The University of Oklahoma Police Department published a website on Keeping Kids Safe Online that provides parents with tips on keeping their child safe. One of the obvious tips that they recommend, that is used in every school, is the use of an Internet filter in order to filter out inappropriate materials. These filters are constantly updated but they can never be 100% in filtering inappropriate materials. It is therefore important that we prepare our students for what to do. Will Richardson states, “My students and I spent a good deal of time talking about how responsible use meant not just refraining from actively seeking out these inappropriate sites, but also reacting appropriately when they were happened upon (2010).” A teacher can be a great influence upon their students by modeling how to react and what to do when presented with an inappropriate situation. This will help to keep many students safe while using the Internet.
Many students are unaware of the consequences of the choices they make when it comes to the Internet. Edudemic posted an article called The Teacher’s Guide to Keeping Students Safe Online. This article provides many great tips for teachers, students, and parents to having a safe educational experience with today’s technology. One of the tips that I thought was really neat was about texting and doing a demonstration for the students about how texting works and how you can never really delete a text. It can always be forwarded and changed so students should be careful about who and what they text.
Nancy Willard provided four key components to consider on keeping students safe on the Internet. In her article Keeping Kids Safe Online, Williard states that an internet safety strategy should focus on educational purpose, educate about safe and responsible use, supervise and monitor, and discipline (Willard, 2002). It is very important that schools and teachers discipline students who willfully misuse the Internet in order to show to students that such behavior will not be tolerated. Students will begin to see that misuse takes away from the educational experience and the gift of resources that the Internet has to offer.
Resources:
Edudemic. (2011, 10). The Teacher's Guide To Keeping Students Safe Online. Retrieved 2013, from Edudemic: http://edudemic.com/2011/10/student-online-safety-guide/
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
University of Oklahoma Police Department. (2008). Keeping Kids Safe Online- The Police Notebook. Retrieved 2013, from University of Oklahoma Police Department: http://www.ou.edu/oupd/kidtool.htm
Willard, N. (2002). Education World: Keeping Kids Safe Online. Retrieved 2012, from Education World: http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech119.shtml