Student Online Safety

What is online Safety?

According to eLearning Industry:Online safety is knowledge. It is not simply about blocking websites, overbearing internet monitoring, enforcing online restrictions, limiting internet usage, and criminalizing websites like Facebook and Twitter.

Reference:Lucas, R. (2015, May 08). The Teacher's Guide to Keeping Students Safe Online. Retrieved May 20, 2017, from https://elearningindustry.com/the-teacher-guide-to-keeping-students-safe-online

What should students do to be safe when using email and the Internet?

5 Internet Safety Tips for KidsParent's Guide: watch Common Sense Media's 5 Internet Safety Tips for Kids advice video to help you make informed decisions with your children.

Common sense.org gives these five safety tips for students:

1. Don't Give out personal information.

2. Never send pictures to strangers.

3. Keep passwords private.

4. Don't download anything without permission.

5. Tell an adult if you receive a mean or strange message.

This video from Commonsense.org gives ten rules for online safety for Facebook, YouTube, and texting:

Common Sense Rule#1-Guard your privacy
Common Sense Rule#2-Protect your reputation
Common Sense Rule#3-Nothing is private online
Common Sense Rule#4-Assume everyone is watching
Common Sense Rule#5-Apply the Golden Rule
Common Sense Rule#6-Watch the clock
Common Sense Rule#7-Choose Wisely
Common Sense Rule#8-Don't Hide
Common Sense Rule#9-Think about what you see
Common Sense Rule#10-Be smart and be safe

Reference:5 Internet Safety Tips for Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved May 20, 2017, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/videos/5-internet-safety-tips-for-kids

Smart Surfing

Kidshealth.org gives two rules for smart surfing

First rule: Check your mood! If you are upset or angry, it is not time to be posting on social media or messaging someone. People do not always make the best decisions when they are upset. Try to make another choice than posting on social media!

Second rule: When you're on a website, try to remain as anonymous as possible. That means keeping all private information private. Here are some examples of private information:

your full name
any type of photograph (even of your pet!)
your current location (some phones have automatic GPS apps built in that may need to be turned off)
home or school address or the address of any of your family or friends
phone numbers
Social Security number
passwords
names of family members
credit card numbers

Reference:New, M. J. (Ed.). (2014, October). Online Safety. Retrieved May 21, 2017, from http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/internet-safety.html#

What can teachers do to keep students safe?

1. Stick to private online communities

Sticking to private online learning communities and help to keep students as safe as possible. You are less likely to have students come across inappropriate material. These online communities become a great venue for learning.

2. Create pledges for your students

Creating a pledge is a positive way to ensure students are continuing online safety in your classroom and also outside of your classroom. After students have finished signing the pledge, you can hang them up around the classroom, to remind students of the importance of them implementing this knowledge.

3. Practice what you preach

One of your responsibilities as an educator is to maintain a positive social media life, and use the internet in a safe way. Practice what you preach, you encourage students to stay cyber safe.

Safety First!

The most important thing is to remember you want to keep your students safe and you want them to become autonomous in safe decision making!

This video from Wellcast gives their top four safety tips for web surfing!

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