Safer Internet Day

This is the first year I have heard about Safer Internet Day, which is held on the second day of the second week of the second month each year.  February 7, 2012 is the day this year with the theme "Connecting generations and educating each other".  The focus of this international group is to promote safer and more responsible use of online resources among children.

I spent a little bit of time perusing the site.  There are quite a few videos promoting safety, kits for schools that contain logos to promote the day, informational videos, resources to use for teaching (lesson plans, posters) and links to resources by country.  The United States Safer Internet link contains activities integrating iSafe resources that help teach Internet Safety.

I am impressed to see this international effort to promote Internet safety.  Too frequently I see students get lost in content on the Internet that is clearly not for their eyes.  Unfortunately this pull to unsafe sites seems to affect the students who don't need any more chaos in their lives - students with other challenges who seek a place to belong but are doing this in an unsafe environment.

Share this site with at least one other adult and one child.  As educators we have the opportunity to change the direction of our students.  Thank you for all that you do to this end.

Just to add a little fun, here is the QR code for the site:

Internet Safety Resources

Internet Safety is a hot topic today. Many schools are in the midst of creating a scope and sequence to teach all students how to be safe on the Internet. Following are some resources that might be helpful to parents, students and educators.

NetSmartz is a website with many resources for all groups. NetSmartz characters appeal to the younger children while age-appropriate videos are available for older children. Parents will find resources to use as they create a conversation with their child about safety issues. Visit http://www.netsmartz.org

Nancy Willard's Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use. Nancy Willard is the executive director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use and is a recognized authority on issues related to the safe and responsible use of the Internet. She has written two books, Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats, and Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens. There are a number of professional resources at this site. Visit http://csriu.org/

The Cyberbullying Research Site is directed by Dr. Sameer Hinduja (Florida Atlantic University) and Dr. Justin Patchin (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire). They have been studying cyberbullying since 2002 and first launched this web site in 2005. They founded the Cyberbullying Research Center as a means to further their mission of bringing sound research about cyberbullying to those who can benefit most from it. Their 2008 book Bullying beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying is available from Amazon and other bookstores. Visit http://www.cyberbullying.us/

Internet Safety Education

eSchools news provides a nice summary article about the new federal mandate that requires schools to teach Internet safety in order to obtain e-rate funding. This law won't take effect for another year, but companies and schools are gearing up to research and plan their programs before the law goes into effect.

Read more here.