Online Safety
Ten Tips for Teachers About Online Safety:
- Model positive ways to use computers and the Internet.
- Teach your students how to use the Internet safely, wisely, and efficiently.
- Your Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for school technologies should include rules relating to the use and distribution of personal information such as passwords and usernames, sites that can be visited at school, instant messaging, downloading of software and attachments, and use of school e-mail accounts.
- Make the consequences for breaking the rules in the AUP clear.
- Supervise students during their online activities. Make sure you can see all computer monitors.
- Keep up an on-going dialog with your students about their computer and Internet activities at home and school.
- Check with your technology coordinator or school administration about any safety measures in place to protect students, such as firewalls.
- Instruct your students to let you know immediately if anything they find online or receive through e-mail or instant messaging scares them or makes them feel uncomfortable.
- Teach your students how to identify and avoid dangerous situations on the Internet.
- Encourage your students to learn about the Internet through Packetville activities and lessons.
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Problems with email, text messaging, and instant messaging
It's a great idea to talk with your students about their digital communications through email, instant messaging, text messaging, or some other form of digital correspondence. Whether they are using the computer, a personal digital device, or a cell phone at home or at school, they should be aware of how to use these devices safely and efficiently—and with good manners.
Make it clear to your students that they are responsible for their messages and that whatever they send will leave a trail back to them. Just as inappropriate postings on social networking sites and discussion boards come back to haunt those who are applying for colleges and for jobs, unacceptable communication can also result in serious problems.
Understanding the Message
Digital messaging is a wonderful way to communicate, but because it's so easy to use, sometimes people (not just kids) don't think before they send. Sometimes a problem can result simply because the person at the other end of the communication "takes" what is written the wrong way. Sending messages differs from face-to-face communication where facial expression between those interacting is part of the conversation. Although those writing messages can use emoticons like smiley faces, it's difficult to recreate face-to-face communication through text only—unless one takes the time to write like a professional author.
Another problem with understanding messages is that most digital messages are brief. That's good because people don't like long digital messages, and they aren't usually expecting elegantly written prose through communication on the Internet. Therefore, people reply quickly in phrases, abbreviations, and single words. The problem is that sometimes these types of messages can "sound" abrupt or rude to the person on the other end.
Responding Too Quickly
Sometimes your students will receive a message that annoys them. Maybe a teacher sends them a note about an assignment that is due, maybe their grandmother is "bugging" them about not getting in touch, or maybe a friend writes something that they don't appreciate? Instead of taking the time to calm down before responding, they zip off a quick response that they'll regret.
Web Lingo
While chat-type talk/lingo evolved because people wanted to respond quickly online during chat sessions, this new language has become part of messaging as well. It's fine for your students to use chat-talk in messaging if the people they are communicating with consider it appropriate. Sure, chat-talk is a quick and fun way to communicate with friends online, but most grandmothers, employers, teachers, and college admissions representatives won't appreciate it. For example, a teacher doesn't want to encounter the following: " hErz my report. I wrkD rly hard on it, & I hOp U lIk it." Your students need to know that adults expect good spelling, capital letters in places where they should be, and writing in good sentences.
Giving Out Personal Information/Messaging with People They Don't Know
Some of your students probably have hundreds of names in their so-called Buddy lists, and they most likely don't know all these people. The danger here is that after communicating with people they don't really know for some time, they come to think of these people as friends. They trust them, sometimes more than they trust their actual friends and family. They believe it's safe to tell them secrets and to give out personal information to these "friends." While most of these relationships are harmless, some can turn out to be dangerous. That's why no personal information or secrets should ever be given to people they've only met online. This information could be used by an online predator to track them down, or it could be used by other kids to make fun of them or bully them.
Impersonating Others
When your students are too free with giving out their passwords, others can take these passwords and go online impersonating your students. They can send inappropriate or even illegal messages in your students' names. Although some students may think of this as funny, let them know that the police may get involved.
Questions for Your Students to Ask Themselves
- Will the person to whom I am writing understand what I mean?
- Could this message come back to haunt me in the future?
- Am I too angry/upset to make a sensible reply?
- Am I giving out any of my secrets or personal information to people I've only met online?
