Sunday, July 27, 2008

Ch 7: Online Safety & Security

This chapter serves as a great reminder that schools have another responsibility when educating our students: to stay safe while creating and sharing online. The Anchorage School District has implemented the use of internet safety lessons (iSafe) which librarians are responsible for coordinating/collaborating within their schools. There are also family events to invite parents for information sharing and ideas to protect their children. I like the way this chapter breaks down concepts for copyright and intellectual property, such as found on p. 139 and the Cyber Awareness Survey found on p. 141. I think they are both great resources to use when introducing Internet safety lessons and create avenues for discussions with students.
Another tactic districts are using is to block the use of inappropriate content within schools. Although this is effective for the most part, it does block some sites that are valid for school use and can lead to frustration with users, especially teachers. Thus educators must look for other solutions to work with the policies of their district.
With so many resources for students to use at just a click of a button, we must ensure that our students and their parents understand acceptable use policies and ethical behavior. There is still a large amount of confusion that schools must establish clear and precise guidelines and policies so their students can be responsible users of technology. Teachers and staff must also be aware of any administrative restrictions they can enforce while using Web 2.0 tools in their teaching practices so as to provide a safe learning environment for their students; safety that goes beyond the walls of the classroom and school.

No comments: