Internet Safety

Internet safety lessons help children understand both the positive aspects of the Internet as well as how to manage a variety of safety and security issues that exist online. The goal is to extend their safety awareness to prevent victimisation and increase self-confidence whenever they go online. These goals include to:

• enhance the ability of children to recognise dangers on the Internet

• enhance the ability of children to understand that people they first "meet" on the Internet should never be considered their friend

• encourage children to report victimisation to a trusted adult

• increase communication between adults and children about online safety

The rules for online safety are:

• I will tell an adult I trust if anything makes me feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused.

• I will ask my parents or guardian before sharing my personal information.

• I won't meet in person with anyone I have first "met" online.

Chatting Safety

The Internet was originally set up as a means of communication, and it’s a fantastic way to keep in touch with friends and family, and meet new people. Chat rooms are virtual places on the Internet where people can type messages that will appear on other people's computers almost immediately. Unfortunately, it’s easy to lie online, and there are some adults who will try to get in touch with young people because they have bad intentions.

So, it’s pretty basic – but when online, it’s a good idea not to share any personal information that you wouldn’t give to a stranger in the street. This counts, even if you’ve known someone for ages through a chat site, on messenger or from a gaming area.

Children need to be reminded to think carefully about what kind of information to share. Easy things to remember are:

• that it’s better not to give out your real name

• that it’s not a good idea to have anyone on your IM contact list that you don’t know in the real world

• how to block people online in IM and in chat areas

Educational Outcomes

In this Computer Room activity, students researched safe chat room practices then created their own web page to publish their chat safety tips.

Computer technology skills covered:

• Using a Web Browser (Internet Explorer)

• Locating, evaluating and interpreting information from a web site

• Web page design using Microsoft FrontPage

• Using and formatting text and images in web design

• Web site structure: folders and files

• Introduction to html

Curriculum areas include:

English

• RS3.5 Reads independently an extensive range of texts with increasing content demands and responds to themes and issues.

• RS3.6 Uses a comprehensive range of skills and strategies appropriate to the type of text being read.

• WS3.9 Produces a wide range of well-structured and well-presented literary and factual texts for a wide variety of purposes and audiences using increasingly challenging topics, ideas, issues and written language features.

• WS3.10 Uses knowledge of sentence structure, grammar and punctuation to edit own writing.

• WS3.11 Spells most common words accurately and uses a range of strategies to spell unfamiliar words.

• WS3.12 Produces texts in a fluent and legible style and uses computer technology to present these effectively in a variety of ways.

• WS3.13 Critically analyses own texts in terms of how well they have been written, how effectively they present the subject matter and how they influence the reader.

Science and Technology

• ICS3.2 Creates and evaluates information products and processes, demonstrating consideration of the type of media, form, audience and ethical issues.

• INVS3.7 Conducts their own investigations and makes judgments based on the results of observing, questioning, planning, predicting, testing, collecting, recording and analysing data, and drawing conclusions.

• DMS3.8 Develops and resolves a design task by planning, implementing managing and evaluating design processes.

• UTS3.9 Evaluates, selects and uses a range of equipment, computer-based technology, materials and other resources to meet the requirements and constraints of investigation and design tasks.

Personal Development, Health and Physical Education

• IRS3.11 Describes roles and responsibilities in developing and maintaining positive relationships.

• PHS3.12 Explains the consequences of personal lifestyle choices.

• SLS3.13 Describes safe practices that are appropriate to a range of situations and environments.

Reference Websites:

www.netsmartzkids.org

www.chatdanger.com

www.thinkuknow.co.uk/yourcall/

www.mcgruff.com/games/cyberbully.php

www.cybersmartkids.com.au

www.cyberquoll.com.au

www.nettysworld.com.au

www.ikeepsafe.org/

www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/help/safesurfing/dongle.shtml

www.childnet-int.org/sorted/

disney.go.com/webtoons/threepigs/

disney.go.com/surfswell/index.html

Reference is given to the Websites listed above for material used from their sites.

   Cheryl Hill © 2007