Internet Safety

 

One of my main missions as a Tech teacher is to instill a sense of caution in my students when it comes to internet safety. I want to encourage them to stop and think before they click, reply, post, and friend people online. I do not want to terrify them with all the bad things that can happen, but I do want them to be smart about their internet usage.

As with all my units, I tell family stories to illustrate my point. So here are my stories for this unit: My cousin Ken, a 50+ year old man, found a vacation home online on a reliable site. He talked to the owner and sent the check. Then got a call a few days later from the person who got the check called and explained that his home was not for rent and someone had called him to tell him he could keep part of the money if he cashed the check and sent them the rest…can you say SCAM! Luckily, Ken got the money back. In fact, just last month Justin, my 23 year old nephew, sent me a link to a truck he found in Florida (where I live) and he wanted me to buy it and ship it to him (in South Carolina). We own a car dealership so this is common for us. My husband read the sale post and email from the seller and immediately said scam, he did a little digging and sure enough it was a fake ad. Others who do not work in this business may not have realized the signs and then they would be out a lot of money. I teach my kids that even adults can get bamboozled and that internet safety is a real concern.

One fun way I teach internet safety to my students in 2nd-5th is a game we call safe/unsafe. I have note cards purple says unsafe and yellow says safe and they are glued together. I give students a scenario or topic and count to 3. On the word three students show me with their card if it is safe or unsafe to do what has just been described.  For example, “Jenny is talking to someone online. They ask what school she goes to. Safe or unsafe?” or “Michael is on a chat space for kids who love Disney. Someone asks his favorite movie. Safe or unsafe?” It gives students a little action with their learning and think time as well. Then we discuss their answers.

Another activity I do with students is a sorting game. Students, individually or pairs, get a story to read about a kid doing online activities. After time for reading and thinking, we share the stories and the students sort the activities as “Cool to do, Sue” or “No Way Jose”.  Again we discuss the reasoning and talk about the consequences of the actions.

Currently, my 3rd grade is studying internet safety and they are making a movie of what to do and what not to do online. They will be teaching others what they think is most important about internet safety.  This gives them a bigger voice and evaluates their learning in a fun way.

There are tons of online resources that are available for all age levels. Two years ago I had fifth grade evaluate three different website/games for teaching internet safety. They had to play and see what the websites taught, then evaluate for what grade level they were appropriate for. Again, this takes learning to a higher level.

Here are some resources I have used and highly recommend:

Disney http://home.disney.com.au/activities/surfswellisland/ This is a Disney produced game with different levels. My fifth graders all the way to 2nd graders loved it. You even get a certificate saying you know safety!

Other Disney safety videos/games/sites

http://family.disney.co.uk/internet-safety

http://disneywildaboutsafety.com/dwas-video/internet-safety/ Timon and Pumba

http://disneywildaboutsafety.com/kids/games/

 Common Sense Media

Common Sense has a Digital Passport (www.digitalpassport.org) with lots of materials for students, teachers, and families on internet safety. Currently, my 3rd graders are playing the games and working their way through the videos and lessons. The videos give real kids telling real stories. They also have “Missions” that are printed worksheets that kids read and do art and other activities to build their knowledge. This is a very good resource! The only negative I have found is the games and programs use flash, and iPads don’t have flash. Commons Sense has many videos to use with their lessons including https://www.commonsensemedia.org/videos/get-cybersmart-with-phineas-and-ferb My kids loved to see their favorite cartoon characters teaching like they will be!

 FLOCABULARY

I absolutely love https://www.flocabulary.com/oversharing/

I have used Flocabulary with my Social Studies lessons in the past and happened to stumble upon this amazing resource. There are interactive lyrics, fill in the blank, and questions as well. Super way to reach preteens and teens with a fun song!

A new resource I recently found, but haven’t used yet is http://www.savvycyberkids.org/

There are lesson plans and activities that look like they would be great for parents to introduce and emphasize computer rules and safety. They have books in English and Spanish, as well. Also, they advertise an APP to help limit kids access to what they can watch. Check it out and see if it is something valuable for you!

NetSmartz (http://www.netsmartz.org/internetsafety) has a great internet safety unit for kids, teachers, and parents. Lesson plans, implementation guides, and tons of great resources can be found on their site. The lessons for students are broken in to kid, preteen, and teen lessons, which is great as it can target the needed areas on appropriate levels. They give your Powerpoint presentations for Tweens and Teens, as well as parents. There are a ton of videos, on every level as well.  One of my favorite things about NetSmartz is they also give real life stories, so kids can learn from peers. A lesson area that is sometimes overlooked is cellphones. NetSmartz has instruction for the etiquette and safety of cellphones as well…maybe we could assign that one to the parents, too!

The FBI has kid pages built in to their website with games and information for kids on many topics, including internet safety. You can find the info at http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games/kids/kids-safety. The information is great, but it is kinda wordy for kids and the colors are a bit much. Still, good info to have!

Of course PBSKids has tons of resources in their Webonauts training program, http://pbskids.org/webonauts/.  Kids see if they have what it takes to make it through the challenges to become certified safe online. They offer teacher and parent tips as well to get everyone on the same page. Flash is needed for this program, as well.

Do you have other resources to share? Please post them in the comments below!

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