Internet Safety: Part 1

I just watched the Frontline Documentary about internet safety and current problems teenagers are facing due to the internet. Click here for the link to the video. I also read an article about privacy settings on Facebook at this link.

One of the main points I gained from watching the documentary is that it is very important to be involved in your child's life. A couple of the families described in the documentary had no clue their children were facing very difficult situations even though their kids were proclaiming their problems to the world online.

Another interesting point that was made in the documentary was that, as teachers, we need to embrace reality and use technology in ways that our students can relate to. The internet isn't going away. Rather than dwelling on the dangers of the internet i think it is important to embrace the benefits of the internet and teach our students how to be safe online. I plan on using a classroom blog and website to engage my students in my class.

I would like to encourage my students to be aware of the dangers of the internet and to take preventative measures while they are online. I can teach them how to create strong passwords, set strong privacy settings, recognize dangerous situations, and any other techniques that will enable my students to use the internet wisely. I need to also practice what I preach so that my students can see the benefits of being safe while on the internet. For example, after reading the Facebook article I went and checked my Facebook privacy settings to make sure my info wasn't public to the world!