Safety with using not only blogs but the internet as a whole is important to our students and to ourselves. Students can be get into trouble with sharing personal information but we can get in trouble with things such as credit card fraud.
It is important for everything to:
1. Never share personal information about themselves on the internet [this even includes their screen name or their user name]
2. Make sure that students are going to websites that are trusted.
3. If you are going to be doing something on the internet with your students, possibly do a mini lesson on safety [and trusted websites and privacy policies]
4. Usernames and more importantly passwords should not be easy for people to guess.
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This is a brief list. Can you expand it a little?
ReplyDeleteDr. Burgos
I am sorry for the brief list. I wasn't sure about how much to write.
ReplyDeleteHere are some other ideas:
1. Make sure that the students double check their Google search before they actually hit the Google button. It could take one letter to be different before they end up searching something that they shouldn't be
2. If the students ever feel uncomfortable they should tell their parents or guardians. It is important that the parents also watch what the students are doing on the internet. In a school that doesn't have a filter for their internet usage it is extremely important that you watch what website the students are going to when they are in a computer lab. It is also important for the teacher to watch what websites they go to when they are on school time as well.
I like the idea of a lesson plan on cyber safety. You could even post a link to one you'd like to try, or a few options that look interesting!
ReplyDeleteLauren,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that trying to watch what websites the students are on is important, but it is equally important to have in place a school or class policy that spells out the consequences of going to objectionable sites. This can be done by formulating a letter spelling out the policy and having it signed by both parents and students.
Dr. Burgos
That is a good idea!!! I student taught somewhere that didn't have a filter and it was tough trying to watch the students websites. I makes me wonder if they had a website/internet agreement...
ReplyDeleteLauren,
ReplyDeleteI agree about cyber safety being an issue. I've shied away from the internet when teaching for just this reason. It's easier to avoid a possibly "touchy" situation... especially with internet content, and all the information some schools block. A class on cyber safety... and on cyber direction for the student would indeed be helpful.