Internet safety is important for our students to know and apply. A strategy use in my classroom and at my school is to discuss the Student Acceptance Use and Internet Safety Policy at the start of the school year. Parents and students are encouraged to read the policy found in the Student Handbook and sign the agreement form. Every classroom in our district has a whiteboard, I could create a presentation on Internet safety for the teachers to use to help teach Internet safety to their students. Teachers have to set guidelines for the students using the Internet. They can help the students establish some rules for safely using the Internet. Cyberbullying is becoming a huge problems in some schools it is important for teachers and administrators to be proactive and create guidelines before problems arise.
There are several websites available on the safe and healthy use of the Internet. Netsafe, safekids, Kids.gov, and Netsmartz are just a few. Netsafe provides a kit that helps teachers and schools address student cyber safety and support digital citizenship. The Netsafe Kit details seven steps required to produce a cyber safe learning environment with digital citizenship at its staple.
Strategies to keep students safe on the Internet includes educating students on the dangers lurking on the Internet. “Stranger Danger” also applies to the Internet. Teachers should discuss what is safe to share on the Internet. BrainPop, Jr. has a great video teachers could use to teach students about Internet Safety. My students love watching the BrainPop videos. Discuss the places on the Internet where students could run into strangers. Teach what online safety is by creating scenarios. Teachers could summarize the video and the class discussion about what is safe to share and not safe to share. Students could write about what they have learned to assess their knowledge on Internet safety.
There are several websites available on the safe and healthy use of the Internet. Netsafe, safekids, Kids.gov, and Netsmartz are just a few. Netsafe provides a kit that helps teachers and schools address student cyber safety and support digital citizenship. The Netsafe Kit details seven steps required to produce a cyber safe learning environment with digital citizenship at its staple.
- Step 1: Identify your starting point – Issues and Capability
- Step 2: Build a secure foundation
- Step 3: Build Capability
- Step 4: Actively involve the whole school community
- Step 5: Focus on classroom programs
- Step 6: Share and foster discussion
- Step 7: Think strategically and long-term
Strategies to keep students safe on the Internet includes educating students on the dangers lurking on the Internet. “Stranger Danger” also applies to the Internet. Teachers should discuss what is safe to share on the Internet. BrainPop, Jr. has a great video teachers could use to teach students about Internet Safety. My students love watching the BrainPop videos. Discuss the places on the Internet where students could run into strangers. Teach what online safety is by creating scenarios. Teachers could summarize the video and the class discussion about what is safe to share and not safe to share. Students could write about what they have learned to assess their knowledge on Internet safety.
Moodle is a free open-source learning management system (CMS). This web tool offers open educational resources. Moodle has to be downloaded and everything produced is available to download and use for free. After reading some of the details provided on the website, I concluded it would be great for blended learning environments. This would be very beneficial for diverse learners because they could work at a pace that is best for them. I initially thought teachers could set up courses and track students’ progress. I later found that not to be the case. I created an account and later tried to download the software with no success. I also tried to set up a course and found out teachers do not have the rights for setting up courses and would have to change setting to an administrator to set up courses. This is something I usually do not do but I gave up. I later went back and read what Solomon and Schrum (2014) had to say about Moodle. I felt really crazy, because in order for the learning management system to work, it has to be installed on a web server somewhere. I would try to convince my school district to buy into this so to speak but I really do not know if they would since we are implementing a new assessment system.
The future of Web 2.0 is the transferring of it to Web 3.0. According to Powers (2014), “Web 30.0 is the next step in the evolution of the Internet and Web applications.” Some experts believe Web 3.0 will allow users the capability to browse more information faster and easier. Blake-Plock (2012) envisions the web heading in the development of a semantic web and the ability for semantic intelligent computing to interact with the physical world. Blended learning is also growing in education and many teachers are finding it challenging to letting go of their traditional brick and mortal way of teaching. Some teachers are not as willing to change because of fear of the unknown or fear of too much work being involved in the transition. There are many advantages to blended learning. Students have more responsibility for their learning and more engaged participants in their learning. Research shows that student achievement increases when their level of engagement increases.
References
Delaney M. (2012). What is Web 3.0, really, and what does it mean for education? Retrieved on April 4, 2016 from http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2012/10/what-web-30-really-and-what-does-it-mean-education.
Netsafe (2015). The netsafe kit for schools – Netsafe: Cybersafety, and security advice for New Zealand. Retrieved on April 12, 2016 from https://www.netsafe.org.nz/the-netsafe-kit-for-schools/.
Powers K. (2014). What is Web 3.0 and how might it affect education? Retrieved on April 4, 2016 from https://ed4online.com/blog/what-web-30-and-how-might-it-affect-education.
Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2014). Web 2.0 how-to for educators (2nd ed.). Eugene, OR. ISTE
The future of Web 2.0 is the transferring of it to Web 3.0. According to Powers (2014), “Web 30.0 is the next step in the evolution of the Internet and Web applications.” Some experts believe Web 3.0 will allow users the capability to browse more information faster and easier. Blake-Plock (2012) envisions the web heading in the development of a semantic web and the ability for semantic intelligent computing to interact with the physical world. Blended learning is also growing in education and many teachers are finding it challenging to letting go of their traditional brick and mortal way of teaching. Some teachers are not as willing to change because of fear of the unknown or fear of too much work being involved in the transition. There are many advantages to blended learning. Students have more responsibility for their learning and more engaged participants in their learning. Research shows that student achievement increases when their level of engagement increases.
References
Delaney M. (2012). What is Web 3.0, really, and what does it mean for education? Retrieved on April 4, 2016 from http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2012/10/what-web-30-really-and-what-does-it-mean-education.
Netsafe (2015). The netsafe kit for schools – Netsafe: Cybersafety, and security advice for New Zealand. Retrieved on April 12, 2016 from https://www.netsafe.org.nz/the-netsafe-kit-for-schools/.
Powers K. (2014). What is Web 3.0 and how might it affect education? Retrieved on April 4, 2016 from https://ed4online.com/blog/what-web-30-and-how-might-it-affect-education.
Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2014). Web 2.0 how-to for educators (2nd ed.). Eugene, OR. ISTE