Internet Safety

What is Internet Safety? For everyone, this is having the knowledge to maximize your personal safety and security risks to private information and property associated with using the internet and self-protection from computer crime. The topic of Internet Safety is an important one for all members of the guidance department. As a department we are actively involved in creating a positive and safe environment within the middle school. We spearhead conversations with students and teachers regarding responsible digital citizenship, and how we all can become informed digital citizens in this ever changing technology climate. Internet safety, and within that cyberbullying in particular, is woven into the Wellness curriculum. Students are provided with knowledge, skills, and values to independently make responsible decisions online and these lessons are infused into Web 2.0 learning activities. Guidance staff provide additional individual conversations with students who may be at greater risk for engaging in unsafe online behavior. We want all of our students to avoid risky online situations, and they need the support and education to do this.

Tips for parents and students:

- Keep shared information at a minimum. Be aware of what identifying information you are providing and to whom. Information posted online may be seen by more people than is originally intended. Avoid sharing personal information and personal history whenever possible.

-Once it is out there, it is out there and cannot be taken back. Do not say anything to someone over a social networking site that you would not say face-to-face, and do not send pictures that you would not feel comfortable having in the newspaper...you never know where they could end up!

-Cyberbullying is taken seriously, you do not want to be a perpetrator!

-Do not accept friend requests from people you do not know, it may feel good to say you’ve got 850 friends, but it’s not safe.

-Keep antivirus software running on your computer to detect, prevent and remove computer

viruses

-Pay attention to what you use for Passwords and PINS. These are both a means of keeping information secure. It is best to avoid simple passwords that can be easily guessed, and birthdays, birth years, consecutive numbers, repeating numbers and banking PINS should not be used for internet accounts Using different passwords for different accounts also provides increased security.

-Seek to avoid scams by always maintaining a cautious stance toward the internet. Misleading ads, offers from strangers, strange e-mails. Always do research to verify validity of offers.

-Take the time to set up parental controls, content filters will limit access to content which provides a parent greater peace of mind, but also provides greater safety for student, which will eventually be appreciated. Questions regarding this? Feel free to contact the network administrator for the school.

We are all navigating this ever changing world of technology together, and we can work together to keep students safe. Have conversations with your student, and students please ask questions of your parents. Keep the conversation about Internet Safety alive and you will become a savvy digital citizen who is informed and ready to take on the world!

Resources for Parents:

ww.cyberbullying.org

Getnetwise.org

Safe practices for life online (publication by ISTE/International Society for Technology in

Education)

Computer Ethics, Etiquette and Safety for the 21st Century Student (ISTE publication)

Teaching Kids Cell Phone Etiquette www.parents.com/.../teaching-kids-cell-phone-etiquette

Digital Etiquette Lessons (learn-the-ropes.wikispaces.com/For+kids+%26+Teens...sites)

Center for Internet Addiction Recovery (netaddiction.com)

iKeepSafe page for parents (http://www.ikeepsafe.org/parents)

FBI-A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety (http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/parent-guide

Resources for Students:

Kids.getnetwise.org/safetyguide/age/12-14

NetSmartzKids (http://www.netsmartzkids.org/)

View Real Life Stories section

Cybersmart

Staysafeonline.org

Frontline program “Growing up Online”