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Internet Safety - What Teachers, School-Based Technology Specialists, Library Media Specialists, Counselors, and Resource Officers Need to Know

Classroom Internet use can be exciting, rewarding, and challenging. Students’
Internet use should be tailored to their ages.

Teachers should create ageappropriate activities for students.
Students’ varying developmental stages and Internet skills will produce different issues and problems for each age group.
Educators should maintain open communication with parents about students’ academic Internet use—in
guided classroom settings and independently.

Monitoring is crucial.

Filters are not fail proof. Teachers and librarians must watch where students go on the Internet—just as they would keep an eye on them during a field trip. Computer labs may be configured to assist with this supervision.
Students should not be allowed to wander aimlessly on the Internet. Teachers must provide an academic purpose before allowing students to go online.
Teachers need to acquaint themselves with new tools that allow students to visit protected sites. As much as possible, they should go into history and examine the pages students have viewed.
Classroom and library rules must comply with the division’s acceptable use policy regarding the steps students should take after accidentally accessing an inappropriate site.
Technical staff need to utilize the division’s network tracking controls and study the generated reports, which may identify patterns of inappropriate use.
Teachers need to keep up-to-date on Internet safety issues and provide accurate,
timely information to students.

Student technological interactions in the virtual world can be negative and
spill over into the real world.

Educators need to learn about cyberbullying, recognize the signs of a bullied student, and know what to do about it.
Students must be taught which types of personal information are safe to share with others.
Online and wireless communications—even with known friends or peers—can compromise students’ privacy as technology-savvy predators may eavesdrop.
Students must understand that people are not always who they claim to be and that Internet information is not always accurate or appropriate.

Exchanging information with others is a great way to use the Internet but also possesses inherent dangers.

Educators must know and enforce school policies on exchanging or downloading files.
School staff should be alerted continually about potential email dangers and learn how to recognize the problem signs.
Online journals and blogs, even when password-protected, may reveal more personal information than a student intends. Technology-savvy predators can circumvent many safeguards offered by journal and blogging sites.
Educators should check the age appropriateness of any social-networking sites that students visit.

Students need to hear the rules often.

Teachers should establish and post rules for safe Internet use near computers in classrooms, libraries, and labs. Students should be reminded regularly that the rules are intended to ensure their safety.
Teachers should go over the rules with students periodically. As a result, the students—even when excited or upset—will be more likely to remember the rules.
Students and their parents should know the consequences of disobeying the rules. Educators must keep the lines of communication open with students and parents.
Schools must be consistent and fair in enforcing classroom rules and the division’s acceptable use policy.