Safety First!

Before we can begin to teach and assess our 21^st Century students using Web tools, our students must know how to use the Web and technology safely and responsibly. If your school has already implemented the use of technology, your students may already have this knowledge. If you are at the beginning of this journey, it may be your responsibility as a classroom teacher to teach these critical skills. Many students are familiar with if not experts with technology. However, they may or may not come to you knowing how to use technology safely and responsibly. These skills are important not only as the students use technology for academic reasons, but as they continue to use technology throughout their lives for various purposes.                                                                                                                                                           

 The way you teach acceptable use can build a sense of responsibility, community, collaboration, and safety in your classroom. If age appropriate, the year could begin with groups of students researching and presenting information about safe and responsible use of technology and the Web. The students could work collaboratively with their group, each student having a specific job. The students could use various resources such as the Internet, books, articles, parents, police, and the school’s Acceptable Use Policy. This activity can cover state standards, get the students using technology, and start the year off with a sense of classroom community. If the groups work together effectively, the groups may be used throughout the year to complete collaborative projects using Web tools. This activity also gives the teacher an idea of how the students work together and what problems may need to be addressed early on.

                Using the Web gives students the opportunity to connect with many different people around the world and use various resources to gain knowledge. Unfortunately, our students are extremely vulnerable to exploitation and harm. It is critical to give students guidelines so that they communicate safely and appropriately. There are many warning signs that your student is communicating with an online predator. Teachers, parents, and students must understand and be able to detect these warning signs.

Children and teenagers are naturally curious, and with the plethora of information available, students must know what sites are legitimate.  Our students must learn how to tell if a site is legitimate and if it contains trustworthy information. Our students must also know what sites are appropriate. Most schools have a filter that blocks most inappropriate content, but they can never be trusted to block all inappropriate content. While we can give our students guidelines, close monitoring is still a must.

There are many resources that give information on internet safety and acceptable use. Here are just a couple:

Internet Safety Guide

Internet Safety Policy and Acceptable Use Policies