Family Guide to Child Safety on the Internet – Summary
Parenting Online
Because their children are often more familiar with the internet than they are, parents often worry about teaching their children how to stay safe online. However, the dangers found in cyberspace can be managed using the same familiar warnings that parents have always used.
Search engines are valuable tools that make it easy to find useful information. However, it is also easy to find sites that are trying to catch children’s attention. Pornographers frequently abuse search engines, tricking people into visiting them. Children may visit their sites unintentionally, thinking they are visiting a more appropriate site. Most search engines have filtering options that filter out inappropriate content. Some are even designed to be kid-friendly. In addition to these search engines, there are several family-friendly site lists, and entertaining sites that teach children online safety. Librarians and library media specialists can also act as guides to valuable and safe online resources for children.
Parents should teach children several common sense rules for online safety. These rules involve avoiding contact with people they don’t know in real life, providing personal information, aimless surfing, provoking fights, and illegally downloading materials. Parents should also set up the computer in a common area of the house, make an effort to get to know their children’s online friends, and check into privacy and security settings when purchasing interactive devices for their children.
There are also many tools available for parents to control and monitor where their children surf online. Blocking software blocks access to sites that are on a “bad list,” and some can be customized. Filtering software uses certain keywords to block sites or sections of sites. Some allow parents to see which terms are filtered, and select certain types of sites to block. Outgoing filtering software prevents children from sharing certain personal information online. Monitoring and tracking software allows parents to keep track of where their children go online, how much time they spend online, and how much time they spend on the computer.
Mobile communication devices with internet access make it more difficult for parents to monitor their children’s online activities. Parents can help to keep their children safe by being proactive and informed. They should know how these devices allow you to communicate with others, and how communications can be blocked, monitored, or filtered. They should also know what content or images can be accessed or shared, and what controls exist to rate, block, filter, or monitor the content, and whether the device can be used to make online purchases.
Preparing students for success in the 21st Century
Technology is becoming increasingly prevalent in our everyday lives, and in the workplace. Soon, almost every American job will require some use of technology. Schools are challenged with preparing students to use technology as a tool, while learning to make choices between information goldmines or landfills, ethical or unethical use of intellectual property, and privacy of personal information or broadcasting to worldwide populations.
Developing Ethical Direction – Summary
Everyone has an internal compass that tells you when something is right, and when something is wrong. Adults need to teach children how to find and use this compass. The complexity of technology, and how society chooses to address technology use make it difficult for students to find the right direction. Students will often disagree on what is right or wrong. A major reason for this discrepancy is that students have not been taught how to behave when using technology. Learning digital citizenship is rooted in discussion and dialogue, and not in acceptable use policies (AUPs).
Teachers should review the following compass directions to better understand student opinions and guide them toward appropriate technology use:
· Wrong.
o Because a small number of students cause trouble for all other students, it is important to allow students to explore their feelings about technology use and abuse.
· What’s the big deal?
o Students traveling in this direction fail to consider how others may feel about their behavior, and they can’t understand what all the fuss is about. Teachers should help them see beyond their own personal use of technology.
· As long as I don’t get caught.
o Students choosing this direction know what they are doing isn’t right, but they believe that if no one knows, that makes it acceptable.
· It’s an individual choice.
o These students believe that technology use is a right, not a privilege. They don’t want others to tell them how to use their technology.
· Depends on the situation.
o There are times when a student needs to know that some activities are appropriate in one situation, but not in another.
· I don’t know.
o Students may not know what is appropriate and inappropriate. But, ignorance of the rules cannot be used as a defense of technology misuse or abuse.
· I am not sure it’s wrong.
o This is the path of a student who understands some aspects of technology but only knows enough to be dangerous.
· Right.
o Going in the right direction isn’t as easy as it may seem. The best way to help others understand the right direction is through discussion, self-reflection, and role modeling.
The strength of the digital citizenship compass is that it shows that there are gradations of understanding when it comes to technology use and abuse. It assists teachers in stimulating dialogue and self-reflection, helping students to understand appropriate technology use.
Technology misuse and abuse has reached an all-time high. To prevent the problem from becoming even worse, digital citizenship needs to become a priority in school curriculum and staff development programs.
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