Internet Safety

Student Internet safety requires a collaboration between teachers, students and parents along with properly configured filtering technology.

Students are expected to follow the guidelines listed in the DMS Handbook and Code of Conduct at all times. All activity on the student's DPS provided Google account will be filtered and tracked while the device is at DPS as well as when it is taken home. Teachers will provide guidelines for use in their classrooms and parents are asked to set boundaries as well.

All of the DPS Technology at the Ready Chromebooks will be locked for use with DPS Google accounts only. The machines will not allow personal accounts to be used. DPS uses iBoss filtering, which uses categories and keywords to block inappropriate content as per CIPA guidelines. Please note that content filters are not perfect. Also note that opinions about what is and what is not inappropriate may vary. DPS makes every attempt to block inappropriate content using technology, however all students need to be prepared with steps to take if they inadvertently end up on a site that makes them uncomfortable. Details about the DPS filter as well a resources to help children stay safe on the Internet are listed below.

All Internet Safety Lessons: Common Sense Media is an independent, non-profit organization that provides information and education about kids and a variety of media. This large collection of articles, videos, and FAQs includes a "See advice by topic" drop-down menu.

Digital Citizenship Lessons (Grades 6 - 8): Especially helpful for teachers, this link will direct you to Common Sense Media's middle school curriculum. Lessons are organized by grade and subject. Some favorites are listed below:

• Don't Feed the Phish (6th grade): Internet scams are part of being online today, but many kids might not be aware of them. How do we help our students avoid being tricked into clicking malicious links or giving out private information? Use this lesson to help kids avoid online identity theft and phishing schemes.

• The Power of Digital Footprints (7th grade): Our digital footprints can impact our future. What others find about us online shapes how they see us or feel about us. Help your students learn about their digital footprint and the steps they can take to shape what others find and see about them online.

• Being Aware of What you Share (8th grade): Kids share a lot of information whenever they go online -- sometimes on purpose, sometimes not. But do they understand that online privacy isn't just what they say and post? Help your students learn about their digital footprints and the steps they can take to shape what others find and see about them.

• Digital Media and Your Brain (8th grade): Sometimes when you're using media, it's hard to stop. Lots of people even say they feel "addicted" to their phones or the apps and games they use. But is digital media actually designed to get you hooked? Have students think about the ways different digital media does -- and does not -- help us find healthy media balance.

Family Guide: Google's Be Internet Awesome curriculum is designed for elementary and middle school students. This link will take you to a downloadable Family Guide that can help families learn and think about online safety together. Keep scrolling all the way down the page to discover links related to YouTube, digital well-being, and much more!

Interland: The Be Internet Awesome curriculum is gamified in "Interland". There are four "islands" that students can visit, including Reality River (Don't Fall for Fake), Mindful Mountain (Share with Care), Tower of Treasure (Secure your Secrets), and Kind Kingdom (It's Cool to be Kind).

Applied Digital Skills is a repository of lessons from Google for Education that are designed for students from upper elementary school through high school. Here you will find lessons about a number of practical skills including how to use Google's suite of digital tools, content-area lessons, and digital citizenship and safety. Use the search bar to filter by audience, tool, or topic.

For Parents and Guardians: Free and engaging digital lessons for students to keep learning outside of the classroom.

For Teachers: Flexible and ready-to-use lessons that connect with Google Classroom.

John Sowash, Michigan educator and Google expert, hosts an extremely informative blog for teachers, The Chromebook Classroom. Among the many helpful resources that he has shared on his blog is this digital Choice Board. It contains several different tasks and informational videos to help users review and secure personal information. He has designed this activity for high school students and adults who have social media accounts. Teachers and Guardians can use this set of activities for themselves or for older students who may be using some of these media.

View the choiceboard.