Reflections on Internet Safety

I decided on beautiful orange font colour today, since it is so close to Halloween! Enjoy!!

The internet is a dangerous place. It is also the future, so we must learn how to navigate it safely. Students are being introduced to the internet at a young age, so we should start this introduction with a 'internet safety demo'. If students are taking shop class, they must have a shop demo that goes over all the safety procedures and there is usually a booklet to read and a test to take before shop access is allowed. Why is it then, that we allow children access to the internet without such a demo? I feel that this type of demo for internet safety should be given at the beginning of each school, with age-related, relevant subjects updated frequently.

For teachers the WebQuest option is really great. With this program teachers are able to write up an internet, research-related lesson plan that includes links to websites of their choosing. Teachers can then take the time to screen these websites before allowing their students to access them. This is a good option for students that are just learning how to navigate the internet. It also cuts back on the navigation time, as the relevant websites are easily accessed.