Internet/Technology Safety Resources

The best advice for parents is to educate yourself in the areas of technology safety and have open and honest discussions with your student about all aspects of their internet and cell phone use.

According to Larry Magid (technology journalist and internet safety advocate)

"The real risks — statistically speaking — are things that kids do to themselves and others. Those include cyberbullying, sexting, loss of reputation, theft of online identity and other security risks (including weak and shared passwords) and of course wasting time, obsessive use of technology and over-exposure to commercial messaging. Speaking of wasting time, a report issued this week by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that youth (8-18) devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes to consuming entertainment media during a typical day. But when you factor in multi-tasking, they actually wind up with 10 hours and 45 minutes of content."

(Taken from: http://www.safekids.com/2010/01/22/online-safety-3-0-protecting-empowering-youth/)

Resources:

Curriculum:

In elementary school students are taught about internet safety in their computer applications rotation. The emphasis is on giving out personal information, being safe on the internet, and cyberbullying. In 5th grade during technology class, students review online safety and really stress the FBI rules: Recognize, Refuse, Respond, and Report. Also, all teachers should stress internet safety when they have their students use internet resources.