Internet
Safety

"Most people who use online services have mainly positive experiences. But, like any endeavor - traveling, cooking, or attending school - there are some risks. The online world, like the rest of society, is made up of a wide array of people. Most are decent and respectful, but some may be rude, obnoxious, insulting, or even mean and exploitative." (Child Safety on the Information Highway," National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)

As parents, teachers, and responsible caring adults, we must be as intentional about teaching and modeling online safety as we are about everyday safety. Primary concerns surrounding student use of the Internet are: 1) the ability to access inappropriate material, and 2) the potential risk to personal safety when "meeting" someone online. In this chapter we will look at actions you can take to minimize the risk and maximize the ultimate benefit to teaching and learning which the Internet offers. We will explore:


Acceptable Use Policies

Discussions and instruction relating to the safe use of the Internet must begin right away. Whether your students have already been online or are about to do so for the first time, talk with them about Internet Safety - and then keep talking about it!

One of the most important areas to discuss is meeting people online. Students must be taught that the same "Stranger Danger" rules they follow in their daily lives also apply to strangers they meet through e-mail or an Internet conversation group. They should not divulge personal information about themselves or their family - name, age, address, school, etc. - nor should they arrange to meet in person someone they have met online...even if they have corresponded with them for a period of time. Remember that e-mail offers a false sense of security and anonymity which can be exploited.

One way to continually reinforce online safety issues in both the classroom and the home is to develop an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) which incorporates these and other cautions and can serve as guidelines for children regarding their use of the Internet. These "rules of the road" should be developed with the students, written down, signed by students, parents, and teachers, and prominently posted near the computer. Like any rule, these guidelines must also carry penalties for violation of the policy.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children offers the following example:

My Rules for Online Safety
  1. I will not give out personal information such as my address, telephone number, parents' work address/phone number, or the name and location of my school without my parent's permission.
  2. I will tell my parents right away if I come across any information that makes me feel uncomfortable.
  3. I will never agree to get together with someone I meet online without first checking with my parents. If my parents agree to the meeting, I will be sure that it is in a public place and bring my mother or father along.
  4. I will never send a person my picture or anything else without first checking with my parents.
  5. I will not respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make me feel uncomfortable. It is not my fault if I get a message like that. If I do, I will tell my parents right away so that they can contact the online service.
  6. I will talk with my parents so that we can set up rules for going online. We will decide upon a time of day that I can be online, the length of time I can be online, and appropriate areas for me to visit. I will not access other areas or break these rules without their permission.

Additional examples of Acceptable Use Policies may be found at:



Supervising / Directing Online Time

Student use of the Internet should always be supervised by a parent, teacher, or other responsible adult. On those special occasions when independent use of the Internet might be permissible, take into consideration the student's age, behavior, work habits, and familiarity with your Accepted Use Policy before making a decision. Independent use of the Internet should be given thoughtful consideration before being allowed.

Directed activities are also important in the safe use of the Internet. "Surfing" (ambiguous searching) of the Internet is not a directed activity and presents the opportunity for students to find inappropriate material. Give your students a specific purpose and plan when going online to help ensure a positive learning experience.

The Children's Partnership's online document, The Parent's Guide to the Information Superhighway: Rules and Tools for Families Online, provides adults with basic information about the Internet as well as Handy Tips on age-appropriate computer activities for kids.

There are an increasing number of sites which provide links which are advertised as being "safe" for kids. Inserting these sites as "bookmarks" on the students' computers will give them access to good educational sites without their having to surf the Internet.

World Kids Network provides information, games, and activities that are of interest to students.

NetParents provides an extensive listing of other sites containing information appropriate for kids.

American Library Association's Guide to CyberSpace for Parents and Kids offers 50+ good sites.


Filtering Programs

Several companies now offer filtering programs which block student access to certain adult materials on the Internet. Some of the programs match the requested URL against a list of forbidden sites - others screen the words contained in the URL and deny access to those which suggest obscene or pornographic material. Some allow teachers or parents to customize the filters. When looking at these programs, realize that not all programs work on all browsers - and some programs are more easily bypassed by inventive students!

In addition, virtually all of the major commercial online service providers and numerous Internet Service Providers (ISP's) offer customers the ability to configure their system to control children's access to inappropriate material online.

The following sites contain information on ways to filter students' access while online:

The Computer Network tests filtering programs and posts the results on their Web site.

NetParents provides information on blocking software as well as information on the Internet Service Providers who are offering this service free or at a low cost to their members.

Another approach to producing a protected environment for students is called "contouring." While such sites may contain extensive links to other sites, access by the user is limited to only this list of approved sites. Once students enter a site, they may freely roam within the parameters that the provider has defined as "safe." Bonus.com is an example of such a program.

The challenge with any filtering program is to be restrictive enough to limit access to undesirable material while being open enough to allow students to get the most from being online. Remember that, while filtering can help, the best advice is to supervise children when they are online. The Computer Network offers the following perspective:

"Software is no substitute for parental guidance. Most products can be defeated; those that can't are so restrictive that kids may be prevented from getting the most from their online experience. Our advice: supervise your children when they're online, just as you do during other activities. Software, the government, standards, organizations, the V-chip - none can replace Mom or Dad as co-pilot."


Going Further

For more information on Internet Safety, downloadable Internet Safety Screensavers, and a "Get Net Smart" Internet Safety quiz, visit the TECH CORPS site at http://techcorps.org/resources/internetsafety.

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