Whilst the use of these websites can be both educational and beneficial, teachers need to be exceptionally cautious as to what they are exposing their students to on the internet. All websites should therefore be predominantly tested BEFORE introducing them to the classroom and allowing the students to explore their contents. With the internet being a resource which offers pornographic, sexually explicit, offensive, hateful and violent activities that are dangerous or illegal; we as future educators need to strictly ensure that we educate the children of the twenty-first century to be entirely safe when using the internet.
Just as we are well aware of certain aspects to be careful of when using the internet, children need to be educated to have these same ideas in mind. Students need to understand the importance of protecting their own privacy and personal information as well as being proactive in letting someone know if something seems odd or strange. When being asked to provide personal information, students should be aware of the risks involved in doing so and taught the differences of genuine websites as opposed to the ones, which may pose risks. In relation to these attributes, it is also important to educate children with respect to the notion of copyright issues and respecting the quality of work created by others.
The issue of cyber bullying is one, which is sadly increasing in the world of the internet amongst youngsters in the twenty-first century today. Watching the archived video named ‘Cyber Bullying Australia 2009’ on TeacherTube broke my heart to see such hatred words displayed on the screen. I believe it is in the power of the schools to educate children in order to stop such bullying from taking place and put a stop to cyber bullying all together.
When researching the notion of being cyber smart for children; I found this creative resource, which can furthermore enforce the understanding amongst children. A print screen of this image has been uploaded below.
The idea of this image is to allow children to ‘THINK in order to help children to stop and think before they act when using the internet.’ Each letter stands for a strategy, which can be implemented in order to be cautious when using the internet. They have been outlined below;
· Tell your mum or dad if you see something online that upsets you, or if someone makes you feel unhappy. You can also talk to a trusted adult like a teacher, they can help.
· Hide your password. Only ever share it with your parents – never with your friends. Someone else could go online pretending to be you and do something that could get you into trouble.
· Interesting websites can be fun. Check with mum and dad if a site is okay to use before you visit. Sometimes they can set up a good list of sites just for you!
· Be Nice to people you talk to on the internet or phone. Name calling or being mean is not call. Look out for yourself and for others.
· Keep your special personal information safe. Never give your real name, address or phone number to anyone you don’t know in the real world. Use a nickname in chat rooms or when you play games on the computer.
I think this simple creation can be the key needed to further reinforce the importance of being safe on the internet. This image can be enlarged and put up in the classroom; ensuring children have access to it at all times.
Teachers need to be extra careful when organising for their students to make use of the internet. Children need to be constantly supervised and made sure they are not exposed to any form of the dangers unfortunately offered by the use of the internet. Teachers need to be extra careful and never leave anything to chance when utilising the use of the powers of the internet.
Resources:
TeacherTube: teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=139986
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