advice regarding Internet safety laws, protection tools, warning signs, and more. Also written in Spanish.
F.B.I.: A Parent's Guide to Internet Safety
Important information regarding Internet Safety put together by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

 

 

Kelly A 

 

 

The internet can be a safe place for students to explore as long as adults build a barrier around their use.  Teachers, parents, administration, etc. need to take the necessary measures to ensure the protection of students and their personal information.  They also need to minimize the possibility of students accessing inappropriate information.  Below are a few ways we can do this: 

 

1.      9 Kid appropriate internet search tools:

·         http://childparenting.about.com/od/kidssearchtools/Kid_Friendly_Search_Tools.htm

2.      Search engines and browsers created specifically for kids.  Teachers and parents can monitor times spent online, block sites, view activity reports, and have these reports sent directly to their email:

·         Net Nanny: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2254798,00.asp

·         Safe Eyes: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2142463,00.asp

3.      Search engines and browsers that restrict the sites available to children when they search topics:

·         KidZui: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2321732,00.asp

·         Peanut Butter PC: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2321101,00.asp

·         Crayoncrawler.com: http://www.crayoncrawler.com/community.asp

·         Arlington Kidsafe Explorer: http://www.arlington.com.au/kse/moreinfo.htm

4.      Search engines and browsers that filter the sites children can view AND offer educational search results:

·         Hoopah Kidview Computer Explorer: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2325318,00.asp

·         NoodleNet: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2256913,00.asp

 

 

 

Melissa Scotti

Here is the site/curriculum that I am always given at my school to teach my 2nd graders: http://www.ikeepsafe.org/iksc_kids/   

The kids love "Faux Paw" the Techno Cat, the crime prevention movie with McGruff, and the Cowboy Cursor interactive games.  I love to turn this Internet Safety program into a week-long segment that we refer to often throughout the year.  Even though I strongly feel that parents should definitely be involved in the teaching and learning process of Internet Safety, we have a responsibility as educators to cover it as well.  Since we do provide the kids with Internet access at school, then it's definitely appropriate that we incorporate it into the curriculum.  Make it a priority! 

 

Internet Safety by Amanda T. 

The internet has become such a vast and reliable means of communication today that the very content sometimes can be overlooked or ignored.  The internet has many potential dangers, especially to the young and school age citizens.  It is our duty as parents, caregivers and educators to provide is as much knowledge to students from elementary to high school that will help guide them through the internet.

I found a safe email that my daughter uses.  The parents have password protected control over the account. Only names on the parent approved contact list can write to their child.  Any derogatory words used in emails are taken out as well.

 Safe email

I discovered a web page that is filled with information and also games about safety for adults and also for kids, middle and high school students as well. 

Internet Safety

Ali Heasley

It is obvious that the internet is a place full of dangerous things and people that can corrupt and harm our students with the mere click of a mouse. That  is why it is our responsibility to give our students the ability and tools to navigate the internet safely both in and out of school. A great way to do this is to create a custom search engine. This is a wonderful tool that is simple to make and can control the sites that our students visit when they are researching and learning with the internet. To learn how to make a custom search engine, look in November's book. Here is the custom search engine that I created, focused on health topics for children. http://www.google.com/cse/home?cx=003888072617727952162:oh6qiybxt64

 

Teaching Internet Safety in the classroom: Matt F.

 

In order for our students to be able to use the internet and technology safely, they need to be taught some specific rules and guidelines to follow.

As I read through everyone's responses, I decided to start searching for an actual curriculum that may or may not have been developed for an educator to implement internet safety in the classroom.

 

I found many websites that offer fully developed curriculum for teaching internet safety to students.  The best one I discovered was Cybersmart. This is a K-12 curriculum that has been developed following the NETS Standards.  It also lists that the curriculum and other lesson plans, worksheets, etc. are completely free for an educator to use!  I highly recommend that all teachers take a look at this site!

 

In today's world, our students will need guidance and preparation to safely use such highly advanced technologies.  In Doug's section of this wiki, he discusses the concept of "cyber footprint" which I think many of our students have no idea what this is or how it can affect them.  I think the implementation and utilization of Internet Safety Curriculum in the classroom will help our students use the Internet in a better, more efficient, and safe manner.

 

 

Internet Safety      Rosemary Perez

 

     To promote internet safety to our students we must include the parents.  In schools, the computers are equipped to block questionable sites so the children may not have access to these sites.  When the children are at home this is quite a different story.  Parents may not be aware of what is available to help keep their children safe.  Another act that was passed to protect children was the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.  This act prohibits anyone from gathering personal information from a child without the parents knowledge and permission.

  One article that I read that included a few details on this act also gives a list of tips for parents to use and rules that parents should institute for children using the internet at home. 

 

http://kidshealth.org/parents/postive/family/net_safety.html

 

     This link/site also give warning signs children may exhibit if they have been targeted by online predators as well as the actions parents should take.  This article informs parents that they are the best resource available to their children to protect them on the internet and to keep communication open with the children about their experiences on the internet.

