Search Engines - Web Safety - Social Networking Grades K-2
Ready or not, the internet is here to stay.
By the time most children enter school they are often very familiar with the internet.
Many times, their pictures have been posted on Facebook, as newborn babies, before they even left the hospital. The internet is ingrained in children today.
Just the other day, I was walking through the grocery store and I spotted a toddler entertaining herself on her mother's smartphone while sitting in the shopping cart. I was amazed that those little fingers could navigate whatever she was watching or playing on the small screen. Are we naive to think that young students can't handle internet searching and social networking, or is it our responsibility to educate students and parents on ways to stay safely use the internet?
There are many resources that can help educate children and parents on the dangers of the internet, as well as, ways of safely surfing the net, internet etiquette, and online protection of privacy. Below is a list of internet sites that contain useful information for educating people on internet usage
Internet Safety 101 (visit this site and take the "How cyber-savvy are you?" quiz that parents can take. It also has a great deal of free information and resources on internet dangers and safety.
Common Sense Media (this site has useful tips for internet users of all ages)
Parent's Guide to Internet Safety (this site is an FBI site that includes reports,stats, a parent's guide to internet safety and information about how to report a crime)
Please read the following article, "Cell Phone Safety: Protecting Privacy, Data, and Kids, Too" written by Larry Magid. This article first in the San Jose Mercury Newspaper. http://www.safekids.com/ (this article was also posted on SafeKids.com) I strongly encourage you to take some time and explore this site. Safekids.com also includes the following other useful safety tools links:
Please watch the video!!! It is a great song to play for preteens and teens to encourage them not to let bullies push them around! (this is also linked to the SafeKids.com site) Mean Girls Video
Once students and parents are made aware of the dangers of the internet, it is important to provide them with information about safe search engines and safe places for younger students to use for social networking.
One of the first steps you can do as a teacher or a parent for safer searching is go to Google SafeSearch
Here you can find instructions for changing your browser settings to filter the content that will show up when searching.
The settings include:
Strict filtering filters sexually explicit video and images from Google Search result pages, as well as results that might link to explicit content.
Moderate filtering excludes sexually explicit video and images from Google Search result pages, but does not filter results that might link to explicit content. This is the default SafeSearch setting.
More information on Google SafeSearch can also be found on the above link Child Safe Search** through SafeKids.com
Another option for safe searching is to use safe, kid-friendly search engines that are just for kids. Parents can create a shortcut to these search engines to their desktop, and require children to use these safe icons when cyber searching A few examples of these are: Ivy Joy Kids Search Engine
Teachers can should also encourage parents to read Becoming Network-Wise(this article, written by Will Richardson, was required reading during Week 1 of this course)
As educators, I encourage you to embrace the engaged learning that the internet can offer. Students at a very young age can ease into social networking through Reading Is Fundamental - RIF Reading Planet
This is an awesome site (one that I've shared before) where students can create their own pages, review books, write stories, share links, email postcards to family & friends, play games, and create their own bookshelves. It is a safe fantastic way to introduce social networking to early elementary kids.
The bottom line is, as educators, we can no longer say that it is up to parents to protect their children online. The internet is here to stay, and it is up to all of us to protect children! Not only can we help parents keep their children safer, but we can also educate our students on how to protect themselves.
Search Engines - Web Safety - Social Networking Grades K-2
Ready or not, the internet is here to stay.
By the time most children enter school they are often very familiar with the internet.
Many times, their pictures have been posted on Facebook, as newborn babies, before they even left the hospital. The internet is ingrained in children today.
Just the other day, I was walking through the grocery store and I spotted a toddler entertaining herself on her mother's smartphone while sitting in the shopping cart. I was amazed that those little fingers could navigate whatever she was watching or playing on the small screen. Are we naive to think that young students can't handle internet searching and social networking, or is it our responsibility to educate students and parents on ways to stay safely use the internet?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dsr4tYtqLM8&feature=player_embedded
There are many resources that can help educate children and parents on the dangers of the internet, as well as, ways of safely surfing the net, internet etiquette, and online protection of privacy. Below is a list of internet sites that contain useful information for educating people on internet usage
Internet Safety 101 (visit this site and take the "How cyber-savvy are you?" quiz that parents can take. It also has a great deal of free information and resources on internet dangers and safety.
Greensville County School Dist Internet Safety Facts and Tips (this page from the Greensville County SD school website lists several facts and statistics, as well as, tips for safe usage)
Common Sense Media (this site has useful tips for internet users of all ages)
Parent's Guide to Internet Safety (this site is an FBI site that includes reports,stats, a parent's guide to internet safety and information about how to report a crime)
Please read the following article, "Cell Phone Safety: Protecting Privacy, Data, and Kids, Too" written by Larry Magid. This article first
http://www.safekids.com/ (this article was also posted on SafeKids.com) I strongly encourage you to take some time and explore this site. Safekids.com also includes the following other useful safety tools links:
Please watch the video!!! It is a great song to play for preteens and teens to encourage them not to let bullies push them around! (this is also linked to the SafeKids.com site)
Mean Girls Video
Once students and parents are made aware of the dangers of the internet, it is important to provide them with information about safe search engines and safe places for younger students to use for social networking.
One of the first steps you can do as a teacher or a parent for safer searching is go to Google SafeSearch
Here you can find instructions for changing your browser settings to filter the content that will show up when searching.
The settings include:
- Strict filtering filters sexually explicit video and images from Google Search result pages, as well as results that might link to explicit content.
- Moderate filtering excludes sexually explicit video and images from Google Search result pages, but does not filter results that might link to explicit content. This is the default SafeSearch setting.
- No filtering, as you've probably figured out, turns off SafeSearch filtering completely. ( this information is copied directly from the Google SafeSearch at https://support.google.com/websearch/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=510
More information on Google SafeSearch can also be found on the above link Child Safe Search** through SafeKids.comAnother option for safe searching is to use safe, kid-friendly search engines that are just for kids. Parents can create a shortcut to these search engines to their desktop, and require children to use these safe icons when cyber searching
A few examples of these are:
Ivy Joy Kids Search Engine
Ask kids
http://www.factmonster.com/Fact Monster (this is an awesome search tool)
Go Gooligans Kids Search Engine ( this cool site even has a pop-up keyboard for kids with disabilities!)
Teachers can should also encourage parents to read Becoming Network-Wise (this article, written by Will Richardson, was required reading during Week 1 of this course)
As educators, I encourage you to embrace the engaged learning that the internet can offer. Students at a very young age can ease into social networking through Reading Is Fundamental - RIF Reading Planet
This is an awesome site (one that I've shared before) where students can create their own pages, review books, write stories, share links, email postcards to family & friends, play games, and create their own bookshelves. It is a safe fantastic way to introduce social networking to early elementary kids.
The bottom line is, as educators, we can no longer say that it is up to parents to protect their children online. The internet is here to stay, and it is up to all of us to protect children! Not only can we help parents keep their children safer, but we can also educate our students on how to protect themselves.