Your Safety Net

By Amy Matzan, Candice Vinciguerra, Stephen Gallagher, Erica Papa, Michael Smith

MSTI 131-01Safety on the Internet

Tuesday March 30, 2010

Advantages of Using the Internet at Home and School

•Online resources: library catalogs, encyclopedias, newspapers, and other sites

•Communication tools—email, discussion boards,

•Creates an electronic document source•Allows students to take quizzes/test online •Allows students to check grades online•Access career and college material

Concerns when using the Internet at Home and School

• Predators• Sexually explicit site• Bulling/harassment• Viruses• Obsessions• Drug and Alcohol encouragement —

advertisement, and other kids• Accessibility to gambling• Association with the wrong crowds

What Parents can do to help

•No internet on their cell phones•Leave laptops and cell phones in separate

room at bedtime •Have passwords in order to get on to

home computers and block websites•Buy websites to block and filter websites•Use yahooligans.yahoo.com •Monitor computer hours and in main

room

What Parents can do to help (cont)

• Try to get school districts to block certain websites at school• Bookmark kids favorite websites to allow

them to go right to it• Educate yourself about the risks involved

with the internet• Let your kids know that they can talk to

you if they ever encountered anything on the internet

What Educators can do to help

• Social networking—teachers should could role should be with working in the internet

• Keep it professional—be the teacher inside as well as outside the school

• Consider using other things other then Facebook—like blackboard, personal forms, or blogs

• Maintain a teacher/student relationship—example is twitter allowing teacher to make quick updates to students without being to personal

What Educators can do to help (cont)

•Take the place of the parent on giving consent to certain websites

•Pay attention to what websites students are accessing—if they access prohibited websites inform proper authority

•Censor what students put on the websites to make sure free of personal information

Websites for more Information on keeping Kids safe on the Internet

• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children —Does not link to any outside sources. Information on internet safety and technology. Provides concerns and information directly from teens. Provides information on education parents and children.

• Safe Kids –One of the oldest sites for internet safety. Provides safety advice and blogs on things such as “How to configure your Facebook privacy settings.”

• Wired Safety –Information to educate parents including a Parenting Online document and Hot Topics such as cyberbullying and cyberdating.

• Net Nanny –Provides parents, business, and other consumers with computer software to protect against unwanted internet content and inappropriate use. Net Nanny Mobile now available to provide protection on mobile devices.

• How to protect kids –Today's’ kids are taking advantageof all that the web has to offer. But when it comes to their personal information who’s in charge? This website provides basic guides to for teachers to help police students when it comes to working and using the web.