 

     Another aspect of internet safety that we as teachers may not think about too often, since our focus is usually children, is our own.  Our own actions on the computer can be easily tracked and we can be victimized in many different ways including financially, computer viruses, and with identity theft.  An article I read that warns of this as well as gives tips on how to protect ourselves and computers as well as the actions we should take if we are suspicious that we are being victimized are listed.  The link is:

 

http://www.nnedv.org/internetsafety.html

 

Internet safety is crucial in our classroom and in our students life. Although the school blocks most unsafe websites from our classroom we still have an obligation to teach internet safety. That is why I think a way of preventing the harms of the internet is to teach our students the right way to use the internet. We must use some of our classroom teaching time to teach our students the websites that are safe and the ways to look up information. Not only do we have to do this with our students but we must also do this with the parents in our school. That is why by using November's book I created a handout for the first days of school. It is an informative handout that teaches parents about the internet and how to keep their children safe when using the internet. The handout also provided hot lists or bookmarks for students. Ther is harm in everything and anything that we do but with education we can prevent some of this.

 

Angela M

 

This topic in particular resonates with me since I am the media specialist at the school and my professional standards mandate that I take a leading role in teach my students online safety.  According to Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning.  " The library media specialist  is a primary leader in the school's use of all kinds of technologies, both instructional and informational to enhance learning" (54).  If our professional standards state that students need to be able to use technology responsibly and safely, it is our responsibility to ensure that students have the knowledge and skills necessary to do so.  One solution would be to use filtering software ,but there is one problem they don't work.  Not only can filters hinder research by overblocking legitimate sites,but they are also not effective at blocking the unwanted ones.  After carefully evaluating a wide variety of filtering programs and research studies on their effectiveness a wide variety of filtering programs and research studies concluded that filters erected barriers and taboos rather than educating youth about media literacy and values.  Filters replaced educational judgements by teachers and librarians with censorship decisions by private companies that usually do not disclose their operating methods or their potlitical biases, and that often make misleading, if not false, marketing claims.

 

American Association of School Librarians and Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning. Chicago: American Library Association, 1998 

Schmit, C. M. (2009,August/ September).  The Library Media Specialist's Role in Teaching Online Safety.  Library Media Connection, 10-13.

 

Marie Jewett-Meilan

 

Donna Valdespino

This website has a video that teaches you how to protect your children from the dangers of the internet.  It is a 2 minute video that provides loads of information and there are more internet safety videos that follow if you were still interested in watching. 

http://momshomeroom.msn.com/Default.aspx?topicId=T3&section=episode&dataId=1201629&source=search

The FBI created these websites to education students and parents about internet safety.  For students, they have a dog named Darrell that teaches children what to watch out for when they are playing on the internet.  For parents, there is a lot of information on how to help children stay away from dangers but if they do get into some trouble how to help them.  They even offer a FAQ section.

For Children: http://www.fbi.gov/kids/k5th/safety2.htm

For Parents: http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm

This website has a lot of information for both adults and children on how to stay out of trouble on the internet. 

http://internetsafetycenter.com/

 

Suzon P. June 13, 2010

My students are adults so their safety on the Internet concerns their ability to discern whether or not they are encountering credible web sites, misinformation or hoaxes. I teach some Introductory to College Computing classes and I am more concerned with web page evaluation than protection from pedophiles. I have created a brief annotated bibliography that addresses web page evaluation. I used Google and the search criterion was; “evaluating websites" college site:edu. There are many other sites in the results that may prove helpful.  

 

Even though I have mostly adult learners for students, I do have some dual enrollees and am collecting all I see in this wiki for their benefit.

 

http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/index.html

Internet Detective is a great starting point and would be ideal for 9-16. This site covers what every freshman student should know about the Internet and how it serves college level classes and how to avoid misinformation. It is a free online tutorial that aids in the development in Internet research skills for university and college work. The site looks at the critical thinking required when using the Internet for research and offers practical advice on evaluating the quality of web sites. There are a total of 5 chapters.  They examine what advanced skills a student must have to succeed in college level courses, how to avoid misinformation, how to critically evaluate information found on the Internet, and examines issues in plagiarism, copyright, and citation and referencing. This site also contains interactive exercises and quizzes for self evaluation (Place, 2009).

 

http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webeval.html

This site covers the subject in a more academically rigorous venue.  It is presented as a checklist with references for further study. The questions that a good student should ask are plainly shown but the links provided as the headings examine each aspect more closely. I would not only recommend but assign this resource to my classes; and I would assess them on its content too. It does what the Intute site does but with more authority and detail (Engle, 2009).

 

http://www.lesley.edu/library/guides/research/evaluating_web.html

This site covers the subject in a comprehensive manner. It has examples of bias, hoaxes and misinformation. This site is most informative and is like a mini-November. It has some additional links that will serve as examples and greatly aid students in evaluating the content of web pages. It also has some information on design that will aid the student in determining whether or not the site is worth the trouble of navigating it. In a college environment, information on the Internet should be available fast. This is a very good site and I would also assign it to my students (Librarians for Leslie University, 2007).

 

Engle, M. (2009, December 22). Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools. Retrieved June 13, 2010, from Cornell University Library: http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webeval.html

Librarians for Leslie University. (2007, December 7). Evaluating Web Sites. Retrieved June 13, 2010, from Leslie University Library: http://www.lesley.edu/library/guides/research/evaluating_web.html

Place, E. K. (2009, March 28). The Internet Detective. Retrieved June 2010, 2010, from Intute: http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/index.html

 

 

Taylor T.

 

It is so important to educate students about internet safety, especially not sharing personal information. HEre are some videos I found online that you can show students about internet safety. The first one is more catered to young children.

 

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/video/Government-Internet-Safety-Cartoon/Video/201002215545169?lid=VIDEO_2186640_Internet+Safety+Cartoon+For+Kids&lpos=UK+News_7&videoCategory=UK+News

This is a cartoon you can show kids about sharing personal information on the internet, it has a super hero!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuaJcjxBK3U - is also a video you can show students about internet safety, but this one doesn't have a superhero!

 

 

___

Tracey M.

 

Norton/Symantec Anti-Virus have an entire safe family section to their website. The information is geared towards adults to tell to children, with separate sections for Parents/Grandparents, educators and law enforncement. http://www.symantec.com/norton/familyresources/index.jsp

About.com's section on internet safety offers common sense advice with links to more resources (such as filtering software) and additional readings. http://familyinternet.about.com/od/computingsafetyprivacy/a/parentsafetyg.htm
Florida is taking CyberSafety very seriously for kids, teens and adults. The state has set up a website to offer tips, what the laws actually cover, FAQs, resources and an offender search for parents. It is also aimed at preventing identity theft of the elderly. There are sections for kid and teens to work through as well as parents and the elderly. http://www.safeflorida.net/
 

 Kris Kelly

Internet Safety for High School Students

 

It is sometimes very difficult to find information on Internet safety for high school students; many of the resources are produced for parents and for younger children.  Research has shown that older students sometimes respond better to facts, figures, and real stories.  New York State’s Division of Criminal Justice Services has created a web page dedicated to sharing Internet safety tips with parents as well as sharing case stories and presentations of actual family members affected in the cases http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/missing/i_safety/videos_presentations.htm).   Another web site offers safety tips for teens http://kids.getnetwise.org/safetyguide/teens .  The FBI also has an extensive list of information and cues to look for when parents suspect that their child may be involved in unsafe Internet practices http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm.  

 

Greenville County (in South Carolina) is the largest school district in the state and the 51st largest in the nation.  They have developed policy concerning Internet usage within the district.  http://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/gcsd/depts/ets/policy/aup.asp    While the policy itself is very interesting, I find it more interesting that a list of thou shall nots is listed instead of also providing classrooms with best practices, policies, and teaching teachers how to keep students safe in the classrooms when using the Internet.

 

Education World also has information posted informing teachers and parents about how to keep children safe while using the Internet.  Stewart Crais writes the article discussing this topic and further discusses information shared through a panel of experts including: a member of the FBI task force, a psychologist, a cyber law specialist from the University of Memphis, and a parent.  This panel discussed various pertinent topics related to Internet safety and devised several recommendations that were used to form a policy. http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech218.shtml

Comments (4)

Anonymous said

at 4:45 pm on Jun 16, 2008

I think that Internet Safety is a huge aspect that teachers need to talk to their students about before they begin using the internet. Most students have not been taught the rules for using the internet and what they should not do while using it. A great website that helps students understand the rules of the internet is : http://hectorsworld.com/.
(Brittany S. 6-16-08)

Taylor Arnold said

at 7:46 pm on Jun 9, 2010

I believe that Internet Safety is something that should be taught very early on. I have had several parents comment to me, as a second grade teacher, at the beginning of the year that their children are already coming across information that they would prefer them not to see. When I asked if they were ever educated on using the Internet, the reply was "I don't think so....". I am embarrassed to admit that I assumed they were because several projects are completed in the first grade using the Internet. Boy, was I wrong in assuming!! I completely agree that the ikeepsafe.org website is a WONDERFUL tool to use to introduce students to Internet Safety. We don't want to scare them, but more or less make them aware. This site does a great job of doing just that. My students enjoyed the video with the crime dog (it brought me back to my childhood seeing him!) and wanted to explore the site even more than what I had planned!!

Jim said

at 10:39 pm on Jun 9, 2010

I really like this topic since I have two small boys who are chomping at the bit to "surf" like daddy. Well they will be waiting a while because i will be very controlled in how much II will allow them to have free range. Their time will come soon enough. Good information above. Jim Robinette

Joel said

at 9:21 pm on Jun 11, 2010

I think this topic is so important and under rated. Our children need to constantly be protected. I have two children of my own and even though they are not yet old enough to use the internet by themselves I take these serious issues personally. I too agree with Taylor Arnold in teaching internet safety very early to our children and our students.

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