- Am I keeping my passwords safe from everyone except my parents?
- Do I know that it is illegal to use someone else's online account and that it's not funny to impersonate someone else in my messages?
- Do I avoid chat lingo when it is inappropriate?
- Have I checked spelling and grammar except when writing a quick message to my friends?
- Am I using good manners when I write?
- Do I think before I press "Send"?
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Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs)
Schools, Internet providers, online services, and businesses often create rules called Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) for technology use. These rules usually cover the proper and safe use of e-mail, instant messaging, Websites, networks, online services, chat rooms, blogs, discussion boards, and more.
Go over your school's policies with your students and make sure they know that Internet providers, online services, Websites, and businesses often have AUPs that must be followed. Inform your students that failure to abide by the rules may result in a loss of their Internet privileges.
For information on AUPs and ideas for creating AUP lists, try these Websites:
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eBooks
Packets that bring e-books can arrive at your students’ computers if you know where to look for them and if you have the right equipment to view them.
There are now thousands of free books online. Picture books as well as reference books and novels are available. Some of them can be read or downloaded from Internet sites, while others can be read on devices such as PDAs or MP3 players. Some devices may require a reader, which can be downloaded for free from Adobe, Microsoft, or other sites.
Some readers and e-books allow students to take notes while reading, highlight sections, create summaries, look up definitions, or have the book read to them. You can imagine the possible uses for education.
Listed below are some of the sites with free books. Other sites, such as Audible, Leapfrog, and iTunes, offer books for a fee.
Keep in mind that not all the e-books on these sites are for children. You'll need to browse the sites before recommending them to your students or perhaps go to the sites and select what you want your students to use.
If you are interested in learning more, a good book on the topic is, The Digital Reader: Using E-Books in K-12 Education. The author is Terrence Cavanaugh and it's published by ISTE.
If you are looking for e-books on the topics covered in Packetville, check the sites listed above or visit Cisco Press. However, most e-books on networking, computers, and careers are written for adults or older kids.
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Safe Places Online
There are lots of sites for young people online, and it's difficult to keep track of all of them. As a concerned parent, you should be aware that some of the sites your children love may not be the best places for them. On some sites, kids may have to state that they are of a certain age, with no verification of the age entered. This means that an older person could also impersonate someone of a younger age.
Although kids are often enthusiastic about putting their information online, giving out personal information is not recommended. Many rules and guidelines relating to safety online emphasize not revealing personal information. Yet, everyday, kids go online and post what they feel is cool, for their friends to see. They don't think about others online who may have access to their information. In discussion areas, they may confide in those they consider to be their friends.
Another problem with such sites is that young people often enjoy posting information about others. They may pose as people they don't especially like and post information that is designed to entertain their peers and cause problems with the targeted individuals. They might create online "slam books" to evaluate others in their class or neighborhood. These online postings can be very hurtful to others.
Bottom line, your children's use of the Internet should be monitored. Set up rules about manners and safety online and establish consequences if necessary to encourage your children to follow them.
Introduce your children to sites like Packetville where they can have fun playing games while learning. You can also visit the American Library Association: Great Websites for Kids for more ideas. Knowing that kids love interacting online with other kids, you may want to work with a school or community group to help kids connect with kids throughout the world through sites such as Kidlink, Global SchoolNet Foundation, or Schoolnet Global.
Check out the sites where your children are spending lots of time. Decide if your children should be frequenting these sites. If you have any concerns, talk to the parents of your children's friends and work with them to help your children and their children use the Internet in safe and responsible ways.
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Games in Education
Dynamic Learning with Games
by Dr. Merle Marsh
Hold Tight to that Mouse Button
Video games as teaching tools
Games and competitions are fun and motivating. Kids could have told us that well before the digital age, for classroom enthusiasm ignited when teachers announced, "Time for Travel (the traveling around the classroom math competition) or Twenty Questions or Beat the Clock."
"This isn't school, it's fun," said the kids. Enter the computer game, an evolution of sorts from the traditional classroom game. "Cool," said the kids. Enter the video game. "Wow!" said the kids.
"Is this just a passing fad?" asked the adults.
