Continuing with last week's post, I have gathered lots of helpful sites over the years and I know how important staying safe online is to everyone, not just students. With e-rate funding affecting many of our school districts, it is imperative we teach online safety to our students and staff members so we are in compliance with the Children's Internet Protection Act, or CIPA. With that in mind, this week I want to share some of the resources I have found which are excellent . . .
This first link is to a video the Pulaski County Schools put together. Even though this video is not just about online safety, I thought it was very well done and maybe since it was developed by students, other students will pay more attention to the message it brings: Pulaski County Schools Safety Grades 6-12. (about 10 minutes)
Another cute video about digital citizenship comes from the Connecticut Association of School Librarians. It uses a Wizard of Oz theme and also features students: Wizard of Apps. (about 50 minutes)
For Kentuckians, one of the first places to stop and research Cybersafety is the Office of the Attorney General. This site has a Cybersafety Video to watch (about 9 minutes). Even though the video was done in 2009 and uses those statistics, it still has an applicable message. The AG's office also has a presentation they can bring to your school and community.
GetNetWise is a public service brought by Internet industry corporations and public interest organizations to help insure users have a safe, constructive, and educational or entertaining online experience. They have four main sections - Kids' Safety, Spam, Security and Privacy. Another good part of this site is the Glossary - it provides a detailed guide to Internet terms.
Bullying is not limited to cyberspace, but in some cases the bullying starts in person and moves online or it starts online and moves to a live level. Bullying.org tries to help prevent bullying through education and awareness. They offer presentations about bullying, cyberbullying, cyberparenting, workplace harassment and related issues, but there are links to outside content about these same topics as well.
A workshop was prepared by EdTech Leaders Online (ETLO) on the issue of being safe online. On this site, there are six sessions on topics like Teaching Students about Cyber Safety and Privacy and Information Literacy and Cyber Ethics. There is also information about networks and school acceptable use policies available. At the very bottom of the list is a link to Did You Know, which will take you to one of the blog pages for The Fischbowl. There are so many interesting links to sites and videos I could not do them all justice on this blog post. Karl Fisch has had a lot to say about educational technology over the years and even though some of his videos are now out-dated, they are still filled with good points to consider.
On the Cyberbullying Research Center site, they keep current with what's trending, including information about the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of cyberbullying. They have a Summary Fact Sheet available and according to them, "If you only have time to read one of our publications to get up-to-speed about the problem and what you can do, read this one!"
CyberSmart! Curriculum materials are available until July 2012. This curriculum is becoming part of Common Sense Media which has tools just for educators. Registering is free. This site might be of particular interest due to their toolkits for administrators and teachers with regard to e-rate requirements for teaching digital citizenship.
One of my favorite online safety sites is NetSmartz. They have different pieces for Parents, Educators, Law Enforcement, Teens, Tweens and Kids. The part which has the greatest impact for students, though, is the Real-Life Stories section. As of this writing, there were 8 videos available, including one which shows you how easy it is to obtain information on someone who "thinks" they are safe online with what little they've posted.
Stop Cyberbullying is a site dedicated to stopping all types of Cyberbullying. The colorful icons at the bottom lead you to the separate pages for ages 7-10, 11-13 and 14-17 and also for parents, for educators, and for law enforcement. On the home page, there is a link to download the free Alex Wonder Kids Cyberdetective Agency Game. This is probably more suitable for elementary and middle school students, but high school students might find it interesting just for the graphics and interaction.
For more than ten years, Web Wise Kids has been providing resources to equip young people to safely use and enjoy the latest technologies. Among other offerings, this site includes 'The Modern Parent's Guide to Kids and Video Games' which is available as a free download. It is a complete guide to PC, console, online, free, social and mobile games, including using game ratings. They also have an interesting program on cell phone safety for middle school children.
These are just a few of the sites I have found to be helpful when faced with teaching online safety, digital citizenship, cybersafety, or whatever term you are using. Hopefully these will help you as well!
