The Internet is a wonderful tool which puts the world and all its information at our fingertips. Much of this information has been available for a long time through public library access or other means. Indeed, many of these sites have been in operation for a number of years.
However, this ease of access is paving the way for massive growth in Internet-based crime such as identity theft and predators. Most of these sites also provide an opt-out feature for you to remove or manage what information is available, though it may take some clicking around to locate it.
Social networking websites and apps like Instagram and TikTok are popular with high school and college students. High levels of privacy need to be set to safeguard personal information.
The KCSS is pleased to offer schools and districts training that will assist them with maintaining a safe and orderly learning environment for all students that includes preventing the victimization of students by cyber bullies. This training will assist your staff with understanding cyber bullying, the emotional and physical threat it poses to the safety of children, how children and teens can avoid risky behaviors, what to do if confronted with cyber bullying on-line, and recommended policies and procedures for schools and districts. For more information or to schedule a training, please call Dan Orman at 502-783-0089 or email dan.orman@ksba.org.
Handouts for Internet Safety include… Internet Safety Quiz – Internet Safety: What Can Parents Do – Internet Safety: Parent Brochure – Removing Personal Information – Creating a Safe MySpace Profile – How to Remove a MySpace Profile… (Kentucky Center for School Safety)
Department of Justice – Parents should stay involved in their digital world, know the apps they use, use parental controls where possible, and block and report people if they are abusing the internet.
Common Sense Media – Resources include information about apps, online safety and articles.
Below are ten questions that have to do with safety on the Internet. If you are using the Internet for research, for social activities, communication, or just for fun (and even if you’re not!) it’s important that you know this information. (KCSS Handout)
Handouts for Internet Safety include… Internet Safety Quiz – Social Media/Internet Safety – Apps – Sexting – School Threats … (Kentucky Center for School Safety)
Common Sense Media presents classroom curriculum about digital citizenship and online identity. The curriculum can easily be researched by grades K-12 or by eight internet safety topics.
NetSmartz’s resources for educators offer multiple ways to engage students, parents and communities in important lessons in digital citizenship and online safety. Students can learn how to be safer online with this free collection of teaching materials for families and students in grades K-12. NetSmartz offers materials to help create a dynamic and engaging Internet safety curriculum.
Learn moreNational Center for School Safety – As more schools become involved in social media monitoring and response, a variety of logistical, technological, and ethical challenges appear. This document highlights example practices, concerns, and methods for social media monitoring in a school setting. Also included is a real-world example of logistical considerations one school district dealt with as they implemented a social media monitoring system.
“Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online” is a free booklet released by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other government agencies to help parents and teachers steer kids safely through the online and mobile-phone worlds.
NetSmartz offers multimedia Internet safety presentations tailored for specific audiences — parents and communities, tweens, teens, and younger children. The presentations utilize the latest statistics, online resources, videos, and expert tips to educate, engage, and empower children and adults to be safer on- and offline. Spanish
NetSmartz for Kids – Be Safe Online! Teaching kids to be safe online. After stepping on a hidden transport tube, Nettie and Webster find themselves lost in a strange new realm on the internet’s “cloud”. They’ll have to put their NetSmartz to the test and find their way home… NetSmartz is NCMEC’s online safety education program. It provides age-appropriate videos and activities to help teach children be safer online.
This is a site from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that teaches online safety to kids ages 8 to 12 …
This kit helps students in grades 6-12 teach their peers and younger students about topics like cyberbullying, online privacy, and digital ethics.
Be Internet Awesome includes a free web-based game called Interland and an educational student curriculum on digital citizenship and safety. Google partnered with Internet Keep Safe Coalition and educators across the country to create a classroom curriculum with lesson plans, activities and worksheets that align with the International Society for Technology in Education’s Standards for Students. ISTE has awarded these lessons with its Seal of Alignment for Readiness.
Providing the Tools That Schools Need — Free for all public and private K-12 schools, Bark for Schools includes G Suite and Office 365 student account monitoring, Chrome/Chromebook monitoring, and web content filtering.
FBI-SOS is a free, fun, and informative program that promotes cyber citizenship by educating students in third to eighth grades on the essentials of online security.
Common Sense Media – Sharing photos, posting comments, playing video games — these are just a few of the ways that kids interact online. But when sharing goes beyond friends and family, it can be risky. Read about privacy and Internet safety and watch this video to learn five Internet safety rules for kids.
Common Sense Media – The best internet safety lessons recognize the complexity of these topics and help students build the critical-thinking skills and habits of mind to navigate the dilemmas they encounter. Below are the best internet safety lesson plans for students in grades K–12. See the full Common Sense K–12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum for lesson plans on additional digital citizenship topics.
Federal Trade Commission – Consumer Information – Social networking sites, chat rooms, virtual worlds, and blogs are how teens and tweens socialize online; it’s important to help your child learn how to navigate these spaces safely. Among the pitfalls that come with online socializing are sharing too much information or posting comments, photos, or videos that can damage a reputation or hurt someone’s feelings.
Digital Etiquette: electronic standards of conduct or procedure; Digital … It must be understood that any Acceptable Use Policy also extends to: computer hardware … the Kentucky Department of Education and all public school districts were required to … ? Guidelines for Creating Acceptable Use Policies, etc.
… district adopt an acceptable use policy and require a user agreement form to comply with the policy … and implement an acceptable use policy applicable to every school which conforms to the guidelines …
Acceptable Use Policy Consideration for Districts- Kentucky K-12 – …school districts are required to establish Acceptable Use Policies (AUP’s) for appropriate technology use.