In the early days of computer games, challenges such as Oregon Trail and Lemonade Stand captured students' attention, but other phases of computer-assisted instruction were so boring that computers in education began to get a bad name. With the advent of the video-type computer game, naysayers shouted, "Too violent. Not educational. Too solo." But those who looked carefully at students' use of computer games found that well-developed games encouraged interaction and cooperation. The content, after all, could be appealing without being violent. Besides, there was evidence that standardized test scores rose for those students engaged in game-based learning.
Just watch a group of adults being sorted into Hogwarts' houses by the Sorting Hat game on a PDA or a child taking on the challenges of an interactive game. Then envision students listening to a lecture or completing photocopied worksheets in a classroom. Unless the lecturer is a dynamic one or the worksheets are truly ingenious, games are sure to win when it comes to attention and motivation.
Perhaps that's why today's games have found their way into classrooms from preschool through graduate school and into homes for remedial and enrichment use, along with entertainment. They're not only on computers and the Internet, but also on those tiny digital devices that seem to sprout from kids.
Game-Based Learning Fits in Well in Our Digital Age
It's fast moving, interactive, multidisciplinary, engaging, and fun. Instant feedback provides rewards to motivate progress, while sound, graphics, and text bombard players with multi-sensory input. Educational games encourage learners to diverge from linear learning to learning that is not "one size fits all".
As game design and technologies move forward, few would be surprised if educational games do not claim wider acceptance as teaching tools in classrooms, businesses, and homes. The library of educational games is sure to expand so that they can be used for a multitude of purposes and for individual, small group, and large group instruction. The possibilities are limitless. Already on the market are games that allow kids to communicate with each other, games that teach dancing skills, and games like Peter Packet that have inspired learning communities.
Think Packetville
Consider Peter Packet, a game that was born when an executive at Cisco Systems asked programmers to design a video-type game for "Bring Your Daughter to Work Day." The result was a learning adventure featuring not only what Cisco Systems is all about—packets, routers, and computer systems—but also action-packed content that featured careers and community service. The game became an immediate hit with the girls and later with all students groups, elementary though college, that tried it.
The success of Peter Packet led to Cisco's development of the Packetville site (www.cisco.com/go/packetville), which opened in July. Packetville's three educational games are populated with a gang of eccentric characters including Peter and Penny Packet; Byte, Penny's canine companion; and a unique assortment of heroes and villains. Peter and Penny attempt to outsmart viruses, hackers, online interference, and overloaded systems while delivering digital messages throughout the world.
Packetville features student areas (Packet Riders for ages 8-11 and Hacker Busters for 12-14), as well as sections for teachers, parents, and club advisors. Games, lessons, and activities involve skills from language arts to fine arts to the sciences. Students take off from what they've learned in the games and let their creative juices soar. While they're learning about how to avoid a nasty virus, for instance, they may be exploring a community in India or visiting with a marine scientist.
Learning More and Enjoying It, Too
Why do kids and adults seem to learn more through games? Some say it's because we enjoy the games so much that we continue to play them. Some say it's the interaction and involvement. Or perhaps it's that we are learning at our own speed and in our own way.
Whatever it is, the latest evolution of education games is ready and waiting for us to catch up.
References:
Goss, Begonia, The Impact of Digital Games in Education, First Monday: Peer-Reviewed Journal on the Internet,
http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue8_7/xyzgros/
Freeman, Joel, Game-Based Learning: How to Delight and Instruct in the 21st Century,
http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm04/erm0454.asp
Mitchell, Alice and Carol Savill-Smith, The use of computer and video games for learning: A review of the literature
http://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2004/11/13/why_use
_computer_games_for.htm
Prensky, Marc, Do They REALLY Think Differently
http://www.marcprensky.com
Prensky, Marc, What Kids Learn That's POSITIVE From Playing Video Games
http://www.marcprensky.com
Tapscott, Don, Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation,
http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/jan98/feat_6/digital.html
Wilson, Eric, Employees discover that work is all fun and games
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/04/
1059849328545.html
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Common Sense about Media for Your Students
It's impossible to keep up with all the Websites, movies, videos, games, and music available today. Suppose you are thinking of recommending some Websites for your students to use over summer vacation. How do you know what sites to put on your list?
