Here is a website where kids can play an interactive game to learn about internet safety.

Social Media

Most of my posts have focused on students searching the internet for information, but students are also very involved in social media. There are legal ages children must be to use social media but there is no way to check someone's age. Parents must be aware if their child is using social media and have discussions about how to use it. This website below gives parents tips on ways to keep their children safe while using social media.

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act was created before social media came along to protect children while using the internet. Just like any other laws or acts it now needs to be changed as the internet is changing. The following article discusses what kind of changes will be made to the act.

Just like with any other issues children must face, parents need to be open with their children and talk to them. If parents don't talk to their children and are not aware of the things their children are involved in that is when trouble will arise. 

My Thoughts

  Flashback to the days when the internet wasn't around. The biggest concern for parents might have been whether or not their children were playing safely outside. Then the internet started entering households and parents now had to be concerned for who their children might be talking to in chat rooms. Now the internet is so easily accessible and parents have to be concerned with cyber bullying, identity theft, inappropriate information, and much more.

  Parents in today's world have to work even harder to protect their children. When it comes to the internet parents must be sure to set guidelines with their children. They must talk about what websites their children may and may not visit. They must discuss what to do in situations where they feel unsafe online.

  Children are smart when it comes to technology but parents must be smarter and must always stay one step ahead of their children in order to protect them when surfing the web. Putting security blocks on certain websites is definitely one way that can help to protect children, but they still need to be made aware that these websites exist so they know what to do if they by accident are taken to an inappropriate website.

  All of these precautions that parents must take at home are the same precautions teachers must keep in mind when using technology with their students in the classroom. A system can only filter out the "bad stuff" so much. There is always bound to be something that may slip through the crack. 

Controversy

In 2000 a law called Children's Internet Protection Act was created in order to give schools requirements for the access children would have to the internet while at school. Schools must follow these requirements in order to receive discounted internet services. An article from GetNetWise discusses how much security schools should have on their internet systems to protect students when they are searching the internet. There are many systems available now to help block inappropriate material from children when they are searching the web. The controversy begins when discussing how much blocking is necessary and does too much blocking make kids naïve to information on the internet that they need to know to stay away from. There is so much information found on the internet and so many ways for children to connect to the internet that some believe it is nearly impossible to block all inappropriate material online from children. This website provides parents (teachers can use it as well) with tips on how to protect their children/students when exploring the internet. No software out there can completely protect children from all the dangers of the internet, so we as parents/teachers must be aware of the dangers and teach our children about the dangers.

The Issue at Hand

   There are many search engines available to us on the internet. Many times when you use the search engines you will find more advertisements and unreliable sources. It is important to teach our students how to tell whether a website found through a search engine is reliable or unreliable. Throughout school students will need to do many research projects. The most accessible resource is the internet. If students cannot tell the difference between a reliable and an unreliable source they may provide inaccurate information on their report. This link provides students with ways to help narrow their search when using search engines. This link provides students will guidelines for how to decide whether a website is reliable or not.

   When using the internet, there are many ways people can get your personal information. Children are not immune from having their personal information stolen online. Many children are quick to download free games, apps, etc. which can then give their information to an untrusted source. Children need to be made aware of how people can steal their personal information, why it is important to keep their personal information safe, and how to keep their personal information safe. This link shares some of that information.

Introduction...

Today's young students have access to the internet through many different sources. Students have access to smart phones, tablets, computers, and many more. Through these different forms of technology students can access the world wide web. With a simple google search students can be taken to a website that either gathers information about the person visiting the website or provides the student with information that they should not be exposed to. It is my goal to make this blog a place where students, teachers, parents, and any other stakeholders can go to learn about safe websites for students and find out how to search the internet safely.