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Implementing Effective Classroom Internet Safety

Keeping Students Safe while Online Needs Teacher Education

Apr 30, 2009 Tammy Andrew

Teachers need to know about the various scams and malicious attack methods kids could encounter online in order to keep students safe while using the Internet.

Though most schools have special filters in place to keep kids safe while using the Internet, these filters do not catch everything. Student email accounts could receive attachments containing viruses. Websites that are not filtered might contain downloads harboring malware designed to catch passwords or infect the account with bots designed to distribute spam. Students might go to a site that looks like it contains reliable information only to be redirected elsewhere.

Teachers can manage their students' usage of the computer while in a lab setting, but keeping a watchful eye on students is not enough. It is important for teachers and teaching aides to know about the various scams and malicious attack methods in current use. This means not only knowing about what is currently a problem but also keeping up with new trends. Fortunately, there are websites dedicated to child Internet safety that can be used for professional development, too.

Internet Safety Resources for Teachers

The Internet contains many sites dedicated to online safety. Many of these sites are aimed directly at kids, providing educational games and information about how to stay safe online. Others provide information for parents about how to keep their children safe, from how to monitor activity to what some of the terms mean. Most of the sites aimed at teachers seem to be concerned primarily with lesson plans, but there are some that now also educate teachers about different aspects of technology, including online safety.

Online Sites that Educate Teachers about Internet Safety

One site that provides a starting place for teachers at various stages of technology integration is the Educational Technology Clearinghouse. The Internet Safety section is a valuable collection of relevant information and links for teachers to learn about filtering, network and virus issues affecting schools. It also provides sites to teach students about staying safe online and to inform parents about various aspects of Internet safety.

Another site that is useful for professional development purposes concerning keeping students safe online is hosted by the ATechnology Society. This site's purpose is to provide a collection of articles and a way to contact technology experts concerning advice for the safe use of technology and the affects of technology on society. Included are explanations of many of the terms filtering into common language, such as cloud computing and malware, and how these concepts affect kids.

Keeping students safe while online cannot be left to the filters and firewalls placed on the network. Teachers need to know about potential online safety concerns and how to identify them while students are working. This allows teachers to be able to stop a potential problem before it happens or identify it as it happens so the problem can be reported to the appropriate technology person within the school.

The copyright of the article Implementing Effective Classroom Internet Safety in Teacher Tips/Training is owned by Tammy Andrew. Permission to republish Implementing Effective Classroom Internet Safety in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Safe Online Computer Use