The site Common Sense Media is packed with reviews, which can help you when you're not exactly sure if a particular selection will be appropriate for your students. On the site you can select categories such as games, television shows, Websites, movies, etc. and then search by title and age.
Let's say you're thinking about putting the site EcoKids on your list and want to know more about it. All you have to do is to log on to Common Sense Media, select Websites, and type in EcoKids. What you'll get is a rating of the site, a brief review (with a link telling you about the author), and a chart indicating if there are any problems related to sexual content, violence, and language. There's also information on what is called "Message". This part targets social behavior, commercialism, drug/alcohol/tobacco, and educational value. EcoKids, by the way, is given a "green light", indicating in this case, that it's an excellent site for kids seven and over.
If a media selection is given a yellow light, it means you should check out the site with your students in mind before you decide if the site is appropriate. A red light means that a selection isn't appropriate for the age children it is targeting or that it simply isn't recommended by Common Sense Media.
If you want to get Common Sense newsletters delivered by email, sign up for the publication on the site. The newsletters often contain articles and ratings related to selections that target seasonal events such as Christmas, Mother's Day, Fourth of July, etc.
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Social Networking & Your Students
It wasn't so long ago that term Social Networking had nothing to do with kids and computers. It was all about business connections, getting jobs, fund raising, and engaging in interactions that provided necessary introductions.
Today social networking, at least among preteens, teens, and young adults means logging onto an Internet site, posting information about oneself, and connecting with peers. Social networking sites such as MySpace, Bebo, FaceBook, and others have become favorite places for young people to meet. Instead of going to the mall or a friend's house, teens and preteens go online. As a teacher, you need to realize that the Web culture is part of your students' world. That said, it's your job to learn about it so that you can help your students be as safe as they can possibly be.
To be sure, you've probably heard lots of negatives about social networking, but the headlines in the newspapers don't tell the whole story. Much of the interaction on these sites is typical teen talk and no different from when young people get together off line. Problems arise when young people post personal information, when they seek friendships with people online rather than at school or in the neighborhood, when they encounter what are called cyberbullies (online bullies), when they are disrespectful to others online, and when they spend too much time online.
What most concerns adults and what has been highlighted in the media lately is the fact that child predators are known to frequent social networking sites. There have been lots of articles in the newspapers and on television about kids who meet strangers online and then set up a time to meet them in person. Some of the meetings have disastrous results, ones that are reported in the news. Sometimes these meetings are set up by law enforcement officers in an attempt to catch child predators.
To keep your students safe from online child predators, you and your students need to be alert to the possible dangers of social networking sites. You should know that even though most of these sites have a minimum age for membership that many children younger than the minimum age sign up. They simply list their age as several years older. Therefore, don't be surprised if your social-savvy and Web-savvy fifth and sixth graders have profiles on a social networking site. These sites look intriguing to younger children, and if their friends are signing up, they will want to join, too. —Even if it means lying about their age.
Chances are that those who meet the requirements for minimum age may list their age as older. –And chances are that they'll want to post information and photos that make them look more mature than they are.
All this adds up to lots of kids' profiles that have misleading and false information in them. The profiles of your students are right there with the profiles of college students, young adults, and others who are members of the site. No one knows if anyone on these sites is who they claim to be. The idea behind the sites is to give people a place to interact with each other—just like going to the soda shop in years past. In the soda shop, however, they won't find information, some of which quite inappropriate, about millions of people. —And in a soda shop, millions of people won't be able to access information about your students.
You should realize that for young people social networking is the thing to do now-a-days. They love to create their profiles (which are like Web pages), and tell all about themselves and their friends. The profiles may include text, photos, video, music, links to friends and other places, etc. Social networking site officials try to make sure members adhere to specified Terms of Use, but with the numbers of people on the sites, this is virtually impossible. They try to check photos, try to discover underage members, and will work with parents who need help.
If site officials discover a photo or other type of content that is unacceptable, they will eliminate that from the site. Site members, though, have found a way around this problem. From their profile, they can link to another site that allows porn or vulgar-type material. If a member is deleted from the site, that person can sign up again under another email address. Some adults who have worked with these sites to have children's information taken off-line have found to their dismay that the same children have simply opened other accounts and added new profiles.
