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Insafe Newsletter
Issue 24: April 2007, Teaching internet safety |
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Editorial
Teaching internet safety |
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Welcome to the Insafe Newsletter!
Teaching young people new tricks
The teaching of internet safety in our schools can leave a lot to be desired, but actually taking time to embed important e-safety messages within everyday teaching can open the door to addressing a wide range of challenging but crucial areas of the curriculum.
One of the biggest barriers to empowering children with the tools, knowledge and skills they need to use the internet and other communication technologies safely is a perceived lack of time and more importantly a lack of confidence.
As technology moves forward many if not most teachers are struggling to keep pace with new forms of communication that seem alien to them but are second nature to the children and young people who use them as a daily routine, for them they are part of their life.
Although many teachers have concerns about finding time to deliver elements of e-safety it is important to recognise the huge range of other topics that can be covered indirectly when talking about e-safety. From my own experience discussions about, for example, digital images can lead to conversations about issues of human rights and social responsibility. Many of these important subjects which are considered as part of the citizenship agenda in UK schools can be addressed through the medium of e-safety. The crucial issue is how do we ensure that teachers recognise the importance and necessity of it when they feel under so much pressure from other areas all competing for time?
Perhaps the key is in case studies which actively promote the benefits of such an approach. The children who considered the power of digital images found that they quickly became engaged in a conversation about the rights of the various parties involved in the creation of and publication of an image.
Karl Hopwood, Head teacher at Semley Primary School
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News
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Czech and Greek e-values transcend classroom borders
Two school classes discussed how to transpose common values to the digital context on the occasion of the Safer Internet Day 2007 Competition. The teachers of the young pre-teens in Greece and the Czech Republic, Fotis Kousoulas and Ivana Drbohlavová respectively, share their successful experience with us. Read more
Bridging the digital gap between Danish schools and children An SMS-dictionary, a role play about online chat for students and an interactive test in internet safety. These are parts of educational material launched on Denmark’s largest portal for teachers in February 2007. Read more
Cyprus and child pornography In the month of February, the Austrian Authorities contacted their Cypriot counterparts informing them that there were Cypriot internet users downloading from child pornography sites. The Cypriot authorities were not able to make any arrests on this specific case. Read more
Increasing wish for safer internet in schools
Schools have an increasing wish for information and awareness on safer internet. More and more teachers are confronted with online bullying and students that give out too much private information. And more and more worried parents come to schools for information. Digibewust has created a schoolbox for those teachers with awareness material for children and safer internet. Read more
Teaching Internet SafetyAlthough today's educators are faced with growing awareness of the safety issues presented by a technological society, internet safety education is often thought to be difficult to integrate into the curriculum. Read more
Internet Safety Training Module in GermanySince there is a need in Germany for fundamental training of educators in the area of internet safety, and since there is no tested programme for such training up to now, klicksafe.de and WebPILOTS developed an internet safety training module. Read more
Online course for webwise teachersA new online course for teachers in Ireland which will help teach the teachers to incorporate safer internet strategies into their teaching and learning programmes... Read more
Female teachers unite forces for Safer Internet Day 2007
Nijole, Daiva, Mitka, Beata. What do these women have in common? 4 female teachers from Bulgaria, Lithuania and Poland relate their experience of teaching internet safety and working together in the context of the Safer Internet Day 2007 Competition. Read more
Firewalls, your computer's security guard
Some words about your computers' defense mechanisms written by an IT security engineer. Read more
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Events |
Second Insafe plus training session in Vienna
Temperatures in Vienna dropped to winter levels on the first day of spring. But in the heart of the Austrian capital, interesting discussions, presentations and debates heated the atmosphere at the Insafe network's spring training meeting.
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Internet safety: whose responsibility? A teachers' survey
As young people spend more time online and generate and consume a growing amount of content, the importance of internet safety is constantly increasing. But who is responsible for teaching youngsters about safety, parents or teachers?
Read more
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Insafe is a European network of 25 nodes in 24 countries that are dedicated to raising awareness of internet safety. It is coordinated by the European Schoolnet and supported by the European Commission through the Safer Internet Programme.
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