The best thing you as a teacher can do to keep your students safe is to set rules for their Internet use at school and to check to make sure that the rules are followed. Supervision of their online activities is a must. Chances are that your school does not allow student interaction on social networking sites. Social networking sites may have been blocked by your network administrator, but if they have not, unless you are using the sites for a particular educational project, you should request that they be blocked. Realize that that blocking is a continuing process, for new sites that need to be blocked often appear on the Internet.
You might also talk about social networking and its problems with your students' parents. Show their parents how to sign up for social networking sites so that they will be able to learn what types of content are posted on them and what their children are posting. Discuss the setting up of rules related to social interaction online. Major rules, for example, should address the following: username (not sexy, macho, crude), password (a smart password, not something that others' can guess), types of photos and other information that can be posted, not giving out any identifying information, setting profiles to private, realizing some people online are not who they claim to be, when (and for how long) they can go online, not downloading files sent by people they really don't know, not interacting with people they don't know, and never setting up meeting with anyone they consider a 'friend' but have never met in person.
Social networking is growing fast, and huge numbers of young people are online on these sites everyday. Although adults should do what they can to supervise and protect those young people in their lives, it's the young people who have to learn to be safe online. They need to take responsibility for their actions and to use their common sense to keep them out of trouble.
To find excellent information on social networking, suggestions for family rules, suggestions for monitoring, child safety software, etc., check out the social networking information provided on CableVision's Power to Learn. The site features a slide show for your students and information for teachers and parents. Other valuable information can be found on these sites:
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Cyberbullying
Cyberbullies—Ten Things to Remember
- Cyberbullies are similar to school or neighborhood bullies, except that they do their bullying online and have the capability of bullying without others knowing who they are. They can also attract a wider audience for their actions.
- You should help your students differentiate between teasing that goes on among friends and teasing that elevates into bullying.
- Bullying may include continuous teasing, harassment, or threats. It may come through email, Instant Messages, text messages, chat conversations, Websites, or other ways kids communicate online or on telephones.
- Often students who are bullied (online or offline) do not want to tell their parents or teachers about it because they are embarrassed. They think they have done something to deserve the bullying. If you notice a change in your students' behavior such as not wanting to come to school, not wanting to interact with other kids, looking unhappy, overly worried about appearance, not wanting to use computers, etc., these may be signs that your students are being bullied. These, of course, may be signs of other problems that your students are facing. You'll want to talk with parents about any behavioral changes you notice.
- Talk with your students about their activities online. Explain that they should not give out personal information online, for bullies could use that information against them. If they play games or chat online, someone they don't know might be harassing them. Many times, however, cyberbullies are kids your students know who think it's funny to send unpleasant email, post unkind things on a Website, send unbecoming photos through a cell phone, divulge your students' secrets—you get the idea.
- You can't always tell who the cyberbully is. Online in games and chat rooms, a bully can be just about anonymous, and you never know when a bully might send a note using someone else's account. Talk with your students about people they meet online and how to deal with those who are unkind. —And stress the importance of not giving out their passwords, even to those they consider their best friends. With your students' passwords, bullies can make it look like your students are the bullies.
- Let your students know that it is not their fault if a cyberbully goes after them. You should insist that they tell you or their parents right away if they encounter a bully.
- The first step in dealing with a bully is to ignore what the bully is doing. Bullies like to get attention, and if they don't get it, they may stop. If they can't get a reaction out of your students, they may not go after them again. If ignoring doesn't work, you and the students' parents should work together to find the source of the bullying and deal with those involved. If the bullying involves a social networking site, site officials will work with the students' parents to solve the problem. If the bullying is at the threatening level, the police should be informed.
- If your students are being bullied, have them save all evidence. While they'll be tempted to erase nasty things that are written or published about them, remind them that school authorities and the police will want evidence. They should print what they can and take down the date and time of when they received a message or saw a Website.
- Keep in mind that your students may be cyberbullies. Kids may think it's cool to make fun of someone who is not in their social group. Often they do not realize what problems they are causing for those they are bullying—and they do not consider what they are doing bullying. Talk with your students about respect for others and let them know the consequences of improper behavior.
Sites of Interest:
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